Isagenix 9 day cleanse

Well, I did it again.
I decided that it was necessary to take drastic measures and therefore subject myself to yet another cleanse. I did my first one almost exactly 4 years ago and was very successful at it. I then tried to do it 2 or 3 times after that and was highly unsuccessful. Cleansing programs like this are just virtually fasts. Therefore, they are not fun and all you wind up thinking about is what you would like to eat. My first time I was successful because I had never done it before and I was determined to  finish what I started and do it right. I did. I lost 10 pounds in that 9 days, but then promptly ate everything in sight and gained back 5 in about 2 days. Still a net loss of 5 pounds, so I was pretty happy with the results. Plus it did what I really needed it to do at that point...get me over a plateau I was on and re-motivate me to push even harder. It succeeded, as did I. It was during this 18 week period four years ago that I lost 20 pounds and 20 total inches. I went from 155 to 135, and then successfully stayed there for about 9 months. That's when my old mindset set in ("I'm skinny, I can eat whatever I want"...wrong! ice cream every night for several weeks added 5 pounds, reduced workouts added another 5 pounds, time and decreased motivation added another 5 pounds... so four years later I am back up 15 of those 20 pounds and willing to try again).
I've been on a bit of a plateau again. I'm happy (as u know), but I would like to see some progress and I'm just not seeing it. Plus swimsuit season is here and I just think my thighs are a bit too wide for a suit, plus I LOVE it when my pants/jeans/shorts are baggy or not tight on my thighs. Right now they are tight on my thighs and I hate that feeling. I LOVE clothes that are baggy , especially ones that were once tight, because it is such a continual motivation/confirmation of the good choices I've made. Whereas... when they are tight its a continual reminder that what I'm doing isn't working because my pants are too darn tight in the thighs. Obviously everyone has there 'hot spot'. The part of their body that they want to change. For some its love handles and guts. For me, its thighs (which when they get too big, blends into my butt too).

So anyway, I decided to use this memorial day weekend when my hubby would be out of town to start this cleanse (its so much easier to cleanse when you aren't going out to eat or making full-fledged meals. With him being gone, I can cook the kids easy simple stuff, that I don't like to eat anyway, and am therefore not in agony when I can't eat it). I know this sounds horrible and ridiculous, and very self-depriving. And it truly is. But, there is a goal here. Once I succeed in these 9 days, I KNOW I will see positive results and that will give me the boost to keep it off and even maybe get more off. Gosh, how fun it would be to spend this summer (or everyday of the rest of my life) at 135 pounds again. lol.

I know this also sounds contradictory to my many previous posts about being happy with where you are. Don't get me wrong, I am not hating myself or my body. I am still happy. I just want to improve it some so my pants fit better and aren't reminding me of their tightness everytime I put them on.

I'm not going to post this till the 9 days are over, so if you are reading it , you will read it from beginning to end in one post, instead of reading day 9, then day8, and so on since blogger posts the most recently written first. P. S. does anyone know how to change that and read a blog from oldest to newest? Sometimes it would be nice (when reading a blog that u haven't read in a while, or ever) to actually read it in chronological order. Anyway, side note there.

I say "anyway" a lot don't I?  :)

I took some 'day 1' pictures today, I'll probably save those to post at the end so that it will be easier to compare before and after pix next to each other. But I have to admit, even though my pants bug me and when I put on a suit I felt it didn't look that great....when I saw the pictures (maybe my 'happy attitude' came through) because I looked at them and thought "gosh, those aren't that bad. Sure I'm not model-thin, but I honestly don't look that bad. If I saw that person on the beach I wouldn't think twice about them--no critical thoughts, but yet no  'yowza, wish I looked like that' thoughts either. lol
So, I guess the truth is (what I've been saying for a long time, and what my 'guess my weight' posts were about), is that we don't look nearly as bad as we sometimes think we do in our heads.

But regardless, my pants FEEL tight, so I want to loosen them up a bit. The only way to do that without going out and buying bigger sizes is to loose an inch or two. So its up to me, not my wallet to make a change.

When this 9 days is done I want to wear my purple shorts to the gym too!  ;)

Today was Day 3. I succeeded in Days 1and 2 (the days where u don't eat any REAL food and just drink these cleansing drinks (which by the way they must have changed the formula because they taste ALOT better!  [I used to have to plug my nose and try to swallow as quick as possible with the old ones-another reason why it was hard to succeed in completing the cleanse. But with these they taste great and fruity]). You also get to eat a couple almonds and these little 'snacks' they call them,but really they are just little one inch pieces of compacted chalk.  lol. That's what they taste like anyway. Chocolate or Vanilla , take your pick of your chalk flavor LOL.  No , honestly, when u are struggling on this thing they are hard to get down and they taste like chalk. But when your mindset is good (which mine is right now) you don't mind them so much. Plus if you eat the chocolate one with an almond it makes it almost taste like chocolate covered almonds lol.

