I know you can relate!

So I ate a bigger than normal late lunch and was super full ALL afternoon.  I decided to try to run at 5pm for about 4 miles while Jeff took the kids to the Y.  I normally go early in the morning which is my optimal time to work out, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  Although slower than normal, I didn't feel too bad!  Pretty much wet my pants because after 3 kids and running after a full day of drinking water, it's all down hill from there.

But anyway, I get home, throw a load of laundry in the wash, and hit the shower.  Get out of the shower only to realize the towel is in the wash.  For the love of Pete!  Dry off with a hand towel and just be happy I at least had that.

Also do a flash back to when I was at the Y, hop in the shower, and realize ... no towel.  Well then you're really stuck.  It's not like you can hop out naked and run up to the front desk.  Thank goodness I had a private "family" room.  Grabbed some paper towels and, well, you can imagine how that went.

What's up with me and towels!?

Providing you some comic relief for this Sunday afternoon.  Hope everyone has a GREAT week!

It's all OK!

Oh gosh, I splurged and little too much last week.  This is OK.  I got it out of my system (until Thanksgiving) and I didn't gain one pound or one inch!  Of course I didn't lose either, but I did what I needed and now I'm done.  Now for the tricky part.  I still need to loose 6 pounds for my next goal weight deadline in 2 weeks.  TWO WEEKS!  Yikes.  No wiggle room.  Put the big girl panties on and let's get this done!

Per my last blog post, I was able to increase my weights in BodyPump last week.  It was hard.  More so mentally than physically.  Thanks to the extra IsaPro I added to my shakes I didn't get incredibly sore.  Yay!

Isagenix has done more for me than just weight loss.  I have experienced less discomfort in my hands and knees.  And although Isagenix cannot claim to cure or heal any diseases or illnesses, I am pleasantly surprised to get my grip back in my hands, and my knees can handle more activity.  Much stranger is the disappearance of the toe nail fungus I've been dealing with for over 10+ years.  Even Lamisil didn't take care of it (and that's an expensive prescription drug!).

Truly, when your body receives the nutrients it needs, it will become the miracle it was meant to be!

Me? Skinny?

So it's been a while since I've blogged and I can't come up with anything good.  Everyone is about the same.  Ty's little in-home evaluation is Tuesday and we are eager to get therapy started.  I've lost another pound and 3 inches.  Jeff is making progress on his quest to build muscle.  Our Isagenix Team Hemingson is expanding which is fun to watch others start to achieve their goals too!

So today I was looking at myself in the mirror and it hit me.  I still see fat Jeni.  You hear it all the time.  "I know I've lot weight, but I still see the heavier me when I look in the mirror."  In the past I would yell at the TV, "what's wrong with you, you look great, you worked hard, you should be proud of yourself, etc."  I totally get what they are saying.  While I am very proud of my accomplishments, I still can't get over the image looking back at me.  That's not MY body.  It's like someone photoshopped my face and put it on a smaller body.

Why does this happen?  Are we afraid of success?  Perhaps afraid of success so that we might need to maintain it?  Maybe that's why some people can't get started in the first place.  If I don't really try then I don't have to fail.....maybe?  What DOES happen when we succeed?  How do we know when we get there?

Well here's what I did this morning.  I kept looking at myself.  All angles.  Until I could confirm in my brain that it's me.  I even told Jeff "I'm a smokin' hot momma.  I look good, I like it."  Am I perfect?  Heck no.  But I like it.  Maybe the more I see it and the more I say it, the faster my brain will catch up with my body.

Am I afraid of success?  Maybe.  I've never been this healthy before...now what?  I'm 38 and in the best shape ever.   It's all new to me.  I've never been "athletic."  Now I run and lift weights.....and I like it.  What's up with me?  I'll tell you.  I feel good and I can't stop myself.

Maintain it?  I still have some fat to release and some muscles to tone.  So that's where I'm going.  I'm releasing more fat and toning more muscles.  It's a game plan.  It means working smarter.  I don't have more hours to exercise, so I need to continue to maximize the time I have.  Heavier weights, run faster, push myself harder.  It's a bitter sweet moment when I'm at BodyPump class and I realize I need to add weights.  Yay I'm stronger....shoot that means the bar will be heavier.  I was getting comfortable and now I need to get uncomfortable again.

How do I know when I've reached "success"?  I guess I will just know!

