Day 24

Last cleanse day of the 30-Day Cleanse & Fat Burning System and I've decided to add some clear broth instead of using too many Isagenix snacks.  It is much more satisfying, and takes away the nausea and stomach pains I've been experiencing with the program. The broth is only 40 calories per cup, so I hope it doesn't interfere with the cleansing process. Guess I'll find out tomorrow.

DAYS 21 & 22

Met with girls from now defunct Progress Club yesterday for dinner, and I was very good - divided my meal in half and boxed it for meal next day.  Somehow, I've ended up with 3 different kinds of bathroom scales, and they all give me a different weight. I think I'll go with the digital one which says I've lost 7 pounds since the start of the 30-day program. If I stop exercising, I would lose pounds through reduced muscle-mass, but I don't think that's a good plan.  

My cleanse day is usually Friday, but I've decided to do it tomorrow instead so I have the weekend without having to stick close to a bathroom.  Even though I'm retired and weekends aren't as special to me, a lot of friends I like to do things with are still working and don't socialize much on weekdays.

DAY 19 (Sunday)

Got up late and had my pina colada shake for breakfast with 1 boiled egg to add protein. Then I headed out to the gym for a full 90-minute workout.  According to my food diary, I ingested a little over 1,400 calories and stayed well within my carbs, sugars and fats. The workout burned over 500 calories, so I'm calling it a pretty good day.  I'm heading into the most difficult hours, after 7:00 PM when I most want to do some extra snacking or craving desert. Time to go out and distract myself with shopping and other chores outside the house.

Day 18

Yesterday's Cleanse was tough. I wasn't just getting hunger pangs, I was getting hunger pains. At 1:30 AM I still couldn't sleep with the discomfort, so I got up and ate a croissant. I was asleep 20 minutes later.  As usual, next day I couldn't stray too far from the bathroom due to the effects of the cleanse, The gym I attend closes at 5 PM on Saturdays, so I just went for a brisk walk once everything settled down. I stayed within my 1,400 calories for the day, but I'm still not seeing any change in my body. I did get the new second shipment of supplies, and had the new pina colada shakes for breakfast which I really enjoyed. I'm going to try to keep using the shakes for 2 meals per day, with one traditional meal because 30 days is not going to do it for me. But I need to add a bit more protein since the Free Calorie Counter indicates I'm not getting as much as I need. Being on this program is taking over my life and I'm not doing much besides going to the gym, doing housework, and spending time with my computer and coloring books. 

Day 15

Awesome 90-minute workout today, 1 mile warm-up on elliptical machine, sprint circuit, 1,000 meter row, sprint circuit again, 1 mile on treadmill. Still having problems with that left shoulder, but only limits certain movements.  Got back on "Free Calorie Counter" and keeping within the 1,400 calorie count before deduction for exercising. I am missing "real food" so occasionally adding more fruits and vegetables with low-fat cheese to my 1 meal per day instead of using the Isagenix snacks.

Day 14 (Half-Way There)

Had a long chat with my sponsor, Adrienne, today and feel better and motivated again. I've decided to go for broke (no $ pun intended) and purchased enough product to cover the month of July as well. I don't think one month is going to give me the results I want.  Next cleanse day is Friday.

Day 13

My former and future personal trainer did my BMI measurements yesterday, and the results were very disappointing. I have not lost fat but have lost muscle mass. This after 2 weeks of being on the 30-day cleanse and fat-burning sysem, and going to the gym at least 3 times per week. I've had a couple of slip-ups, but not enough to produce these sad results. Bre is also using Isagenix, and with her background and training, I trust her judgement. She thinks I'm not eating enough, and wants me to keep within the 1400 calorie range while on the program so I will be going back to recording my eating and exercising on the "Free Calorie Counter" site. It's going to take awhile to set it up to include the nutrition I'm getting from Isagenix. And no more socializing where food is involved unless I plan ahead of time what I will be eating and entering it on the calorie counter site. But I'm starting to have second thoughts about whether Isagenix is going to work for me even though I know it has worked very well for other people.

June ll

I'm disappointed in the flare up of IBS symptoms today after yesterday's cleanse, but I'm almost half-way through and going to see this program through to the end. Then I'll see my doctor and get blood tests to make sure it hasn't had any negative effect on my body. My former trainer agreed to update my BMI and weight measurements on Monday, and I'm expecting positive results there.

Day 7 & 8

Not my best days.
Tomorrow will be better.

Day 6

Just about finished my first week on Isagenix, not without challenges.  I stayed ahead of hunger and cravings today, and had enough energy to add 20 minutes to my workout.  

I haven't seen any measurable changes in my body weight or appearance, but still hoping.

DAY 5

Today was hard, not because I was particularly hungry, but because I wanted one of those Dairy Queen funnel cake treats - really, really bad. I had a healthy meal of salmon, sweet potato wedges, and coleslaw. Then drove Mom back to Turner Valley because she had been with me for a week, and there are more allergens here that bother her asthma.  I stayed in the far left lane coming back so I wouldn't automatically turn right into that strip mall.  And wouldn't you know it, that damn commercial is on TV again. I just came back in and made the mistake of turning the TV on while I'm catching up on the computer. I've finished my last shake, and had another snack (still 3 left in the baggie).  I think I should keep some snacks in the car - the wafers won't melt. 