Well, things are going good. As of today (Day3) I am down 5 pounds. Obviously, with a cleanse the first place u lose it is your stomach, because you really aren't eating. So for me, I can't stop now, I need to go further so I can see real results (reduction of stored fat in my thighs) in a few days. That keeps me motivated. I know that if I went off it now, the 5 pounds could come back really quick because a lot of that is water, and since I'm eating no salt, no water-retention. By continuing the cleanse, you wind up breaking cravings for sugar and junk food. So when you go back to regular eating afterwards you don't crave those things so it helps u to make better eating choices.
Mentally, all is going really well. Day 3-7 are 'shake days'. This means you drink special enzyme filled shakes (taste good) for 2 meals, some of those yummy chalky snacks, and ONE real meal of 400-600 calories which ideally should be really healthy stuff. Preferrably organic, because u are trying to rid your body of toxins with the cleanse so if you only put back into it 'good' food during the process, it makes it more successful. These days also make it easier mentally because u get to eat some real food. I personally like to EAT. REAL. FOOD. I am not a meal-replacement bar or shake type of person. I want a bowl of cereal, not a shake for breakfast. The only time I eat meal-replacement stuff is if I absolutely have no time, then I grab it on the go. Other than that, I really like to eat. I like the flavor, the texture, and I like to chew my food. Therefore, I enjoy days 3-7 more than the 'cleanse days' which are days 1-2 and 8-9.
To prepare for the shake day meals, I looked up on http://www.calorieking.com/ the calorie count of items in my house that I wanted to eat. Some things I was starting to think about or hope to eat soon. Plus lots of fruit that I just bought and didn't want to go bad. Then I took that list, picked a bunch of things that tallied up to 600 calories and said "this is what I will eat on day3". It worked really well, in fact, today I was so busy outside that I really didn't consume all the items I had planned on, but I will sort of save them  up, because once Dan gets home I know it will be harder to stay on track because I will need to be serving family dinners and we may also go out.
I had recently bought some babybel white cheddar minis (you know the ones that come wrapped in wax?) I really like the gouda, and this time I tried a sample at Sam's of the white cheddar and liked it too, along with some gluten free really yummy crackers. I bought both and was anxious to eat them at home but had to wait to Day3 to do it. So today I ate them, and ooohhhh, they were GOOD! Probably a little more so because I am appreciating every morsel that goes in my mouth right now (think-survivor contestant right after they leave tribal and are getting to eat in the car on the way to Ponderosa!), but also because when u let that cheese get close to room temperature, the flavor is immense. Very good. You should try it. I took one mini, sliced it up and put it on 7 (SEVEN!) crackers. Together it was 140 calories and it was WORTH IT!  :)
I also had a leftover fish taco and pico from the Blue Restaurant (last dinner out before Dan left) so I ate that too. That was DELISH! Its not fried, and has no grease (when u reheat it you don't see any like u do on other foods), so the only high calories come from the flour tortilla its wrapped in, so I had to guesstimate that that was about 200 calories. It was super flavorful and deliscious!
One thing I've come to realize is that when you don't have free reign of the fridge/freezer/pantry/menu... you can really enjoy those healthy choices you are making because its the only thing you are going to get. No cheetos or onion rings for you!  In fact right now, the thought of Cheetos makes me gag. That's a good sign, it means the yucky junk food is losing its hold and my body is wanting the good nourishing healthy stuff!  If we can just stay on track eating the good stuff regularily and not slipping into junk food mode, our bodies would naturally help us make better choices. Its when we make repetitive bad choices that the salt and sugar in those choices start nagging at our bodies to get more because they don't satisfy our nutritional needs. I need to remember that when I snack (after the cleanse) to make sure I get protein in it so that it will satisfy me. When I snack on nonsense, my body isn't satisfied so it asks for more and more and more and pretty soon I've eaten 3 entirely useless things, and am truthfully still 'hungry' (craving something to satisfy me) even though I am stuffed. See how wrong that is. We need to feed our bodies what it needs so it doesn't feel depleted.
That is one of the reasons for my cleanse, to shock my body into dealing with 'no junk'. Then when I start all over afterwards and can keep eating the good healthy stuff that will satisfy me and help me, instead of just sitting on my hips.
Well, that is the end of Day 3. Its going good. I'll sign back in soon.

Day 4 is almost over. Another great day. I have to say this cleanse is going really well. Because I am seeing results not only on the scale, and in the fit of my clothes (already!), but primarily in my mind and how I am thinking about food again, this is going really good. I put my swimsuit on today and hung out at the pool after church (beautiful day by the way!) and I was feeling skinny. It felt good. Then Dan came home and we headed down the street for a few minutes. Even Dan commented that my butt already looked smaller ( BIG smile on my part!)

These past two days I haven't actually eaten all that I was supposed to, but I wasn't hungry either, so I figure I'll just let it slide (in case I go over a bit later in the week). I know restricted calories isn't a good idea because it could slow your metabolism , and that is why you are on a 2 hr schedule with this cleanse to constantly be eating either a snack tab or a shake or a cleanse drink or a low-cal meal every two hrs or so. But honestly with my mind set already shifting (wanting good food instead of junk) and being busy these last couple of days, I've just missed a few. In fact right now, as I am sitting in the evening typing this in front of the tv I would normally be mindlessly snacking on something  and that something probably wouldn't be filling and therefore wouldn't satisfy, so I would keep snacking. But now that my mind is shifting (yeah) I can sit here and realize that I am NOT hungry, and use my mind to choose not to eat mindlessly. That is a great improvement. Plus using my mind, instead of snacking mindlessly, I can choose the right snacks when I am hungry. Something with some protein :)

Also, I need to mention I haven't worked out in two days... and guess what? I'm not freaking out about 'missed workouts'. Working out sometimes turns into an 'idol' for me. I am trying to change that. I know two things. I have to turn it over to God. And I have to change my mindset in order to overcome this idol in my life. For those of you who aren't familiar with the phrase 'having an idol in your life', it essentially means that something is taking over your life, it holds more importance than it should, and takes too much time and focus than it should. (And you spend more time focusing on this, than focusing on your relationship with God...there, I finally said it out loud and admitted it).  I have known for quite some time that I needed to fix this, and more importantly than that,  I know that to really fix it I have to turn it over to God. The amazing thing about these past two days with no workouts is that there was no "game plan to make up for it later" or honestly even thinking about it at all. I simply just didn't work out. I wasn't lazy. It just wasn't a 'priority'. For me, that was a positive turn too.
I did work out on Day 1 and 2, but with Day2 being the second day of 'true cleanse' my energy level was low and I had to turn it down a notch at the step class but it was fun and still a great workout. Plus I got to workout with my great friend Jen who I haven't been able to workout with in a long time.

