Countdown

It's here! It's here! My Isagenix products arrived today as promised and I couldn't be happier or more anxious.  I've been doing pretty good the past few days, choosing prep over splurge. I was a little concerned about how I would curb my snack habit once I start the plan. Going through the box today I see Isagenix offers plenty of alternatives - bars, snack "cakes", even green-tea infused chocolates! This is a "diet"? Oh wait, it's not. It's a health plan. An answer to a call to action that needs to be answered.

Let me tell you what I'm most interested in at this point.  I'm a really active girl. I run 3-6 miles, 3-4 days per week. I swim up to 1/2-mile two days a week and cycle 10+ miles 2 days per week. I recently started a daily yoga practice. Doing all this you'd think I'd be fit on the outside, right? But I'm not, I'm a good 30 pounds overweight and could really stand to lose a total of 40-50 pounds and that's what is REALLY frustrating! Even on a popular points-counting plan, I could only drop a few pounds over several months. My calories were good, my eating pretty clean. I keep thinking it's my medication. Who knows? If nothing else works long-term, can cellular cleansing be the answer? Superior nutrition in liquid form? The next 30 days will tell!

I'm also interested in the energy boost users report while using Isagenix. Some even feel the difference on Day 1! With the amount of exercising I do I should feel youthful and energetic... not in need of a nap at 3:00. I'm 43. I'd like to feel 23, not 63!

Will this be easy? Maybe. But I'm a realist and I expect there will be a few bumps in the road. For now, I'm heading off to bed to be a dreamer and dream of what tomorrow brings. A new beginning.

The past is the past...

...but it's shaped who I am today. It doesn't mean I'm not looking forward, but I do have to deal with some baggage and take accountability. It means I have to take a good, hard look at "me" and figure out what I want to keep, what I want to change, and what I simply have to learn to deal with.

As I prepare to start clean eating and cleansing my body, I realize that the hardest part is going to changing my mindset. I found myself thinking yesterday that once I embrace this lifestyle it will mean no more drive-thrus, no candy bars, even the occasional diet soda will be a thing of the past if I want to succeed. I found myself mourning the loss of these nutritionally-deficient foods and I haven't even started my plan yet! And how silly to miss those things that cause you harm? It's like wishing the school bully lived with you to offer up his daily dose of pain.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized these foods never did anything for me. Drive-thrus and fast food are convenient and sure, there are some healthful-looking choices available. But mostly these products are fat-, salt-, and chemical-laden. What have they ever done for me but drain my energy and wallet? Saved some time? Maybe. But nothing a bit of planning wouldn't take care of. So no mourning there.

My sweet tooth. My devil child. I love sugar. I will go so far as to say I'm addicted to it. When I've purged sugars from my system in the past I've experienced severe headaches and nasty mood swings. It's clear to me that refined sugars (and perhaps all natural sugars outside of fruits and vegetables) wreck havoc with my system. Ad i always want more, more, more... The temporary joy I get from consumption isn't worth what's happening with my body. I just need to keep reminding myself of that because the pull is very strong.

Soda? Honestly, I could take it or leave it. The artificial sweeteners are horrible for you and studies show that they even increase your cravings for sugar. But some days, nothing beats a Diet Coke...

Lots to work on before my Isagenix arrives. I know if I address these problems now it will be easier to follow my cleansing and fat burning system.  Yesterday I didn't do so well. Today is a new day and I'm pretty much on track. It comes down to what I want more - a healthy life or immediate gratification?

Splurge or Prep?

I decided that I'm taking this journey with a company called Isagenix. I love the science behind their products and that they don't use any artificial ingredients or chemicals. In fact, the whole premise around their systems is to detoxify so you can lose weight, have more energy, perform better, age gracefully...all the things I'm looking to accomplish.

I received notice yesterday that my products will arrive Tuesday. Yippee!! I'm really anxious to start. The website gives instructions for prepping before your system arrives (I chose the 30-Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System that comes in the Pacesetters Pak. For more info on products and systems go to http://bit.ly/isaproducts). I printed out some worksheets, started making a grocery list of healthy foods to keep in the house, and began limiting my caffeine intake. Then I went to McDonald's for a Grilled Chicken Wrap, fries, diet Coke (still kills me that I bother with diet soda when I'm putting all the other crap in me), and rounded it out with a Caramel Sundae...with peanuts. Why not? Might as well do it now while I can, right?

When you make a decision to lose weight, do you start right then and there? Or do you pick a start date (say, this Tuesday) and then splurge so you can go out of your old lifestyle with a "bang"? Regardless of which you do, what is your motivation for your choice?

*Sigh* I know I have a lot of work to do here! It goes well beyond good nutrition and exercise. It's my belief that many of us need to take a good hard look at what's going on in our brains as well as into our stomachs. During this journey it's my hope to examine why I choose to put processed garbage into me. I know last night I just didn't feel like making anything. I wanted food quick. I wanted it now. I don't even think I enjoyed it that much.  I've heard Isagenix products help with cravings. Fingers crossed here (and toes). I really want this. I mean, last night's meal equals running about 9 miles. Ouch!

How do you sabotage your efforts? Mindless munching at night? Sugary snack at 3:00 pm? Thinking a plate of nachos is a good way to reward yourself for a job well done? Please let me know I'm not the only one with good intentions. That proverbial path leads straight to Hell, they say. Don't want to be there alone :)

Peace,

Susan

Welcome

Welcome! I'm glad you found me here. My name is Susan. I have spent most of my life trying to get and stay thin. Over the past three decades I've collectively lost over 600 pounds. I've been down to 135 pounds, I've been up to 235 pounds while NOT pregnant. I've trained to run a marathon, I've spent a full two years doing nothing more strenuous than walking to the refrigerator. Today I have had enough. Today I begin, not another journey into weight loss, but a Journey Into Wellness.

Don't misunderstand me, weight loss will be a part of this journey. But so will fitness, mind-body connections, and healthy living as related to what's influencing my body inside and out. A whole body, whole life approach.

I hope you follow along in my journey. Better yet, I hope you join me! I aim to give a very honest account of what's going on - the good, the bad, the ugly, the fantastic!

Peace,
Susan