DAY 4

Nothing interesting to report today, had my 2 shakes, 1 meal, and only needed 1 snack.

Been spending a lot of time in my back deck with all the nice weather we've been having.  Decided to decorate at bit with flowers, so bought 5 tea rose plants (pink, yellow, white red, and peach) to put in along the fence, and some marigolds to plant in between my tiger lilies in front. Also got a hanging pot of some sort of red flowers, and Mom got me a couple of red geraniums and some purple osteospermum. Will take pictures when they're planted.

First Cleanse Day

Yesterday, I survived my first cleanse day, nothing but clear fluids and 6 of the Isagenix snacks. I'm not used to drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day, and I have to run to the bathroom every 20 minutes.  I was hungry by mid-afternoon, really hungry by early evening, and starving by nighttime. Taking a nap mid-day helped. It's hard to sleep when you're that hungry. My stomach hurt. With someone who's obsessed with food as much as I am (I love to eat), this was quite an accomplishment.  Of course, I have Mom with me who is eating regular meals, but that doesn't seem to bother me as much as I thought it would.

Modified Work-outs

Went to Chiropractor yesterday, usually go once per month.  The soreness in my left arm and shoulder is a sprain, which happens a lot since the last car accident.  I enjoy my workouts, and usually do a 1,000 row as a warm-up, and up to 3,000 during the 90-minutes I'm there, plus a fair amount of weight training. Trainer always told me not to work one side of the body, and not the other. I'll have to be satisfied with cardio and back/leg work for awhile. Or maybe I'll just go for long walks outside in the nice weather.  Working out is a good distraction from food, and keeps the body toned while I shed the weight.

DAY ONE

The day started off with 30 ml. Ionix Suprene powder with water (don't like the taste, hope I get used to it) and 1 Natural Accelerator capsule, followed 15 minutes later by first IsaLean Shake powder mixed with water. Tasted like chalky water with a bit of cocoa.  The snacks, individually wrapped chocolates and lozenge size wafers, taste pretty good. I can have a total of 6 per day. OOPS, forgot the second accelerator capsule & snacks. I can skip the snacks, but need to take the capsule. The second shake I mixed with lactose-free skim milk, which made it taste a lot better. I decided to have my meal at dinnertime, and using the "Free Calorie Counter" on line, I was amazed at how much food I can have for less than 500 calories, and very little fat. I had chicken breast, potato salad, and chopped vegetables with raspberry vinaigrette. Tomorrow, I'll make the portions smaller.  I can still have a couple cups of coffee, but still need 1/4 tsp. raw sugar and skim milk to make it palatable, & less hard on my my stomach. All in all, it think a pretty good first day.

p.s.

It's almost 10 PM, and I turned to Mom and said: "I'm hungry and if I don't go to bed now, I'll eat something".  She said: "Why don't you eat, you don't start until tomorrow." She's going to be with me for a week or two, so I hope she doesn't tell me this again.  Good Night.

Still Excercising

Trying to put some variety in my workouts since I'm back to going regularly.  Yesterday, I did 1,000 meters on the rowing machine with a full mile on the treadmill, and with 45 minutes of exercises in- between. Today, I did the upstairs sprint-circuit, which has a higher difficulty than the one downstairs, and did a 2,000 meter row and finished off with 1 Km. on the treadmill. (Sounds better than .6 miles). Still works out to about 90 minutes per session.
I feel I should be able to run on the treadmill by now, but usually do a brisk walk with alternating 1-minute runs. It's still a good workout, and I'm pretty tired and sweaty when I'm done. 

I'll be able to continue with the gym on my " "Shake Days" but they recommend not on the "Cleanse Days". Today, I had cereal for breakfast, chicken breast with salad for lunch, a protein shake after my workout, and I just had a cup of homemade fruit cocktail. And predictably, it's 9:00 PM and I'm HUNGRY. Hopefully, when I start the program tomorrow, the snacks I'm allowed (special chocolates, and little wafers that look like grainy throat lozenges) are supposed to help curb appetite and cravings. One more sleep.

A Little Delay

I got a little confused on the day I had planned to start the Isagenix program, and decided to delay until June 1st. My niece, and sponsor, Adrienne Tossmann wrote down step-by-step instructions for me to follow. I really didn't want any false starts because I need this to be a positive experience.  I know it won't be easy. So day 1 will be June 1st, easier to track on a calendar.

Healthy Food, Healthy Portions

Feeling better after my latest bout with IBS and anxious to get back to the gym. No time like the present to start working on controlled portions, and more importantly, healthy ingredients. To prepare for the start of my "30-day Cleanse & Fat Burning System" on Monday, I have gotten rid of most of the food that could tempt me to cheat.  In anticipation of being more in control of what is going into my body, I have prepared the following:

Filtered water with lemon and line wedges. This will be a challenge because I never get thirsty and have to remind myself to drink, and then I usually chose juice or pop.