I know I'm jumping around a bit with my topics, but its because I stop writing for a minute then when I come back to it I am thinking of another aspect that I want to talk about...right now, that topic is about how incredibly great my mindset is ,that this doesn't even feel like a cleanse. It just feels like normal every day life. And the great thing about that, is that I am completely satisfied with healthy food and less food and smaller portions than I've mindlessly consumed in the past! I am so feeling this as a lifestyle right now, rather than a cleanse, that I feel like I could go on with this for a loooonngg time. But I know you aren't supposed to. I think I read something about that four years ago that you could do 2 back to back, but then had to go off it before you did some more (???) Anyway, all this to say this is a good thing, because that is what you want to happen. You want to get your body cleaned out of the junk so it doesn't crave it so that you can eat the way God intended you to eat...as fuel for your body. Fuel for the temple He created you to live in while you are here on earth.

Day 5: was a bit harder. Mainly  due to eating dinner instead of lunch.....
On shake days when you eat a meal, you are supposed to eat that at lunch, then have a shake at dinner. This works best, because lunchtime seems to be your most hungriest anyway and then the shake tides you over till bedtime if you get a little hungry later. Plus, nutritionists always say you should eat your biggest meal earlier in the day, not at night like most of us traditionally do.  Well, Dan is back so I feel that our family dinner time should be normal (shouldn't disrupt our family time just because of my cleanse), but... I was really hungry around lunch and struggling. I really wanted my meal now, I didn't want to wait for dinner. So I asked Dan if he was interested in eating the chicken we had planned for dinner now at lunch. He said he wasn't hungry so I decided to wait. I didn't explain to him why I was asking, and I probably should have because then he probably would have agreed to eat earlier (he's been really supportive on this cleanse). But I didn't , so he didn't know, so by the time dinner came around I was ready to eat a horse today. I didn't, but it sure was a bit agonizing internally. That is not how you want the cleanse to be. You don't want it to be such a deprivation that you are craving what you aren't having. That will just backfire because you will probably go overboard when you go off it.  That is why its important to eat as the plan suggests in the afternoon.  It is just really hard to do that with a family. (Which is why the first few days when our whole family wasn't together, and we weren't having 'family meals' were so much easier).

Day6: today was back on track. I haven't been eating all the 'snack tabs' I know I'm supposed to but I haven't felt hungry and I was busy so I didn't. I know I should though, because I know you are supposed to put nutrients in your body every few hours. Today I ate my meal at lunch instead of dinner (like you are supposed to) and it was so much better than yesterday! Plus we were out and about all day, and when I'm busy there is just not much time to think about eating. This evening though when I was sitting on the computer, I felt my mind go to that place where u think you should 'snack on something' just because you are sitting here. That is one of the mind things I want to change. I don't want pointless snacking! Eat when you are hungry, not just out of boredom or routine or habit!   Fortunately, I DIDN'T, so I am still on track. Oh yeah, on a nice note, today I wore some workout shorts that I like to the gym today that I haven't worn in probably 6 months! They fit fine and I liked being able to wear them again. I want to wear ALL my workout shorts again! That's the goal, getting back into what's in my closet. I don't have to fit in my (glorious) 2007  135 pound clothes. I just want to fit in all my 140-145 pound clothes REALLY WELL!   I'm getting closer :) will keep u posted.

Day 7 I was at the office and it went really well. I wound up making dinner for my in-laws too but since I was working at the office I didn't get all grumpy about not eating my 'meal' at lunchtime, so when I ate it at dinnertime, I was fine today. Another good day.

Day 8. This is the final two days, and these days are like 1 and 2, in that instead of any real meals and shakes, you eat those chalky snack tabs every 2 hours and you drink four of these cleanse drinks, which have a pleasant fruity taste.  Today went super good. Feeling great, not craving or feeling deprived about anything. Was still at 5 pounds lost this morning. My jean capris that I love fit baggy again (which is the way I love them), one of my jean shorts are so baggy right now that I need to throw them in the wash to shrink them up some. Feeling good and going good. I'd like to take a fat percentage test at the gym to see if there is any change from this, but I didn't schedule one. Maybe next week I can do it and we'll see what happens then.   I am also liking this program so much (the shakes and cleanse drinks and such) that I am thinking of ordering some more just for a little maintenance. Not necessarily to do the whole 9day cleanse again (at least not for the next 2 weeks because I am going on vacation and believe me I will be splurging!), but to do when I get back just for regular days. Plus if I use it more as maintenance then I pretty much use it during the day, but when we go out or its family dinner time and I partake with my family instead of being segregated like I am now :(   Dan has been really great through this whole thing. I've explained to him that its not just about weight loss, its about cleaning out your system to stop the sugar and salt cravings, so he's been really supportive and ate with the girls when I wasn't around, and helped make dinner, and didn't request that I make our 'regular' family dinners on nights that I wasn't supposed to eat. He has been cool with having burgers on the grill (which he and the kids really enjoy, but I wouldn't want to eat even if I could) so its been working out ok. Only one more 'missed' family dinner then we can do our normal dinner plans together. That's good. Well, that's all for today.

