Pinterest Picks - 6/25/2012

Well hello!
I have been quite the exerciser this week and feeling pretty sore and proud! I've surprisingly skipped the gym and been doing some at home DVDs and even brought it back to the 90s doing some Tae Bo!

Still doing Cinch but adding in more meals and using the snack bars, meal bars and shakes. They are so yummy!

I haven't lost much weight but I definitely feel smaller and looks like my stomach is flatter. I will post an update soon with new measurements and stats!

Saw this on Pinterest and I'm really finding that this is true - I don't think I was exercising enough to lose weight. I'm feeling great and actually have been looking forward to doing it!

Drink Up

We all know that drinking water is key to good health, hydration, promotes weight loss - the list goes on. And on. And on.

Sometimes I forget to get my full 8 glass a day requirement in.  I hover around 5-6 but I'm really trying to remember to drink more water every day.  I do actually like plain water.  For me, it's more about remembering to drink something during the day. I do mix it up a bit and add a little squeeze of fresh lemon if I happen to have some in the house - but most days it's just ice water - straight up.

I used to drink Crystal Light, but I'm really trying to refrain from that as it's got a lot of artificial ingredients and flavorings.

Fast forward to today in Connecticut and we're in day 2 of a heat wave with temperatures expected to be around 100 degrees!  Yikes.

So, I really want to keep myself and the kids hydrated and I just happened to come across a lovely pin on Pinterest for some water recipes.

I just made myself 2 quarts of cucumber lemon water - it's very refreshing.  Yes, I was hesitant at first to try it.  I like cucumbers.  I like lemons.  But together?  Hmmm.

My LemonCuc Water - YUM!

However, it's very refreshing and I've already drank 20 ounces without a flinch.

Here's the recipe from I made today from Lose Weight By Eating!

Really simple.

A pitcher or container that holds a good amount of water
1/4 of a cucumber sliced thin
1/2 a lemon sliced thin


Place slices of cucumber and lemon in the bottom of your pitcher and then place a few handfuls of ice and then fill with water.

Easy peasy and so deeeelish!

Now I'm hooked - here's another pin I found on Pinterest from Nancy Creative for a TON of other really neat sounding recipes for flavored water!  The Watermelon Basil sounds delicious and so does the Melon Cucumber - maybe that'll be next up on the water menu since I'm about to be done with this lemon cucumber combo!

Cheers!
~Carly

Where Does It Go When You Lose It?

Where does it go when you lose it?

Image from everyday Health web site slideshow

That's the question I've asked myself quite a few times.  What question? And what is the it I'm referring to?

When you lose it meaning FAT and weight - where the heck does it go?

I came across this slideshow article from everyday Health's web site on explaining where the fat goes when you lose it.

I'm also now on Day 7 of Cinch (again) and I'm still going strong!  Feeling great, lots of energy, feeling a bit smaller but I'm planning to do a full two weeks on the plan before taking measurements again.

So, stay tuned and have a great day!
~Carly

Pinterest Picks - 6/9/2012

Happy Saturday!

Literally just saw this on Pinterest and thought - YES! This is how to look at those slip ups along the way.

So, just shake it off. Move on. Don't "smash" your diet.

Cinch - Day 1...Again!

Good morning!
It's a beautiful and cool Wednesday morning and I'm happy that I'm starting the Shaklee Cinch Inch Loss Plan...again.

Yes, you read that right.  It's Day 1 again.  As I mentioned in my post from Monday, I should have just stuck with it all along - and who knows, by now I may have been closer to my goal weight.  But, we can't live in what if's - so I'm just getting back to it since it worked so well the last time.

To recap:

I began Cinch with a 2 week starter kit on April 9, 2012
Starting measurements were:
Bust- 40
Waist - 36
Hip - 44

April 17th update were:
Bust - 38
Waist - 34
Hips - 43

I had lost just about 6 pounds and 5 inches in one week! You can read that full update here.

So, here I am just about two months later.  I'm back up a few pounds in weight (although I have my "friend" so my weight is a bit higher due to that) so I'm not sure exactly how much I have gained back.  Nevertheless, my starting measurements again are:
Bust - 38
Waist - 35
Hips - 44

So, I'm still down a few inches total but up a few pounds.

