Day 23 - Cleanse day

I decided to take an early cleanse day as a way of making up for the snacks over the weekend. I breezed through the day staying busy on a few projects and evening getting in a good workout. However I had a constant headache that wasn't brutal but more of an irritant. I assume it's due to low carbs today as well as only 6 hours sleep the previous night. At 8pm, I did eat a couple of fried shrimp that my wife had bought from Pacific Mall (I just couldn't resist the smell), but it general it went pretty good.

Here's the recap
7am : IsaSnack
7:15am : Cleanse for life
10am : Isasnack
11:30: Cleanse for life
1pm : gym
5pm : Cleanse for life
8pm : a few fried shrimp
9pm : Cleanse for life

Tip of the Day : Empty the fridge of soda (regular and diet). It's easier to resist something when it's not in front of you. Everyone knows about the sugar in regular pop/soda but apparently there's lots of research to suggest that the aspartame in diet soda can be equally harmful. When in doubt, water with lemon.

Day 19-22 : Binging ain't what it used to be

This past weekend, I spent 3 days on a family trip to Quebec. I hadn't really wanted to tell my parents about Isagenix simply to avoid a barrage of questions about health and safety. So I was trying to figure out how to be discreet about it. Additionally, our annual family Quebec trip is notorious for rampant binging. Stops at Timmie's and Wendy's. Mom's sandwiches. Poutine. Wine. Chips. Licorice. Pop. Snack break every hour. I love Quebec trips in part because of the snacking and this was in direct conflict with my goals this month !

After thinking about it, I went back to my original goal which was to integrate Isagenix into a sustainable lifestyle. The intent wasn't to starve myself. The intent wasn't to forego life's pleasures. The intent is to lose weight, get healthy, develop good eating habits.

So I snacked. And I snacked some more. And I was a happy snacker. But as I thought about it on the drive home on Monday, I didn't gorge. My calorie intake daily probably ranged between 2000-2500. I managed to fit in a good workout on Saturday and we did a bit of walking on the Sunday. I also found I was able to have 50 grams of chips and not need to finish the whole bag. I was able to have 4 spoons of ice cream rather than the entire sundae. Again..it came back to portion control. Also..I knew I left for my trip at 204.6..and while I expected it to go up, I really didn't want to see 208 on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning weigh-in : 205.8. I gained 1.2 pounds in the 4 days. I can live with that result because I have the confidence that i can lose it. Today was a pretty healthy day and Wednesday will be a cleanse day.

Here's the recap today :
9am : shake, ionic supreme
1pm : mom's beef stew
3pm : pistachios
6:30pm : played a game of squash
8pm : shake

Lots of water throughout the day.

Tip of the Day : The picture I posted a few days ago with 204.6 was motivation for me today to stick to the plan. It's a reminder of what I've accomplished, how much further I want to go and how I never want to go back to 213. I've emailed myself that picture so I can see it on my BlackBerry whenever I need a boost !

Day 18 - Measurement Day

I was somewhat dreading this morning. I knew it was measurement day and I was deathly afraid that the whole world (or the 2 people that read this blog) would be shaking their heads in disapproval as they read about my weight gain over the last 10 days.
Thankfully..that's not the case !
I dropped 1.8 pounds over the last 10 days as well as a couple of inches as well. So I'm now down to 204.6 and with the goal of getting to 200 by the end of the 30 days. Seems plausible.

This weekend will be a challenge however as I'll be vacationing in Quebec City with the family. I will be bringing my Isagenix supplies with me although the magic bullet will be staying at home.
I may not be able to blog about the trip over the next few days, but I will keep notes and provide a full update on Monday night.

Also..I'm making an appointment with a trainer from my gym for a body composition analysis. I wish I had done this on day 1, but better late than never I suppose.

Tip of the Day: Carry snacks in your backpack and your car so you're not tempted by fast-food when hungry. I've been taking a bottle of water everywhere along with organic apples and that's really helped keep me on track on days I've been hungry and tempted.

Day 17: Cleanse today

Today was my 2nd cleanse day. It wasn't too bad, although I did feel sluggish at times, especially as I tried to motivate myself to go to the gym.
However we had plans with good friends of ours at 7:30, so I did eat at that point, although I stuck to sashimi (fish) and some very light veggies but didn't have any rices.
I did manage to go to the gym today and have a good workout with the weights. I also signed up for a body composition analysis (I wish I had done this on day 1) to get a sense of my body fat etc..

Here's the recap
8:15am : IsaSnack
8:30am : Cleanse for Life
12noon : Cleanse for Life
4pm : Cleanse for Life
5pm : Gym
8pm : Sashimi
10pm: Vodka on the rocks

Tip of the day : Don't be afraid to bring an isagenix poweder along with you to work. Either bring the container or fill a small baggie. No need for embarrassment. In fact, some of these $10 lunches are more detrimental to your health and wallet.