Day 9:Final day of the official cleanse. Today went well. Pretty easy actually. I was at the pool today and I noticed something funny... normally when I am in my swimsuit I try to tighten my stomach muscles 'just a bit' so that I don't have some flab hanging out for my hubby to see (I want him to only see me in a perfect light at all times--I know impossible, but I really want to put my 'best foot forward' for him). Today I realized that I wasn't doing that AT ALL, and my stomach was just staying there by itself!  That is a nice part of the cleanse, not much in there, so nothing to make it stick out lol. It made me think of the folks on survivor (again), they are so restricted in their diets, there is no food in their bellys, no wonder most of them all have sunken or super flat tummys midway through the game!  Anyway, it felt nice. I did realize though that even though it was flat, when I laid on my side the center part that got all stretched out through pregnancies is still droopy no matter what. That skin has just lost its elasticity and that is all there is to it! Only a tummy tuck will help it, and I don't like surgery so that 'ain't happening', so I guess I will live with it, and Dan will have to too. (there I go again, that perfectionism streak peaking out----at least I'm honest about it, yes, even though I'm HAPPY, some things still make me 'think').
So anyway, back to day 9. Went good all day, till about 4pm when I started thinking about what we were going to do for dinner. I was supposed to drink a cleanse drink. No food. But I HATE missing family dinners with my family. I should be making them a dinner, or we should be spending time together going out for one and enjoying that together. I could easily have finished the cleanse with my drinks. No problem. I was not deprived or hungry in any way. But on an emotional level, I really hate messing up my family's dinner 'tradition' if you'll call it that. So I asked Dan, if he wanted me to make the girls something simple (they were all finally wore out on hamburgers!), or if he wanted to go to the blue restaurant. I knew I could eat 2 fish tacos there and it would be really healthy and low calorie so I wouldn't feel like it was a failure. We ended up going to the restaurant. I ate my spicy fish tacos. But I ate no chips. No queso. No lemonade. Then afterwards at our soccer party I ate no ice cream. No cookies. No brownies. No nothing! So I don't feel like I failed. I have lost 5 pounds and my CLOTHES FIT BETTER! I am not craving over junk food (I didn't eat all those sugary things available to me---if I HAD, that would have been a failure because then I would have been filling myself immediately up with all the junk I had just cleansed out of my system!)  I have only put GOOD stuff back into my body, so I feel confident that I can continue with wiser choices and try to keep this as a lifestyle.
I am LOVING the fact that my pants fit looser! 
Yes, weightloss did occur and I did this cleanse knowing that would happen, but I also did it for the 'breaking the sugar/salt' cycle. To explain a little, read on...


I wanted to take a moment to talk about the whole purpose of doing a cleanse is for. It really isn't for weightloss. However, when you do a deep cleanse, like this one, that is a side effect. Since I had done this before I knew that. However,  the cleansing of toxins out of your body is the important part. If we can get some of the toxins out of our body that are stored there it is healthier for us from the inside out. Also, during the cleanse, if you can break your body's cravings/desire for processed foods and sugar (through the absence of it), that will really make a difference in your lifestyle choices after the cleanse. You won't be desiring the junk, so you will be feeding your body what it really needs, nutrient-wise, and therefore, your body will be satisfied.  For me, that is the big goal. Get me back on track where my lifestyle is a no-brainer. I'm not making sacrifices or suffering deprivations to eat certain things, I am simply eating what is good for me because I want to. That is what I desire. So it no longer is a diet of any sort, it is simply how you live. Your lifestyle.

On a side note...
I went to a reflexology person recently. While there we began discussing other procedures they do at that office. One of them was those colonic irrigations. (Where they use a tube and water to essentially flush out old poop and toxins from your colon). I have to admit... this intrigued me. I know. It sounds gross. But on the other hand, if you can get rid of some of the build up of gross tarry, yucky, toxins that are in your body... and that would make you healthier... wouldn't that be worth it?   I'm contemplating. I told my friend, Marlenes, about it. She freaked out. She thinks I'm going to do it just because I've contemplated it enough to talk about it. I don't know. She may be right. I'll let u know if I ever decide and what the results are on that. Until then, I'll just do this oral cleanse and hope that helps some.

I spent about $200 on this cleanse (including my $40 annual membership fee so that I could buy this and future items at a discount). If anyone wants to try it let me know and I can order it for you.  I mention the cost, because I have to admit, in the beginning when I was starting it and not sure yet how it was going to go this time (since I had had both success and failures with it in the past), I told myself "I am NOT going to cheat, and ruin this and throw $200 down the drain just because I had a three minute error to eat something I shouldn't! and that could be a detriment to the program and thus make it not successful and thus make me lose my money!"  So that helped me stay motivated in the beginning, but honestly, I saw the results so quickly that then THAT kept me motivated. Plus ,except for Day 5, I have just had the greatest mental attitude and commitment about it. Its gone well. So even though I ended it about 5 hours early, I do feel it was very successful.

I had taken some "before" pictures. Today I took some "after" pictures. But you know, I don't think I'm going to post them. Truth is, its not about "look at me! look how good I look!", and I think sometimes that's what we are saying (maybe subconsciously) when we post those types of pictures. Or even if WE aren't saying that, that is what SOME people THINK you are saying when they see them. So I decided I didn't want to do that. I have the pictures for myself. They help me to see differences and visual progress. But they will remain for me to see and not you. :)    Plus, truth is, when I started this fitness blog it was really just me and my workout buddies who might read it. But now, that I've linked it to Facebook a few times, I don't know how comfortable I would feel with showing pictures of myself in a swimsuit to some of my 'friends' on FB. Its just not a side of me they may want to see, and it may be a part of my life that they aren't really involved in and therefore may not understand. To some people, I just want to remain "T and W's mom" , not that "crazy, work-out obsessed, cleansing lady who posts swimsuit pictures of herself all the time".  Because, truth is, I'm not as obsessed anymore, and I'm working on becoming even less 'obsessed'. I may cleanse, but I do it because I think its good for my body from the inside out. But my kids teachers probably want to remain to know me with my full clothes on :) so no pictures on this go-around folks!  I will say though, as I mentioned above, they weren't as bad as I'd imagined (remember u are always your worst critic, so lighten up!), and the after shots did show some improvement. But honestly for me, if my clothes are fitting the way I want them to, then I don't need a picture to prove it... I FEEL it!     A few months ago, my friend Jen can attest to this, I was obsessed with how I looked in pictures (I saw a picture that was really bad and I was like "what?! really?! is that what I look like?" So I was obsessed with figuring out how I truly looked, not in my head, but in real life. Well, the difference between then and now, is that my pants were tight (!) then. And I knew it. But in my head I was still trying to convince myself it was ok... till I saw the picture and I had to face reality that something had to be done. Whereas now, I don't need the picture, because I can FEEL that my pants fit better. Loose, in fact. So I KNOW things are on the right track.