Fresh vegetables, cut up for individual salads. It takes time to prepare them the way I like, so I plan to have them ready ahead of time. Alternatively, I will choose healthy carbs/starches like sweet potatoes/yams, vegetable pasta, brown rice, quinoa, or legumes. The proteins I will add will be 4 oz. portions of fish or chicken, eggs, or maybe a homemade chili or pasta sauce.  

Fresh Fruit Salads with lots of variety in color, tastes and textures. This would be in lieu of the veggy salad to stay within the allowed calories.

The one meal per day, between shakes, should be between 400-600 calories.  I will need to train my mind and body to accept the chocolate shakes and Isagenix snacks as "dessert".

Starting to get excited about the challenge now,

IBS

Damn, another couple of days of dealing with IBS symptoms and missing out of my workouts at Spa Lady.  B.R.A.T. diet today, feeling generally crappy.  I'm so tired of having to cancel plans and missing out on activities because of this. I had to cancel on Joan's birthday lunch last week, and Nordic Walking Class today. Adrienne said Isagenix really helped her and she had IBS problems as well.  My cousin Henry has also benefited from the program. I believe the 30-day cleanse will help to balance my digestive system, and I start on Monday. I'll be enjoying my birthday dinner on Sunday.

When Will I Be Able To Run?

Today's work-out pretty much mirrored yesterday's, except I did 4 sets on Bowflex instead of the sprint-circuit.  I need to ensure I include cardio as well weight training each time.

When I was working with a trainer, we had one-hour sessions and managed to squeeze in all aspects of the training I need.  Now that I'm doing this on my own, I'm finding it takes at lease 90 minutes.  I think the biggest difference is the 20+ minutes on the treadmill which I didn't do with Bre. I can do 3,000 meters on the rowing machine. But, I still can't run/jog for more than 1 minute at a time in between brisk walking (level 30). Even when I was in peak shape training for judo tournaments, I had a hard time running.  I Wonder why that is?  It's not that I'm out of breath, and my muscles are toned, but my whole body just wants to slow down.

What's It All About

This is the video I will be starting off my mornings with when I start the program.

30-Day Cleanse & Fat Burning System

Very inspirational and informative.
I'll have to follow this very closely to make sure I'm doing it right.
It's expensive, but worth it if it works.

Spa Lady

Had a good workout at Spa Lady today, put in an extra half-hour to make up for not going since Friday.
Warm up: 1,000 M. row, sprint circuit, 1 mile on the treadmill (alternating brisk walking & jogging), another 1,000 M. row and finish at the stretching machine,  Succumbed to craving for snack a few hours after dinner. Otherwise, a pretty good day.
  Spa Lady

THE PLAN

So, I've come up with a new coping strategy for my snacking after supper.  Of course, I will get rid of all unhealthy snack items before starting the program. When I was scheduled with my Personal Trainer, workouts were in the morning.  Now I can have a meal mid-day, Isalean Shake for breakfast and at about 6PM before going to the gym at 7PM. This allows for a half-hour to get there and change, do a warm-up, Cardio and Strength workout, stretches, and then change before close at 9PM. Get home at about 9:30, have my Replenish Vitamin Sports Drink, shower and get ready for bed.  There are other supplements and snacks to get me through the day, plus Organic Blend Isagenix coffee which will hopefully help curb my appetite.  On Cleanse Days, usually once per week, I will take a break from the gym.  I think I'l start each day by watching the video that introduced me to the program and explains the process and what to expect along the way. 
http://isacleansetowin.com/isa-buy-canada/

The other thing I have to get started on is meal-planning.  I think a set meal plan prepared in advance will allow me to make food choices before I get  hungry and get those pesky cravings.

Yesterday, my sister Lee Anne visited and we took each other's measurements and "Before" pictures.  If the program works well for me, she might try it as well.  

The New Me

I've decided to re-activate my old Blog to use as a journal of my work toward a healthier, more balanced me.

Before

After

This photo represents the result of one year of hard work with a personal trainer. It was not without its challenges, including a 6-week illness and 2 car accidents which caused periods of limited workouts while healing.  But I stuck with it, thanks to the support and encouragement of my family, friends and trainer.  I've gained a lot of muscle and now fit into size 14-16, I am committed to maintaining this fitness level with continued regular work-outs without a trainer.

Unfortunately, I did not make many changes to my eating habits, so my body mass index (BMI) measurements showed very little change in the amount of fat on my body.  I decided I needed a serious kick-start to overcome my food addiction, especially now that my workouts aren't as strenuous as when I had a personal training standing over me.  My niece, Adrienne, is a consultant with Isagenix and, through her, I've decided to take on the 30-Day Cleansing & Fat Burning kit.  I've decided to start at the end of May after my 63rd birthday.  It's going to be very hard and will take a lot of discipline, but I am committed to making sure I don't go back to the "me" in the "Before" picture.  Wish me luck.