Any other "smokin' hot mommas" on the inside screaming to get out?  Contact me asap!  I love watching the transformations!

Pictures!

Feeling pretty good today!  I've had a productive weekend signing up for some 5Ks, shopping for new clothes and rocking my new body.

Wanted to post some pictures.

This is me on June 12, 2013

Here is me this morning!

And for fun, a side view.

20 pounds released!  55 inches smaller!

First I have to say how much more happy and energetic I am.  You know what they say about people who exercise and those endorphins.  Yep, it's true!  I feel happier for myself and for other people.  It's amazing!

Then there's the shopping because my clothes are looking a little baggy.  Of course they feel big, but when they start to look like they're going to fall off, it's time to bite the bullet and get some new ones.  I bought the blue work out outfit yesterday in a size smaller than in the past, it's more form fitting than I'm use to, but I'm not self-conscience like I use to be.

Still going to hit the Y to shed the last of the belly, thigh, and upper arm fat.  This week looks like BodyPump, Shred, Stair Climber, Rower, running, and taking a day off for a cleanse.  If I can stay on task the last few inches shouldn't take long.

Thank you Isagenix and my friend Lori for helping me find my groove again.  I feel better than I did when I was 20!

My Isagenix Story

So I was reading "Go Pro" by Eric Worre and he encourages everyone to make up their story, kind of like a testimonial of sorts.  Here's my story.

I am an expert at loosing weight.  I have lost lots of weight in my weight loss career.  I am horrible at maintaining a healthy weight.

I was feeling bad about myself when I came to terms with the fact that I had lost weight again and was starting to gain it all back again.  I felt like I let myself down and my family down – they went through a lot to support me.  Then I started watching a friend's FaceBook page closely.  She was having success with this company called Isagenix.  I was one of those lurkers.  I watched and watched and watched her page to see what would happen.

One day I had enough lurking and told Jeff I wanted to give Isagenix a try.  Jeff agreed and we jumped in with both feet together.  I have lost 20 pounds and 55 inches, and I’ve gained lean muscle mass.  I feel great and am working on toning.  I never knew I cared about running, increasing my run time, or how big my muscles were.  It turns out, I DO care.  I want to be healthy for myself and my family for a long time.

Isagenix provides the nutrients my body needs, has taught me about food and exercise, and I am making friends – happy healthy friends.

I can’t see my life without Isagenix.  Even when I get my “after” photo taken, I know I will still incorporate Isagenix into my new lifestyle.

Weigh in

This week's weigh in:  down one pound and two more inches.  That's a total of 20 pounds and 55 inches!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to say good bye to the scale.  As I keep replacing muscle with fat my weight is not decreasing as much.  Which isn't bad.  It's a good thing.  I think I will have to rely more on the tape measure and mirror to determine fat loss.

I also have come to the realization that I need to consume more calories.  In a time where we get bombarded with the message of "less calories" and "deprivation" it's hard to make that mental shift to "consume more." When I say consume more, I'm talking about quality food and protein.  Obviously not add more empty calories.  I've gone from occasional exerciser to athlete so I need to get in the mind set of one.  I'm burning too many calories and my body is holding on to the last little bit of fat I want to see GONE.  Eat more to loose more.  Ugh, that sounds so backwards and I need to wrap my head around that.  It's a total mind change and a total lifestyle change.

On to the kiddos!  The kids love school.  Cheer and football are well underway.  Ty has a new word in his vocabulary.  I'm happy to announce that he can consistently say "no"!  It may sound weird that I'm happy.  When my big kids learned "no" and used it repeatedly, I was so annoyed by their new skill.  However, given Ty's speech situation, I'll listen to him say any word with consistency and appropriately.  Now I feel bad for wishing the big kids didn't talk so much when they were little.  After having one the struggles to talk I now know how precious that little voice is.  The ability to communicate is huge!

This is one mother that has learned a new appreciation for her kids this week!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

School is underway and a challenge has started!

Labor Day weekend!  The sign of the end of summer and the beginning of school.  Our school actually started this past week, so we have a week under our belt.  The kids LOVE their teachers and have adjusted well.  Ty enjoys having mommy to himself again.  Mommy loves having a schedule.