I know I have jumped around a lot in this extremely LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG post. If you read it all, congrats to you. Its been good to chronicle it for me and I can use it to re-read if I need a 'pick me up' some day about why I want to stay away from foods that don't satisfy and will only make me crave them. If I re-read the reminders in the post about wise and thoughtful choices, then it can help ME too to stay on track. Hope this helps you too.

That's all folks.

Oh... P. S. I did do measurements, so I WILL post those (but not the pictures), so from a 'measurement aspect' we can SEE the results.   I'll try to do that this weekend.

Correction and measurements

Update and correction on the cleanse results. I weighed in and it was actually a 6 pound loss, not 5.   :)


Here are the physical measurements to see the results. It was a total of 10.75 inches lost (wish they were all lost in one spot! That would be really impressive ha ha)

Day 1     Day 10      Location
12.75      12.5           Upper arm -left
12           12               Upper arm-right
36            35              Chest
30.75        29.75          Diaphragm
30.5            29             Waist
34.5            33            Abdomen:5" below waist:I measured this on the 'bulge' area of my tummy
40.25         39           Buttocks :9" below waist
25               24.5         Upper thigh-left
24.75         24.5           Upper thigh-right
14.25           13.75      calf-left
14.50            14          calf-right
18                17.5         upper knee-right
17.75            17.5          upper knee-left

those purple shorts

I posted earlier that I was very excited after doing the cleanse to finally be able to wear my purple shorts again. I actually have two pair, one I've worn before (earlier last summer when I was about 141), and a new pair that I bought on sale to match this pink top shown, that I never even wore, because by the time I found them on sale I had gained weight, and when I gain weight it goes to my butt and thighs first, so bottoms are the first thing to not fit me right anymore. So after the cleanse, one of the "tests" was to see if I could fit into these two shorts... and I did! yippee! They actually fit and my rear didn't peek out (ok lets be honest, HANG out! Peek just sounds cuter ha ha). So there you have it... ta-da! they fit! And yes I'm a bit corny, I like to match most everything from picture frames on a wall, to the color running shoes I'm wearing with my gym clothes. So this outfit is a bit matchy-matchy, what with the purple sports bra peeking out an all, but I still like it, and I'm so happy to get a chance to wear them. Now if I can just make sure I KEEP being able to wear them ! :)

Day 9

Today is supposedly the end of the cleanse/fast, but since yesterday and today I didn't do any cleanse drinks (bc I don't have any), its just sort of blended into my "continue to work at it and maintain season". In an effort to do that, I started the day with a 200 cal burn on the treadmill, had a isagenix shake for bfast, went to the gym and had one of the best workouts I've had in a long time (sure I was tired after each set, but I felt like I could still stand-lately I've been feeling like if I don't sit between sets I'll pass out-so it felt great to feel energized again!). Burned 750 calories there. Then munched a few brazil nuts and one snack tab otw to sam's club. When I got home I wound up doing 300 more calories on the treadmill because... I ate 140 calories worth of frozen thin mint cookies. (not my best moment, but at least I made up for it). And here's the deal... the girls brought home cookies from grandma's Monday and they have been sitting on the counter and I keep seeing them (they look pretty good), so finally I tore off a tiny piece to try it. It wasn't as good as I'd hoped but now I had cookie taste in my mouth and wanted more so I pulled out the frozen ones, ate them, then promptly got on the treadmill to burn them off! Definately was not worth it. They didn't even taste that great. And.... once they were in my mouth they DIDN'T satisfy me, so I kept craving something else. Fortunately I knew what was happening so I didn't eat anything else, I got on the treadmill instead. But that's what happens, that food doesn't provide any filling sensation or completeness so u just wind up craving and wanting more , and thus eating more. WHEREAS, if I had eaten a fresh orange, or celery stick it would have satisfied and I'd be done. I need to not cave into those stupid cookies. I KNOW to eat the healthy, fiber-rich , good-for-me food, so I just have to make sure I DO!
Anyway, decided to eat dinner with the family instead of a shake so I ate a bunch of steamed broccoli (good for me) and a little bit of chicken casserole (but I only ate the noodles really bc I gave all the chicken to my daughter, bc honestly I really don't like much meat). So the casserole wasn't the healthiest but I only ate a little, and the broccoli was incredibly healthy so I'd say it was a good day. Don't know my weight, but I do know those purple shorts fit me and I'm VERY happy! Its funny bc I was talking to a friend at the gym who has several pair of those same shorts (we both love them), and I mentioned that I could finally wear them again now that I was 140, but couldn't when I was 150 because my butt would almost hang out. And she said she was 148 right now and had no problem wearing them (and didn't-they looked great), but the difference between us was that I gain in the butt and thighs, so immediately my pants won't fit when I gain weight. But she gains in her stomach, so even though she had gained, her pants weren't a problem for her. Isn't that funny how we are all so different in our body shapes and stuff. Because technically her and I are about the same height so when our weight is the same you'd think we'd be identical, but we're not. God made us each unique and that's why we've all got different stories to tell and mountains to climb :)

Tomorrow I am planning on eating shakes&tabs all day bc tomorrow night I'm making my yummy(although not perfectly healthy) chicken pot pie again. I figure if I know I'm going out or eating something I can maintain by eating extra sensibly during the day to sort of bank my calories as Jen says. We've got a busy week with church meetings, dentist appt, work, girls' pictures and a bball game, so we'll have to see how this all plays out :)