But I'm not giving up.  I'm off to the gym this morning and I am expecting the rest of my Cinch Transformation pack to arrive today - the tracking on the UPS site says it's "Out for delivery"!

Yay!

Have a great day and I'm looking forward to my results again from Cinch...again!
~Carly

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho It's Back to Cinch I Go!

Happy Monday!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend. It was rainy here but we had a nice day Sunday and went strawberry picking.  You can't beat fresh produce!

I quickly wanted to put an update on where I stand diet-wise and my realization - I've got a bit of diet obsession and confusion.  I can't seem to stay focused on one before switching to another.  I started off with the Cinch Inch Loss Program.  On that, I lost 6 pounds and 5 inches in less than 2 week.

So, why on earth did I stop that?  Well, I'm not going to kid you - it is expensive.  I received the two week starter kit for free.  I wanted to continue, but the cost frightened me a bit.  (Stupid mistake - keep reading)

So, I opted to not continue with it and joined Weight Watchers since everyone was raving about it and I decided to join the bandwagon.  Why spend extra money when I can count points and track things with Weight Watchers - "the number one diet in the country"?  There was a special 3 month sign up promotion which cost about $60.

Well, initially I lost on Weight Watchers - key word being initially.  BUT, I felt hungry.  Nothing is worse than when you're on a "diet" and you're hungry.  I was cranky and irritable and tried not to be.  Even though I had used tracking and journals before to help lose weight - this was different.  I was obsessed with my points.  How many points were in these?  How many points do I have left?  Is this worth it to eat it if it's 4 points?  What if I run out of points?  Points...points...points!  I was working out and earning activity points, I stayed within my daily points and dipped into my "extra treat points" every now and again but they never were used up - ever.  According to Weight Watchers, people I spoke with and even the Customer Service guy I spoke with - I should be losing when in fact I had gained back a few pounds.

All this effort and nothing to show for it. I was irritated and it got annoying.

Really annoying.

Then, one day last week, I was perusing through the pantry because *big shock* I was hungry - and I came across a Cinch Snack Bar that must have been left over from my last order and a few extra packets of the Chocolate Shake Mix.  I'm pretty sure I "ooohed" out loud and excited at my find.

So, for lunch that day, I had a shake for lunch.  It was good.  Like, super-yummy-good.  And, for the next few days, I couldn't help but think to myself:


Why did I stop using this?  It worked fast.  It tasted great. And, I felt awesome and saw results.  

WHY DID I STOP?  

Sorry for all caps - but I was mad at myself!  Well, I already mentioned it before - the cost - but then that got me thinking too - this program is designed to be a 3-4 month time commitment and you learn with the program to go into a lifetime maintenance after you lose your weight and inches.

So, it's simple.  Back to Cinch I go.  Pulling another diet switcheroo - but this time, I've ordered enough for an entire month's worth instead of the two weeks supply.  I ordered it Saturday and I can't wait for it to arrive!
I lost 6 pounds and a few inches pretty quickly last time and now that I'm working out again on a regular basis, I hope to see results quickly again.

Therefore, Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho it's back to Cinch I go!

I will take measurements and everything again - like last time and keep you posted on my progress again.  In the meantime, have a great day!

Pinterest Picks - 6/2/2012

Hello and Happy Saturday!

As we just came home from a family trip to the gym - I thought this Pinterest Pick was quite fitting:

Article: 50 Ways to Make Your Diet Work

Happy Friday!

Image from article 50 Ways To Make Your Diet Work

I came across this article and it's got some really great advice - complete article can be found here.

While there are a few things in here that are a bit silly and I would never do.  For example I'd never do suggestion 31 and I find that suggestion 35 isn't a problem for me with two kiddos!

I really love this quote from the article:

"...the word "diet" no longer refers to that thing you routinely cheat on with the trendy name. Those days are over. "Diet" refers to the ongoing, consistent delivery of essential nutrients in sufficient amounts for the sole purpose of fueling the body efficiently for muscle development, recovery, movement, and the production of heat for burning fat."

If you have time, I'd highly recommend reading it and skimming through or bookmarking it for later.

Have a great Friday!
~Carly