Ty had his preschool screening this week.  We got about 1/2 into the screening and the teacher stopped.  He couldn't finish because he doesn't talk.  Yay!  Exactly what I was talking about, and finally someone confirms what we already knew.  He needs help before starting school.  Obviously we have two years before Kindergarten, but it might take that long to get him caught up to kids his age.  Our next step is to have a more thorough evaluation by the school district to determine exactly what therapy(s) he will need.  We should hear back from them in the next week or two to schedule the appointment.  We are very excited for him.  How much easier his life will be when he can talk.  In every other category he's pretty much normal or above.

I have hit my goal weight and continue to loose inches and fat.  I have never felt healthier and stronger.  This morning I completed BodyPump class at the YMCA with heavier weights in all muscle groups.  I can run longer and faster.  Jeff and I have signed up for a 16 week Isagenix Body Challenge.  Jeff is signed up for the Performance challenge and I for the Weight Loss challenge.  We are both excited to tackle this challenge together.

For inquiring minds, I have released 19 pounds and 53 inches.  Jeff has released 15 pounds and 31 inches.  We've both gained lean muscle mass.  Pictures will follow as the challenge progresses.

And for the kids.  They continue to enjoy the shakes and bars for snacks.  So much better for them than other snack foods they could indulge in.  Larson has taken some additional supplements and we are happy to report that he has more control over his emotions.  Maybe not perfect, but better.  This is a game changer for him.

Happy Labor Day Weekend My Friends

Goal Attained!

I hit my initial weight goal!

Stats:
Weight released: 18 lbs
Inches lost:  49.75
Length of Time:  9 weeks

Now what?  Re-evaluate.  When I started this program, there was really no way to know what "weight" was going to be perfect, so I thought up a number that I thought was ideal.  Now that I'm there I have a little more fat to release, and I have a couple of different options.  I have decided to focus on muscle building and strength.  With that said, as muscles increase and fat releases, I estimate my weight will stay about the same...maybe a little less.  So determining factors of success with be mostly through the measure tape and looking in the mirror.

I never thought of myself as a muscle building weight lifter.  I was more focused on cardio for weight loss because I never reached a goal and wanted to keep going.  I saw the diagram (below) that has changed my mind on how to exercise.

I have found some good classes at the YMCA that have helped me increase my strength as well as include some cardio.  I also depend on my Isa Family and their support through FaceBook where I can ask questions and share successes.  Also, my coach is a phone call away when I have questions.

I am very happy with Isagenix and the lifestyle it his provided me and my family.  My husband is also using the product to build muscle/strength.  My kids are using it for nutrition, energy to get through sports practices, and emotional stability.

Overall, Isagenix is not JUST a weight loss program.  It touches all aspects of life!  I share lots of tips and testimonials on my Isagenix FaceBook page.  "Like" my page to keep up with all the interesting tips and news I may post.  Jeni Hemingson - Isagenix Health and Wellness Coach

Sick kids and lost inches

It's been a while, but I'm back.  We've had some minor drama in the family and I finally have time to sit down and blog.

The little guy has some kind of cold virus and ear infection and is being treated for that.  He has become a super picky eater during this time so I don't know if he still has ear and throat pain or if he's just being silly.  I've also been back and forth with our insurance, the speech rehab facility and the school district on Ty's speech therapy.  Right now we are approved by the insurance for eight rehab sessions.  I just found out that the school could possibly help him, but they need to do an assessment sometime in August.  Today I will be contacting insurance and rehab facility to see if we can wait on those eight sessions until after the school's assessment.  Why?  Well the school's speech therapy would be free.  Speech therapy at the rehab facility will be pretty much 100% out of pocket expense.  Not a financial hit we want to take.  We will do it if we have to, but we want to check out all our options first.  It will be a busy day of making phone calls today.

My big guy had a pretty bad bike accident.  Took a good chunk of skin off his elbow, and also banged up his mouth.  Stitches in his lip and two broken teeth.  Of course he broke his two front permanent teeth. We visited the dentist earlier this week, but his lips were so swollen and tender, the dentist couldn't do anything.  We are going back in a few days to get at least a temporary fix on the teeth so Larson can eat normally and feel more confident.  It's been a long week.

Weigh in time!  Down another 2 pounds which makes 15 pounds in 6 weeks.  I only have 3 more pounds to go to make my original goal.  Once I get there I have to re-assess because I might want to go a few more.  This week I lost 5.75 inches (total of 42.5 inches)!  Which is huge because in the past few weeks I had only lost between 3 and 4 inches.  I was surprised to find I lost 1/2 inch around each arm because I've never lost in my arms before.  Also surprising was 2 inches around my waist!  In trying to evaluate what I did differently this week, the only thing I can think of was Body Pump class and an extra effort to work on an ab challenge I found on Facebook (below).