I'll tell u one thing for sure... I AM MOTIVATED. I FEEL GREAT. I AM HAPPY. I AM FOCUSED. These are all good things so I plan to be able to stay on track because of them.

day 8 recap

Well, day 8 didn't go as well as I'd hoped.
Here is what was supposed to happen...
I was supposed to repeat the "cleanse days" of day 1&2 on day 8 & 9. But I don't have any more cleanse drink left (remember this was left over product, I didn't buy a whole new set and since I'd tried to do the cleanse before and not finished it-last yr I think-I had already used one of the bottles). So my plan was to drink the shakes, eat the "snack" tabs and almonds, and either skip the meal or eat sensibly.
Toss that all out the window (eek).
Started off ok drinking my shake b4 I left for work.These shakes aren't portable though unless u take the powder separately to mix bc once they are mixed u have to drink it immediately or the enzymes are lost. So instead of hassling with bringing it, I just grabbed a slimfast shake to take with me for lunch at the office. I also planned on eating my snack tabs every hour and a half (they recommend that. I think getting 'something' in your tummy helps keep your metabolism up so your body doesn't go into starvation mode and slow down its metabolism). Well, anyway, wasn't hungry at work, was too stressed and too busy to do it so I didn't eat anything there except that slimfast drink. Came home and intended to make a dinner, but Dan was starving and didn't want to wait the hour for it to cook, so we went to the chinese buffet (eek). I did eat sauteed green peas and mushrooms but that would be about the only thing considered low-calorie on my plate unless spring rolls, eggrolls, wontons, and fried shrimp (&sweet/sour sauce) count! Evidently not! So not only did I not do the plan well today, but I ate probably 1000 calories for dinner (yikes!)
The only good news is I woke up early today to get in a good pre-gym workout. AND.... last night b4 bed I tried on the two pair of infamous purple shorts... and they BOTH fit! So I'm wearing one of them today to the gym. Maybe I'll snap a picture and post it later. I know one meal won't ruin everything. So I am back at it today working hard and watching what I eat. I want to continue to lose and then maintain this weight. I don't want to go right back to 145-150 and have this past 9 days just be a waste. I'll keep u posted.

Day 7

Woke up today and weighed myself. Still at 140, (almost 141), so still have a 9-10 pound loss. Today though was the first day I ate a meal at a restaurant since starting the cleanse. We went to a pizza place after church. I chose a salad and I also ate 2 pieces of mushroom&green olive pizza. I DID however refrain from eating even ONE deep fried mushroom! Oooohhh that was hard too! They looked really good, but my husband and mother in law both said the breading wasn't very good, so that made me feel a bit better. But it would have been so much easier if they hadn't even been ON the table! ugh! I did tell my daughter b4 we went there that we would not be ordering mozzerella sticks (she threw a fit of course), but I know I love theirs, and it would have been anguish not to eat them. Unfortunately, my father in law didn't know my struggle and he ordered the mushrooms (oops).
I figure what I ate was about 750 calories (and I'm erring on the side of caution, rounding higher just in case. Hopefully it was lower). I'll drink a shake tonight so I think it will be ok, because honestly, my intake hasn't been 400-600 cal meals this week. Probably closer to 300-400 since all I've eaten is a giant salad once, and those tomato cucumber sandwiches the other days. (plus I changed it from 2 string cheeses on a sandwich to only one, so save about 100 calories). I'm ok I think. I'll tell u what... my hubby likes my body 10 pounds lighter-woohoo! and that's what makes me happy too!!!!! Now its time to (lose 5 more pounds) and maintain.
I can do it.
I will do it.
I have done it before (for 9 months), I will do it again! but longer or FOREVER this time!
I'm ready for some kick butt gym classes. At church today they were jumping and dancing and I wanted to do our frog jumps from the gym (u jump straight up and bring your heels up to try to touch you butt as your knees go out the the sides). However I couldn't because I was wearing a skirt and it probably wasn't the "right" type of jumping for the situation (ha ha), but my mind was there-I wanted EXERCISE! Watch out Shelley (my instructor), the Rene' you remember from the beginning is bbbbaaaaccccckkkkkkk! woooooohhhhhooooooooo!! Can u tell I am excited?!

Tried on my favorite brown J.Crew cords from 2007 and they are skin tight still (bummer), but I think I am VERY close to wearing my purple shorts again that I posted about on my first blog last summer (and unfortunately gained weight after I bought them so I quit wearing them!)
Its fun to wear stuff that's been in your closet "unwearable" for so long!

I will admit though, I think I am getting a bit cranky. My patience level seems to be a bit shorter with the girls these past two days. (I know that sometimes happens with me when I don't have real food, so I don't want to take this to an extreme because my weightloss is not more important than my family). I told Dan last night "I just want to eat. I'm not hungry, I just want the taste and sensation of eating!" He said I was weird, but its true. Today helped. Being able to eat a good yummy salad out of the house in the company of people. It felt good. I just wished the pizza had tasted better so it would have been more "worth it". (I ate my salad first so my pizza was not super hot-bummer). Anyway, I've got a lot of computer stuff to do so I'll write more later.

