Cinch - Day 2

Good morning again!

It's now only day 2 of my Cinch Inch Loss Program and I have to say...

I feel good!

You know how on the first day of any "diet" you feel hungry.  Maybe you even feel deprived or you think to yourself "why am I doing this again?"

I didn't think even one of those feelings or thoughts yesterday.  Seriously.  Even preparing snacks, lunch and such for my kids, I didn't sneak a slice of apple like I usually do or a piece of cantaloupe or even a gold fish (parmesan gold fish are my favorite!).  Not even one bite.

For real.

Here's how my day went:

7:30-7:45 a.m. - I had my shake and posted
11:45 a.m. - I was not hungry again until I went out for groceries and I brought along the Energy Tea to drink.
12:30 p.m. - I ate my Lemon Cranberry Cinch Snack Bar
2:00 p.m. - I made a Cinch Chocolate shake with Skim Milk, Ice and a Teaspoon of Peanut Butter
6:15 - Started getting hunger pangs for dinner.
6:40 p.m. - Ate my dinner of whole grain pasta and a tomato basil sauce with some grated parmesan cheese on top and a piece of garlic bread.
Note: I'm not sure that's an approved dinner - need to check on that but tonight I will go "healthier" even though  I had a non-heaping size and kept to portions very, very closely.

I drank water throughout the day and truly felt full and not deprived or hungry - until dinner time which is how it should be, right?

If this is how this plan continues - I can see myself on it for quite some time!

Just looking forward to weighing and measuring in again next Monday.  I figure I'll give it a week at least.

For my breakfast, I made the same breakfast as yesterday - Cinch Vanilla with strawberries, banana, ice and milk.

So, here's to day 2 and I'll check in again tomorrow to report back on to today!
~Carly


Note: The Cinch Inch Loss Program Two Week Starter Kit was provided to me for no cost.  The choice to blog about it here and share my opinions are all of my own choice. I am not receiving any compensation of any sort for this.

Cinch - Day 1

Good morning!

I woke up excited and very much looking forward to today.
And then I realized I was still in some pain from our yard work and landscaping overhaul this weekend.

We pulled some overgrown shrubs from the front of our home and re-purposed them for our back yard and along our fence.  Then, I weeded and picked up a ton of debris from the yard.  I pulled something in my neck or back because yesterday morning I woke up in severe pain - OUCH.

Anyways, back to the point of this post!  I weighed myself and took my measurements for my bust, waist and hips.  I've now got my starting weight and stats.

Then, it came time for breakfast for my first shake.  I opened the canister of the Vanilla Cinch mix and it smelled really good!

After doing a little research on the Internet, I came across some Cinch shake recipes and decided on the Strawberry Banana recipe:

• Cinch Vanilla Shake Mix
• 8 oz. non-fat milk or low-fat soy milk
• 3 frozen, unsweetened strawberries
• 1-2 medium banana (I used one banana)
• 4-6 ice cubes
Blend until creamy.


I gotta say - it was really good.  Tasted like a milk shake.  It was smooth, creamy and really good.

It made enough to fill my glass almost twice and I am pretty full right now!

I also decided two things while making my Cinch breakfast:

1.  I really dislike my white, 1980's builder grade kitchen counter tops.
2.  I'm thinking I need to invest in a better blender.  This one has done fantastic considering I love green smoothies and it makes the kale very smooth despite not being overly powerful.

So, cheers to day one and I'll check back in soon with more!

In case you've missed my story on my weight you can catch up here.
~Carly

It's a Cinch? I sure hope so!

Hello!  I hope this post finds you well on this Passover/Easter weekend!

I'm so excited because I've been offered a wonderful opportunity to try a really great product line called Cinch Inch Loss Plan.

It's by a company called Shaklee which has been around for quite some time - more than 50 years.

I'm so excited about this for quite a few reasons:

1. The Cinch Inch Loss program delivers results based on a key ingredient - leucine - an amino acid that helps you keep lean muscle mass while burning off and losing fat.  It helps break the diet cycle so I will keep the muscle I have, burn fat I don't need (OR WANT!) and lose inches, too!
2. From what I understand this program is very easy to use and seems to be the perfect fit for a busy mom (or any busy person, really!)
3. And, as you all know simply from reading this blog, I've been looking to drop the weight for quite some time.  Even though I've been successful in lifestyle changes by eating better, generally healthier and exercising more - it's just not working enough.  

Therefore, I'm excited for this opportunity to try the program over the next two weeks.

I start tomorrow with the starter kit, which includes:

• Vanilla shake mix canister (15 servings)
• Assorted Cinch shake packets (14 packets)
• 3-in-1 boost™(42 count)
• Assortment pack snack bars (10 count)
• Energy tea mix (28 sticks)
• Daily journals (2)
• Cinch program guide
• Cinch logo shaker cup
• Cinch pedometer
• Cinch tape measure

I'll be posting about my progress in pounds and inches lost as well as how I feel and any other feedback I have!

If you're curious about the Cinch Inch Loss Program, you can read about it here.

So, I'll be back here tomorrow to share more on getting started.

If you know of anyone who has tried 

~Carly

Pinterest Picks - 4/3/2012

Making the most of each day

Don't worry.  I promise I'm not going to go into some crazy rant about making the most of each day and yada yada yada.

This post is just a tiny PSA and mostly for me to just put it out there :)

You know how each day can be a clean slate.  Forget yesterday's slip ups or things you pushed aside.

Focus on today.  I really do think it's important to take a step back and truly think about our actions.  This post is just a reminder to pause and take each day as an opportunity to make the best decisions we can and make the most of each day.

Yesterday I ate decent but did not exercise.

So - today I made the choice to be active and go somewhere fun with my kids.  We went to one of our favorite places - an 18,000 square foot indoor bounce house.

And you got it!  I bounced around the indoor bounce house inflatables with them.  Luckily, it made them both tired enough to both take a nap today.

So, after coming home I felt a bit tired myself.  And here's where this post comes into play.

Instead of plopping down on the couch and watching TV or sitting and browsing Pinterest or Facebook, what did I do?  I popped in a Winsor Pilates DVD and did about 15 minutes of Pilates and then ate my lunch.  Today, I had a flax/omega/whole grain wrap with black beans, reduced fat cheese and salsa.

So, I made some good decisions today regarding activity and food.  Because, at the end of the day it was me who gained the pregnancy pounds.  It's me who does the grocery shopping, cooking and plans our family meals.

ME.  
At the end of the day, it's only me who can be accountable.  It's me who is going to motivate myself to make these changes.

Okay - end PSA.

What about you?  How do you feel about your day to day activities?  What small changes do you think you could incorporate tomorrow that you may have missed out on today?
~Carly

Vacation...

As in I have been on one!

I plan to post regularly again soon!

Hope everyone has been well ;)

Pinterest Picks - 3/6/12

Hello!

Every once in awhile I come across something, read something or see something that makes me think or feel differently about my actions completely.

This is now one of them:

Since I've been watching what I eat more (no, not as it goes into my mouth!) and as I closely read food labels, this really spoke to me when I found it on Pinterest.

Instead of turning to food for comfort, I am trying to view it more as fueling my body and keeping me healthy.

While this quote is strong, it really gets me thinking about what I choose to put in my body.