Tonight both kids have sleep overs.  We are doing a "child swap" with another family.  Our households will have the same number of kids, but different personalities.  It will be fun for everyone!  I know the kids are super excited!

Onward to fight the good battle of raising kids and trying to be the best mommy I can be.

Even less of me!

Just finished another 48 hour cleanse.  I'm down another 2 pounds and 3.5 inches!

I tried Bosu class this morning.  Pretty much kicked my butt.  That instructor is fantastic!  I like switching up my routine and try not to do the same exercise more than twice a week.  I feel like I have to do weight lifting though.  It might be easier if I sign up for a personal trainer, but I don't really want to spend the money on it.  I'll have to think more about that.

Kids are doing good.  Ty still isn't potty trained, but the speech thing kind of messed us up.  I don't want to throw too much at him.  We saw Despicable Me II yesterday with our neighbors and we had a GREAT time!  It was a cute movie.  The big kids laughed and laughed, and it kept Ty pretty entertained until he fell asleep.  Unfortunately we had to go close to his nap time, but it all worked out in the end.

The noises from the basement lead me to believe that a neighbor girls are over and the big kids are having all sorts of noisy fun.  Ty is content watching his pre-nap Mickey Mouse show.  Looks like our day is on track!

Happy Thursday everyone!

SO TIRED

Got home from ladies' night last night and everything in the house seemed normal.  Ty was up, but I assumed he was waiting for me.  He's a momma's boy right now.

I put him to bed when I went to bed.  About 30 minutes later he's whimpering at our door and I put him back into bed and sit with him for a while.  Something seemed off.  I assume it's a bad dream and go back to bed.  Not 10 minutes later he was back at our door.  Jeff brought him back to bed and shortly after, it hit.  The sound of a little one puking.  UGH!  I jump out of bed and help Jeff clean up and get the little guy back to bed.  I grab a pillow and blanket and hit the floor next to Ty's bed so I can be closer for the next round.  He's restless.  We snuggle in the oversized chair in his room.  Just as I think he's sleeping, it hits again.  Puke down my arm and on the blanket.  Poor guy!  Jeff runs in and helps me clean up.  Ty can't seem to get comfortable in the chair so back into bed.  I find myself thinking of Grandma Harriet and try to channel comfort from her.  I ask for some help/strength from both God and whatever other maternal spirit would help me, and what happens.....more puke!  This time contained and easy to clean up myself.  Ty pretty much slept through the whole thing and fell sound asleep for the rest of the night.

Lightening strikes and the thunder rolls across the sky.

For the love of Pete!  Now the big kids will be up neither mom nor dad have slept yet.  Fortunately only Larson wakes up and he's big enough to make a bed on the couch and fall back to sleep.  Still a restless night.

We slept in somewhat (if you call lying there awake with your eyes closed sleeping) and Ty wakes up at 9:00!  Yay!  He got some sleep.  Now for the unfortunate part, there's no way he's napping since he woke up late and that means no rest for mom nor dad.  

Mom and dad have to take turns hitting the Y today because we can't bring Ty to Kid Stuff.  Mom takes the big kids first and gives dad some quiet time with Ty.  I didn't think a work out was going to work for me today, and if I hadn't skipped yesterday, I would have skipped today.  I grab an Isagenix shake for breakfast because I know, if anything, this will get me through it.  I also bring an energy drink just in case I need it mid-workout.  I climb up on the stair master and rev it up to my average speed for 30 minutes.  Plug in the ear buds and set the TV at the trusty DIY channel.  They are making over bathrooms today.  About 10 minutes into it I feel great!  I'm thinking I'll be able to crank it up no problem....who needs sleep?  So I take a peek at my heart rate to make sure my vitals are in check, and it's about the highest I've seen it so early in a work out.  Who needs sleep?  ME!  Talked myself off the ledge.  It's OK to work at a slower rate today.  Thank goodness I did!  By the end of the 30 minutes I was wiped!  I was one of those crazy people whispering to myself, "come on! you got this!"  Of course I felt much better when I notice the guy next to me having an even harder time and he's at a lesser pace.  HE needed a shake and an energy drink! Downed the energy drink...feeling better.....off to the weights.  You'll never guess what I did.  Yep, increased my weights by 5-10 pounds.  Woohoo!  Should have had the drink earlier!  Live and learn.