Day 6

Wow, this decreased caloric intake is beginning to take a toll on my energy level. I am really worn out today. Not really tired, just exhausted, like everything is hard to do. Hard to stand and brush my teeth(got to sit), hard to pour a glass of water(have to lean on the counter to do so), definately hard to workout .I tried to do my 21 minute treadmill program this morning that includes about half running, a quarter walking, and a quarter incline walking. Oh my word! I could barely do it today. Maybe it was because I didn't have time to warm up(I just started running, which I normally don't do), or maybe it was because I exerted 1200 calories on YESTERDAY'S workout, or maybe its from the decreased fuel going into my body. Or all three!
Anyway, I'm still holding strong on the cleanse/fast-doing my 400-600 cal meal and drinking my shakes, but I am certainly starting to miss eating. Not so much a craving for anything specific, in fact most things don't sound good right now. I just want to chew and eat something. To get that taste sensation in my mouth. That's what I miss! I am pushing through though because I'm not going to cave and go through all this and then blow my results and get nothing out of it! I want this to be a definate start to my weightloss program.
Which by the way when I got on the scale this morning I had lost another pound. So I am down from 150 to 140 right now-woohoo! That's only 5 pounds away from my "2007 goal weight" :)

Plus last night I tried on some pants that used to fit back then... and they did. They were a little tighter than before (5 pounds obviously), but I could wear them if I wanted to. But I really prefer to wait for that next 5 pounds-plus they are mostly shorts, so I don't need them now anyway.

Anyway, that is the post for today. 10 pounds total so far, but it is beginning to be a bit of a struggle. Tomorrow will be my first eating out meal (after church), since I started last Monday, but I think I can handle it with a great salad. I'll keep u posted for the next few days to tell u how it goes.

Day #5

Not much time for details, I'll post those later, but let me share the awesome news I have...
I've lost 9 pounds so far! and counting 13 measuring points, I've lost 13 inches so far which includes a half inch in each thigh, 2.25 inches in my abdomen, 1.5 inches in my butt, and 2 inches in my waist! (the important regions I say) ;) I put on a pair of jeans that were snug in my thighs Sunday (but fit good everywhere else), and today they feel great in my thighs (can even pinch an inch of extra fabric while wearing them!), and are slightly baggy on my butt! I love baggy pants (when they used to be tight or didn't fit! Its the greatest feeling!)
Also, burned 1200 calories today while watching Biggest Loser on DVR with my friend Jen. What a great day!

Day #4 of the fast/cleanse

Things are going great. Today was another shake day. Had one for bfast and dinner. Had the same sandwich as yesterday for lunch. Also ate a couple of those Isagenix "snack" tabs and raw plain brazil nuts (I'm supposed to use almonds, but the only ones I have right now are salted and I don't think all that sodium would benefit the cleanse). As of this afternoon it looks like I've already lost 7 pounds so I am down from 150 to 143. Yippee! I will admit there have been a few moments when I looked or thought about a handful of doritos or m&m's and slightly contemplated it, but said "no, I'm doing this cleanse full-blast this time and I'm not going to screw it up like I have before". I know that if on day 10 I start eating all the foods I was eating b4 the cleanse it won't benefit me. But for me you see, its mainly mental. If I can get started on the right mental track with results (the cleanse) then I make better choices and hence stay on track with better eating, therefore maintaining my weight instead of going right back to where I was before. That's why this cleanse helps, because if u stick with it for 9 days (removing those foods) your body finally stops craving them, and they don't yell your name anymore. I'm not saying I'm never eating cookies again (NOT) but, I will do it in moderation instead of going overboard when that sugar is making me crave them. When u don't eat sugar a lot, then u don't crave it as much. (Its true, and I have learned this from experience).

Anyway, eating went well today. Workouts were great too. However, I do need to clarify that my energy level (during workouts only-not during the rest of the day) is lower than normal (because I don't have as many intake calories fueling my body). So my goal today was to do a big workout on the treadmill or elliptical (AMT) at home, then head to the gym and run, then do Shelley's pump class. THEN, I was going to go tonight and do Jen's bootcamp and pump class at the east gym. This was all because I got no workout in yesterday due to the water issues.
HOWEVER, I did some computer work before getting started today so I only had 20 min to workout before getting the girls off to school. As soon as I got on the AMT (see older posts for description of this machine), I could tell my energy was not there. I normally do level 12, I only had it on level 2 this morning and I was totally trying to figure out how I could do the machine while at the same time leaning on it to support me so I didn't have to stand up because it was draining my energy so much. I know its bc right now my body doesn't have enough fuel for intense workouts even though I am still trying to do them, so I'm not all bummed out that my body didn't perform. I know the reason. Its a temporary one and its part of a greater good(losing weight), so its ok. But its still a bummer when mentally I am SO READY to get a great hard workout in, and then my body doesn't bring it and I don't do as much as I really want to.
But anyway, then I went to the gym and did the AMT there for another 25 minutes before class (instead of running----easier on my stamina), and I did feel pretty good. Then I went to Shelley's pump class. It was great. In fact, on a normal day when I have enough fuel to fuel my body, I would have rocked that class hard and gotten an amazing workout. We did all the moves I love and everything was awesome... except my body couldn't keep up with my mind, so I had to keep catching myself from falling over. Do you think anyone would mind if I put a chair near my spot so between exercises I could sit down for 10 seconds? Because that's really what I needed. If I could just sit for a second and conserve energy instead of using it to stand up, I could make it better. Sounds ridiculous, but that's exactly how I feel out there. I WANT to do it, but I just need a little boost (a chair) to help me focus all energy on the workout and none on just breathing/standing/maintaining organ function/etc. Just the important stuff ya know-ha.
Anyway, class was great. Even though I didn't give it 120% I still gave it 100% and got a great calorie burn. Then this evening I knew I didn't have the stamina for bootcamp, so I only went to the pump class with Jen, but it was awesome too! Since her pump doesn't have any jumping around, I did really really well and gave it the full 120%. My body felt great as did my mind.
So in conclusion, its still going well, got a great 3 workouts in today, ate great, feel great, and am really excited the upcoming results of this 9 days.