Day 16 : Does Isagenix fit into a social life ?

As mentioned yesterday, today was a social day. So I could only do the morning shake since I had lunch and dinner plans. I did make a conscious effort to eat healthy for both meals and this comes down to make good choices and even asking the waiter for healthy substituted (whole wheat instead of white bread for example).
Here's the recap

7:30am : Shake
9:30am : Ionic Supreme
noon : salmon with mixed vegetables
3pm : pistachios
7pm : chicken club sandwich with house salad (very little vinaigrette)

At 7pm..I started the cleanse. I had a Cleanse-for-Life drink at 9pm to get me started and I'll have 3 tomorrow, with the 'fast' breaking at 8pm.

Day 15 : Reflections at the halfway point

As I approach the halfway mark, a few reflections to summarize the first 15 days
1) The shakes and drinks don't taste that bad. In fact, nothing in the program is really a 'chore' to consume.
2) Each day requires planning with a strong dose of realism.
3) Losing weight will happen in the first week and each pound lost is another reason to stick with it.
4) Plateauing will happen in week 2. I'm not the only one to encounter this phenomenon. My explantion is that I dedicated my schedule in week 1 to Isagenix and shifted a couple of things to make sticking to the diet easier. In week two, I've been averaging about 1.5 social engagements per day and it's been hard to stick to the 2-shake, 1 meal type of day.
5) Portion control is critical to success. It requires self-control, but most successful people (regardless of endeavour) acheive their goal through dedication and self-control.
6) I'm not quite sure if the Isaflush or the Natural Accelerator actually have an impact.
7) The gym activity is critical to success. I'd recommend 30 minutes daily.
8) It's much easier to stick with the program if there's someone supporting you. A form of support is 'betting' that you can't acheive your goal and rewarding you if it does happen. My wife has promised me a mini-shopping spree when I get down to 200 pounds by the end of August.
9) It's awesome when old clothes start to fit again.
10) It's even more awesome when people look at you and say "You've lost weight, haven't you ?"

Here's the recap of the day.
9am : Ionic Supreme
11am : Shake
1pm : coffee w/ non-fat milk
2:30pm : apple
4pm : green tea and 4 multi-grain crackers
6pm : 2 small slices of pizza
9pm : shake

Workout : None today.

I need to do a cleanse day soon but I have to meetings tomorrow so tomorrow won't be a good day. Thursday's also bad because of another dinner.
So my plan is to do a 24-hour clean between 7pm Wed and 7pm Thurs. Hopefully it will be as effective as a normal day cleanse. We'll see.
I'll then do my weigh-in an measurements on Thurs evening before my dinner.

Days 12-14 You get out what you put in

The old adage that "You get out what you put in" applies to many situations. Food for example. The more unhealthy calories you stuff yourself with, the larger the negative impact to your health. Conversely, the more effort you put in, the more positive results you get.

I apologize that the last 3 days are being summarized in one entry. In general, none of the days were stellar. Mainly because life got in the way. On Sat, I had a big family party to attend. On Sunday, we had brunch plans and hosted a small dinner. Today, I went to the Blue Jays game with a group of friends.

I don't believe a diet should constrict lifestyle. Now if my goal was to lose as much as weight as possible in the 30 days, then it's incumbent upon myself to adhere to the diet strictly. However my goal was to validate whether this 30 day diet will teach me proper eating habits as well as help me lose weight and get me in the right direction health-wise.

I'm pleased to report that on all 3 days, major crises were averted. I was responsible at the family dinner, ensuring I exercised portion control and selected wisely. I did have a small dessert but didn't go back for seconds. On Sunday, I had a smoked salmon omelet for brunch. And for dinner we made chicken breast with a wine sauce, baked eggplant and couscous. Tonight, I avoided the beer, opting for a single vodka and club soda. I had couple of nacho chips and peanuts, but did my best to avoid the usually fatty temptations.

For exercise, I had a good 20 minute elliptical session on Saturday. On Sunday, I walked about 4km. Today, I walked again about 3-4Km. I'm finding reasons to go for walks.
My plan tomorrow morning is to go for a walk quickly after my morning shake and shower. The idea is that getting outside early makes the morning feel more productive.

I'm not going to do a food recap for all 3 days since I can't remember what I ate on Sat or Sunday. However, in general, I'm definitely making better choices with portions, vegetables and fruits over simple carbs and fats and consuming lots of water.

I do plan on being more stringent during the last 16 of the challenge however as my goal is 200 pounds and I need to put in the effort to get there.

Tip of the day : Cut back on the the sodium. A friend of mine cautioned me about the pistachios saying the sodium could have detrimental effects to the weight loss. I can't argue with him. Since I bought the package of pistachios, my weight has flatlined despite good efforts. The answer is simple..cut out the pistachios and rev up the metabolism again.