You know, I pretty much skipped out of there because after recovering from my little heart attack at the end of the stair work out I felt great!  Momma needs to keep herself healthy and strong if she's going to take care of other people too. 

Older and Never Felt Better!

Happy Birthday to me!

Started the day with a weigh in and measure.  Down almost 4 inches.  Stayed the same in weight.  I'm not surprised with the July 4 weekend, etc.  Like I said before, sometime you're only one potato chip away from maintaining vs loosing weight.  I'm very excited that I didn't gain weight, as the case would be if I hadn't had Isagenix on hand to hold me at bay.  The 4 inches confirms that things are still moving in the right direction.

This morning also included a Bosu class and some swimming with the kids.  Followed by a very welcomed lunch!  We were super hungry.  Rest time this afternoon, quick grocery shopping, and going out with the family for dinner.

Today starts my 38th year (or 39 depending on how your counting) and I have never felt so good!  Bosu class was manageable...still super challenging, but I never felt the urge to bolt from the class this time.  I can actually see my face has become thinner.  I am stronger and have more endurance.  Shoot, I couldn't run a mile in high school and now I'm thinking of trying 4-5 on my next run.  The hair is starting to grey, but I'm totally blaming the kids on that one.  A little highlights and no one knows the difference.

Bottom line:  I FEEL REALLY GOOD!

I am soon starting my 2nd month on Isagenix, and I'm very excited!  Hopefully I'll be down to my goal weight in the next 30 days.  Time will tell.

Happy day everyone.  I'm leaving you with a picture of the nice birthday flowers my family gave me this morning.

I Hate Shopping for Swim Suits!

This may be a little TMI for some readers, so if you don't care to know about the issue I have with my body, feel free to skip this one.

My swim suit was become a bit stretched out and it was time to bit the bullet and get a new one.  I HATE shopping for clothes, let alone swim suits.  Here's why.  It's not because I don't like looking at myself in a swim suit.  Designers do not make tops for large chested women.  Certainly not "average" sized ladies with a naturally large chest who've had a few kids. Mostly a good bra will take care of this problem, but swim suits have no component of support what so ever.

So I can find the suits to fit but the tops need 1/2 to 1 more inch of material.  Seriously!  I'm buying a large or xlarge top......one would think they'd put some room in there for boobs!  It's an XL for goodness sakes!  Totally huge everywhere, but entirely too small on the top.

This becomes really funny when you're in the dressing room with your 7 yr old daughter.  She thought it was completely hilarious how I couldn't "just smoosh it in." We completely got the giggles after the third try.  I almost gave up and bought one that I could take in to a seamstress and have altered.  At the third store I actually found one that will work.  Whew!  A little more skin than I'd like, but not was much as my last suit, and I don't need to have it altered.  It's actually cute!

Every summer I swear I'm going to start a clothing design company for top heavy women.  LCL, Inc. (Large Chested Ladies).  There has to be a way to make clothes with just a little more room on top without making the whole garment as big as a tent.

Rant over.  Thanks for letting me vent.  Every year it's a frustrating experience I seem to have to endure, but thanks to my little lady for coming with and providing some comical relief.

Week 3 Update

I have a few short minutes to update you on my progress.

We're taking a last minute vacation, so I decided to weigh myself a day early.  Didn't want to bring the scale with me.  I am, however, bringing the Isagenix shakes, snacks, and blender so I can continue eating healthy!  I'm down another 2 pounds and 5 inches!  I've always been consistent at loosing 2 pounds a week when I do everything right, so I shouldn't expect anything else.  One to two pounds is about right for healthy weight loss.  

I've stopped loosing inches in certain areas like my neck and arms, but those weren't my problem areas anyway.  I'm probably going slow up on the inches around my chest because I'm at the same size as I was at my smallest.  Which is OK too.  The inches came off the most around my waist, hips, butt, and thighs, which is really where it needs to come off.  Woohoo!  Looking forward to next week's weigh in....a.k.a. my birthday!

Happy 4th everyone!!