day #3 looking good

Day number 3 is here. Its been a good day. Today is a "shake day" this means I'm supposed to drink two isagenix shakes, eat one 400-600 cal meal (preferably for lunch), and in between drink lots of water and eat those lovely (aweful!!) "snack" tabs.
Well, here's the recap. I drank my shake in the morning. Then didn't get a workout in as planned because our water was being turned off bc we didn't pay the bill ( no just kidding, a line froze and we had to turn it off to stop the pond being formed in our yard). Anyway, I got notice of this and had 10 minutes to jump in the shower b4 there would be no water. So, consequently, no workout for me. Then I went to the office and drank about one big bottle of water throughout the day (not enough) and ate about 7 celery sticks (about 20 calories). I meant to eat a light healthy lunch but didn't make it back home till dinner time, so instead of drinking the shake I ate the rest of my lunch which totalled about 300 calories. Its a yummy tomato,cucumber, mozzerella sandwich I make. I also put sprouts on it and toast the 100 calorie bread for a bit of a crunch. Its very yummy! Anyway, that rounds out a really good calorie intake day. However, no calories used exercising, I'll have to make up for that tomorrow!

By the way I got a new pair of Rock Revival jeans from zappos.com yesterday and wore them today... I love them!!!!!! They may be my most favorite jeans, except for my black ones which I REALLY love, but I feel they are a little dressy for everyday-wear. So I usually just wear those to "go out". Anyway really excited about these jeans because...
they are long enough
they fit
they don't feel tight on my thighs-they feel perfect
and most importantly... they don't gap at the back of the waist so I don't have to have them altered in any way.
Isn't this awesome!? Can u tell I'm happy with this purchase, and overrall my general outlook because....
I am turning that corner again (finally! welcome back the Rene' of 2007... I am ready and waiting for you!!!) (So is my husband probably-hee hee!)

day two cleanse/fast

Well, its 4:35pm on day two of my Isagenix cleanse/fast. Everything is going pretty well but I have a headache right now which is sometimes a side-affect. I'm try to drink more water to get rid of it. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I get to eat a real meal (one 400-600 cal meal per day) along with the shakes (instead of the aweful cleanse liquid). I'm already dreaming about a nice healthy salad, or a tomatoe/cucumber/mozzerella sandwich, hmmmm hmmm good. The scale says I've already lost 5 pounds (I know probably just water, but it still gives me the emotional incentive that I need). Last time I did this wholeheartedly, I lost 10 pounds in 9 days, but then gorged the 10th day because I was SO missing food, that I gained 5, so still had a net loss of 5. If I lose 5 I will be pleased. I just need a kick start, to change my attitude and therefore my committment level. See for me, its 95% mental. If I can just get my mind wrapped around it and commit to it, then I can do it. Today I went to the gym and was scared of bootcamp when I saw that I lost my breath during the warm up of the TONING class! I seriously comtemplated leaving after the first class giving myself the excuse that 1) I had a lot of work to do at the office and could use the extra time there, and 2)while cleansing /fasting u are actually supposed to reduce your exercise bc your body doesn't have enough energy to sustain it. However, our teacher said bootcamp would be the step only (and that is my favorite type of bootcamp).Plus since it wasn't just an open floor (with no props whatsoever) I wasn't as scared. I love most of the exercises we do incorporating the step. And even though I love the results of the "open floor" segments she does... they kick my butt!!!!!!!! and today with less stamina I didn't know if I could make it. I'm happy to say that I only lowered the intensity on 2 or 3 40second intervals, and I did full-fledged bootcamp the other 30 minutes! Although I will admit, I did NOT give it 120% which is what I prefer to do. But I gave it just as much as the majority of the class so it was still a very rewarding class. Glad I stayed instead of copping an excuse {especially since my friend Jen reminded me that I said we were gonna "kick butt" in class today} see my internal motivation is already kicking in gear and I'm only in day 2! :)
So there you have it, day two. I'll talk more later.

day one-cleanse/fast

Watching last week's BL and NOT snacking while watching :)
First day of my cleanse going pretty good. Usually day two afternoon starts the real hard part so I'll keep u posted. Got lots of work to do at both the office and home, so not sure how much time I'll have for updates, but I'll try :)

kick start

I'm gonna start another blog to write about this stuff (someday when I have extra time- ha ha), so I can keep my kiddo updates and health/wellness posts separate, but until then, I'm going to post it here.
So here goes, tomorrow I start my Isagenix cleanse. I haven't done a successful one since 2007 (the infamous year when I lost 20 pounds, 15 of which I have gained back, hence the reason for the cleanse and kick start). I know how it feels to have my desires change, so I am kick starting my body with (hopefully) a quick (and not so easy) weight loss jump, so that when I see those pounds gone on the scale it helps me mentally to change my wants (food-wise). This is what happened before, when I saw success, I no longer desired the m&m's because the smaller clothes felt better than the candy tasted. But 95% of my health focus is mental, so I know for me, I've got to get that positive mental boost before I can STICK WITH the rest of it (exercise and eating sensibly). So here goes, it starts tomorrow. Our church is doing a fast this week, so I thought I'd start my cleanse at the same time and my fast could be the cleanse (because essentially these cleanses ARE fasts-you eat virtually nothing except yucky tasting "snack" tabs, shakes (which aren't TOO bad), and horrific tasting cleanse liquid.) Makes you wanna run out and get some doesn't it? :) Well, I didn't buy it this time, its stuff I paid a fortune for 2 years ago (and is technically expired, but I hope it will work anyway), so I am going to use it up, hopefully achieve my desired results and then move forward with a stronger conviction to eat healthfully , and therefore continue to lose weight to my desired goal. And you know what, I would LOVE a pair of those jeans that have the sparkly crystal crosses on the back pockets... but I just don't want to put sparkles on my big behind right now! I figure when my booty gets smaller those crosses will look much cuter, so that's my goal too, get back to 135, so I can buy a pair of those jeans :) Got to have incentive right? :) wish me luck , and I will keep u posted on my success!