Speech Therapy for Ty

So Ty's still not talking much.  At his 3 year old appointment, the doctor referred him to a speech therapist to  do an assessment.  We are not sure if he's just stubborn or if he is really having problems.

Our therapist was really good.  She wasn't able to get him to cooperate enough to manipulate his mouth, but she was able to do lots of assessments.  Basically he can hear, understand, and follow directions.  But we already knew that.  He tested up to a 4 yr old level in his comprehension.

She was impressed with his ability to communicate a three step thought through his little hand gestures.  To me it's just another day, but I'm home with him all the time.  I know what he needs just by looking at him.  

She could see his frustration with his lack of ability to communicate more.  From that first one hour visit, her first two thoughts are he might have tongue tie and/or apraxia.  (She could see his tongue a little when he was throwing one of his loud 3-yr-old-tantrums.  But needs to try manipulating more next time.)  

From what I've read on-line, it's pretty hard to diagnose 2-3 yr olds with apraxia, but sometimes speech therapists will give a diagnosis of "potential apraxia."  I guess in children in this situation it's better to diagnose and be incorrect than to miss it.  Either way, if it's tongue tie, apraxia, or just speech delay, he'll get some extra attention to get him back on track.  

Even the first session was a huge help for me.  She gave me four signs to teach him so he can be less frustrated.  Also, we need to stop "eh eh" to get what he needs.  She taught me how to listen to his babbling to find the words and reinforce when he says something right.  In the last 1-1/2 days I have found more words he has been using -- or trying to use.  

Now we have to wait on insurance to start more therapy sessions.  We happened to get new insurance the day he had his assessment, so now the clinic needs to get approval before we can schedule the next appointments.  Hopefully we'll hear something next week.

I'm excited to get this little guy some help.  I can't imagine how frustrated he must feel sometimes.

Mommy, I gots poopy.

Well, Ty doesn't talk, but if he did that's what he would have said.  Here's the story.

As it goes when any mom is in the shower, the kiddo had troubles.  I'm almost done and Ty opens the door and points to the bedroom.  I assume his movie was done and tell him I'll be done in a minute.  A minute later Ty comes back.  I look down and opening my shower door is one poopy hand.  Make that two poopy hands!  He looks at me as if to say, "mommy, I gots poopy!"  Oh dear.  Mommy jumps out and inspects the situation.  Everything is contained.  Appears to be a hand down the back of the diaper situation.  Whew!  Cleaned him up and finished getting ready myself.

Now to the basement to do laundry.  Alicia sits on the toilet, and says "oh gross mom, there's water on the floor."  Oh dear Lord.  I run into the bathroom and inspect the situation.  Yep.  There's pee on the floor.  Lots of it.  "Oh gross mom!  I got pee on my foot!"  Yep, oh gross mom, I got pee on my foot.  What about the mom who has to clean all this stuff!?  Got the culprit to confess and I cleaned up.  All this before 9:30am.  

Back to my regularly scheduled household chores.

Have a good Saturday everyone!

Being Mommy in the Summer

Literally had a break down this morning.  Full-time mommy to three kids during summer break is rough.  I love doing things with the kids and for the kids.  I hate doing things for the kids and have them complain the entire time about this, that, and the other thing.  And the back talking!  Seriously??!!

I am not doing this for my health.  In fact, I'm in a short line for a heart attack if this continues.

Saving grace is a wonderful husband who tries to help out when he's home, and lets me go to bed WAY early when I needed it (last night).  THANKS HONEY!!

Maybe I'm coming into a really hormonal part of my week.  I don't know, but I've got to have a girls night soon.

I know all you parents out there know what I'm talking about.  There are days that I wish I worked.  I know that has its own set of issues, but this isn't easy either.

Days like today are rough.  Kids are being ornery, husband is working hard, house needs cleaning, laundry needs to be done, and the budget just doesn't quite come together.

Next week is a new week.  Hopefully things will come together.  The kids have been talked to, and a gentle reminder seems to be working so far.  Now for the laundry, and hopefully a mommy nap before everyone else emerges out of their rooms.

Thanks for listening.

2 Week Update

Two weeks I'm down a total of 9 pounds and 24.5 inches.  I can feel the difference in my clothes, and that feels GREAT!

I am a little disappointed in the 2 pound loss this week.  More so disappointed in myself in that I had a couple of cheat times.  At the time it didn't seem like much.  Just a good reminder that you're one bite away from loosing or gaining weight.  It's a thin line.

Also, I've never had good results when having to count calories.  (In this program, the "knife and fork meal" is a 400-600 "healthy low-glycemic meal.")  For some people it works out great....me, not so much.  I'm going to have to try something a little different this next week.  I think my saving grace for last week was a 2 day cleanse.  Without that, I don't think I would have lost anything.  In this journey of mine (probably about 4 years) I've figured out a few things about myself.  One of which is counting calories doesn't work for me - emphasized by this experience - and once I get the right food combinations figured out, I'll have better results.  

For anyone starting on their journey, I encourage you to allow yourself time to experiment and figure out what works for you.  There's a delicate balance between how much you eat, what your body does with that food, and how much you exercise.  It's not always as easy as calories in / calories out.  Every BODY reacts differently.  So experiment and allow yourself the time to learn what your body needs.

Cleanse Day update

As promised in my last blog, I'm giving an update on my cleanse day yesterday.  (These are not colon cleanses, they are more like body detox cleanses.)  

It went well yesterday!  Kind of hungry, but nothing unusual.  I am down 2 more pounds since Thursday.  Which feels really good since these cleanses are not always easy to get through.  It's interesting how the body processes food and drops weight.  The very first day on the program I dropped 3 pounds.  Then nothing for 2 more days.  It's advised to weigh yourself once a week, which is good advice.  Your body goes through cycles and the ups and downs of weighing yourself everyday isn't worth the mental stress.

Cleanse days are "no exercise" days.  Simple walks or yoga are OK.  I thought I'd miss hitting the gym, but I'm not.  For sure I will be either running or going to the Y tomorrow though.

After today I won't have to cleanse again for about 3 weeks.  Woohoo!

If you want specifics about how the program works, and how the cleanses work, you can touch base by email or Facebook.

Do we need to exercise?

So I've seen this saying come up lately on Facebook a couple of different times.  So can you loose weight without exercising, then why do we even need to?

Well, you don't need to exercise to loose weight.  If your only goal is to loose weight and you're eating appropriately, this would mean you don't NEED to exercise.  Actually, at one point I lost quite a bit of weight with minimal exercising.  Basically I walked about 3 miles a few times a week and watched what I ate.  So why should we care if we exercise?

I did some research  online and found a vast amount of information on the benefits of exercise.**  The common benefits are (in no particular order):

• muscle tone
• support weight loss
• helps prevent heart disease
• reduces blood pressure
• reduces cholesterol
• helps control/prevent diabetes
• reduces cancer (sorry, this is really vague)
• improves mood
• improves memory
• increases learning
• provides stress relief
• reduces stress's toll on aging process
• reduces symptoms of depression
• builds self-esteem/body image

**If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of exercising, I encourage you to do your own research on the particular benefit in which you are interested.  A quick Google search will give you lots of information.  Also see your doctor for help controlling any medical issues listed above.  The articles I used to research this topic meant to use exercise in an effort to prevent and/or use along with medications/treatments prescribed by a doctor.

Why do I exercise?  You'd think it was to support weight loss.  First before anything, I exercise because of family history with heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.  I would like to try to prevent serious complications with one of these, and delay need for medications if not reduce that need altogether.  If I'm already eating appropriately, the weight will come off.  Exercise keeps my blood pumping and strengthens my heart and lungs.

Do I AGREE with this saying?  Of course I do.  First before anything else, we need to feed our bodies appropriately.  Without that, you don't have a body to exercise.  Exercise is the icing on the cake - as the saying goes.  It's another tool in our tool box of building and maintaining our bodies.

What's on the agenda for tomorrow's blog?  Oh I don't know...maybe a few words about day 1 of cleanse #2 (?).  We'll have to see......

Trying Something New! Isagenix

I'm I a bit of a fanatic when it comes to eating and exercising?  Yes!  I have to be.  To be me and live in this society in this day, I have to be.

I'm a bit of an obsessive compulsive over-eater (self-diagnosed).  I eat until I'm stuffed and still eat more.  It all starts after my noon meal.  I can't stop until I go to bed.  I walk to the pantry hundreds of times a day.....for no reason what-so-ever!  It's horrible!  It is horrible to be obsessive, and obsessive over food is a nightmare because you have to eat.  It's not something you can "quit cold turkey."  Yet amazingly I don't weigh 300+ pounds!  I don't because I have used systems to help me control myself and I exercise.

As you know, I've been exercising and doing different eating programs....counting calories and Weight Watchers.  I've also participated in LA Weight Loss.  All of which worked for me.  To a point. 

So I learned of Isagenix from a Facebook friend.  I'm not the "gimmicky" gal, and I tried to just eat a balanced diet and exercise.  Because to a point it works.  (For sure I'm not into the pill idea, because in the end, a pill didn't change your habit.)  After following my friend for some time I decided to check into it more and went on the website.  I really liked the idea of the nutrition the different solutions this company delivered.  I like how the focus is on nourishing the body appropriately, and the natural side effect is weight loss. I liked how they explained toxins and how detoxing your body is beneficial. Everyone also claimed to feel so much better.*  Huh.  Sounds just like every other program, right?  But I couldn't stop thinking about the nutrition.  I didn't really believe I was doing the best I could do, even on all those programs.  

After a quick discussion with Jeff, we decided to give it a try together.  He's in the fitness industry and wants to tone up a bit more.  We jumped in a little over a week ago.  I won't get into the details of the program other than it consists of shake days and cleanse days, but of course we still eat "real" food too.  It has fit into our lifestyles.  Let me say, that it has taught me how many times I mindlessly search for food and how many times I eat the miscellaneous drop of food off the kids' plates.  I am down 7 pounds and 15 inches in my first 7 days.  Dangerous?  No.  The first week of a program you tend to drop a lot of weight.  The inches are spread out over my body, so it's a little over 1 inch in each area measured.  How fantastic is that!?  Over an inch around the bust, waist, hips, and butt....each.  Yes, my clothes feel good and I don't think about what to wear.  It all fits.  I open the closet, and it all will look nice.

I'll definitely blog more as we go.  But if you have questions, contact me or check out the website.  Or contact me through the website at: http://jenihemingson.isagenix.com/us/en/home.dhtml.  I'm not an expert on this system yet, but I'm happy to help you navigate an answer any questions.  I really do feel good!

*Yesterday I had Jimmy Johns....we were in a bind.  I could definitely tell I had too much bread because I felt terrible.  Don't get me wrong, Jimmy Johns has fantastic tasting sandwiches, but I don't think I'll down a whole one again.  My body is already changing and is loving it.  It knows when it has something good going on.

Summer Storms

Summer started with a bang yesterday.  We had storms all evening.  Nothing too terrible where we live, but others in the state lost property from trees falling.

Our big adventure last night was the power outage.  We weren't home when it started, so we drove up to the garage and couldn't get the door open.  OK, not the end of the world, but neither Jeff nor I had keys to the house.  Huh.  Now what?  Well, thankfully, we had left the garage door open a smidge for the cat....maybe Larson can fit under?  Poor guy "volunteered" to run outside in the pouring rain and squeeze under the garage door.  Lesson learned...always bring the house keys.

So now we're home without power.  No TV, internet on our phones was spotty. HMMMMM.  Brought out the few candles we had and started making up games.  The kids were sad when the lights came back on because they figured out how to have fun!

EEK! It's been a while.

I haven't blogged in a very long time.

The kids adjusted well to school.  Dad enjoys the shorter commute, and mom found some friends.  Woohoo!!

At this time, we are attempting to potty train the little guy.  He just turned 3 and it's time to get this show on the road!  However, I don't think it will be easy with this one.  He's cute and he knows it, and he has a stubborn streak.  Those two put together makes it really hard on mommy to get this guy to actually tinkle on the potty.  He'll sit there, but he won't go.  Silly guy!

My weight and eating struggles continued through the winter.  (The exercise part went OK though.)  Of course I gained the Thanksgiving-through-Christmas-15, which was painful to say the least.  Very frustrating!  The saying "80% food, 20% exercise" is painfully true.  I can exercise my butt off, but if the right food isn't going into my mouth, it's all for nothing.  I think this is common knowledge, but no one wants to really believe it or actually do anything about it.  Food is so good, and so abundant.  Or let's just say THE WRONG food is so good and so abundant.  I have done relatively well on Weight Watchers, but I decided to try something different.  I'm a week into it and I'm seeing some great results.  I'll post more about that tomorrow.

What about the Christmas 15?  Well, it's gone, but it took more work to get it off than put it on.

As for today, it's a regular day with a chiropractor appointment and running around with the kiddos.