Week 2 on the 1-2-3 Slim-Fast Diet - 4 Pounds Lost

Last week, I started a healthy challenge with my six members of my family.  We are using Facebook to check in and encourage one another.  My oldest and I have been using the Slim-Fast line of products to accomplish our goals.  Since last Monday, I have lost four pounds.  I'm still waiting for her weigh in but was very pleased to see the loss.  My other family members are losing too and with this mornings check in for three of us, combined, we have lost 12 pounds in a week.  We are not starving and we are eating.  For myself, the 1-2-3 Slim-Fast new shakes are now available with lids so it makes it easy to take with you.  They are very, very good ..did I say VERY good?  That is just one part of the diet as it's a complete meal plan.

The online Slim-Fast site allows you to enter your profile, how much you weight and how much you want to lose.  It provides a guide in getting to your goal in a safe manner.  Here is a summary of what your average day is like:

• A meal bar or shake for breakfast and lunch (approximately 190 calories)
• Three 100 calorie snacks throughout the day with helpful suggestions on smart choices like almonds or apples or convenient snacks such as their snack bars which are really good.
• One 500 calories sensible meal which they provide great tasting recipes to help you make the journey easier.

The shakes are my favorite.  They are rich and you cannot tell they are a diet type product since they don't have that old fiber taste of other brands and they don't leave a horrible after taste.  They are amazingly good.  With the new lids, it makes it easier to take on the go too.  The 500 calorie meals for the 3-2-1 plan include filling your plate 1/2 full of vegetables, 1/4 starch and 1/4 lean protein.  This is a sensible approach in losing and maintaining weight.  The plan allows you to track your progress and encourages water intake and exercise.  It's a smart plan to use in losing weight in a better way as it's slow and it helps to incorporate a lifestyle or behavioral change.

Updated:  I forgot to mention that I have been exercising nearly every day for almost an hour on my recumbent bike.  My daughter has lost two pounds!

So this past week, I lost four pounds.  Stay tuned as I share mine and my family's journey in getting healthy!

To read my first post, please click on the Slim-Fast post here.


*Disclaimer:  I did receive complimentary product but the posts are my opinions and I was not obligated to post.

Mamavation Mondays: Week Two

I was bad, I skipped last week's post mostly because of life.  I had a lot going on but mostly it was planning for my 23 year old's birthday as well as an interview for my eight year old's non-profit.  We had a great party that gave me the bad excuse to eat what I wanted over a two day period and I paid for in the amount of three pounds.  I pick up weight by looking at food.  The good news is, I'm still keeping off 15 pounds from when I lost it post May.  Our party was good and all three of my kids and grand baby had fun:

 

My plan has been mostly working out in the pool every day and watching what I eat in terms of carbs and calories by following the controversial Dukan Diet.  I've been focusing on protein and low fat foods granted I know I need fruit and vegetables, I figure the short term sacrifice is okay given how being overweight and unhealthy in the long term is far worse.  So today marks back on the bandwagon and loose those pounds!

My goal next week is to report a weight loss!

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BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Grunt Style. Two blogging carnival participants will receive a shirt from Grunt Style. Answer the following question in your blog post and link back to the Grunt Style website. Link up your post here.  You can join in too if you would like to become a Sista or just learn some great things!

Question: What has been your favorite Grunt Style workout? If you aren’t doing his workouts what has been your strength training routine?

I am not doing any of the Grunt Style workouts and and I'm not doing any strength training even though I know I should.  I do have a Kettleball and every now and then, I do use it but not near enough.

This post is sponsored by Grunt Style and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation and sponsored by Grunt Style.” at the bottom of your post.

Mamavation - Week Six Even Mothers Need Mothering

This past week was an interesting week with the return of my husband from Kuwait and an upcoming move and more.  I decided to reward myself one day and ate too much and then on Friday, I ate half an order of General Tso's Chicken from my favorite Chinese place.  Luckily, it was one of the worse orders I have had from them so I didn't eat it all which is good.  Bad is my daughter brought home a Mother's Day from school which they partnered with the local grocery store who makes awesome cakes so I splurged on that.  That would have been alright as Saturday rolled around as I was doing well until 5 pm when I broke down and had another piece of cake and then a ton of chips and salsa.  I haven't even weighed myself as I know from early yesterday, I picked up a couple of pounds so I'm sure I'm still there.

After receiving my Mother's Day gift from my eight year old, I teared up to see how far she has come with writing her own cards and making gifts.  My youngest was dressed and playing with a puppet that my very kind friend at AdorableBabyClothing sent them.  The picture reinforced why I have to get healthier as I want to see them make all the milestones from childhood to adult.  Today, I'm being pampered as a mother should be from time to time!

I'm on a race to get in shape for our trip to Disney May 20th.  I have been trying and retrying and I keep failing until about three week's ago where I was able to stay committed to my diet of the moment.  I had lost 16 pounds but since I picked back up 2, I'm at 14 down.  I am not letting it set me back as I know that I was rewarding myself for being a mom and although my food choices could have been better, I'm still learning. I did pick up a Kit Kat bar and ate only one of the four bars and put it down.  It wouldn't have been too long ago that I would have devoured the whole thing like a lion to a gazelle but I am learning on my baby step journey.  Today, starts the renewed diet path forward, being patient with myself, so cheers!

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This week's Blogging Carnival question:

Do you know when to back off of your efforts? When is the last time you took a step back in the name of gentle kindness to yourself?


I would say that I don't mainly because when I back off, it's all or nothing and when it's nothing, I binge-like eat.  I don't know limits sometimes and I've always been a stress eater.  I'm learning though and when I fall off the band wagon, I think of Pete telling us to reward ourselves not with food but with something else.  I'm making slow progress but I'm making progress so I can't be too hard on myself.  Gone are the days of telling myself I'm fat and never going to do it.  I've been afraid to tell my family that I'm on diet #98789 because I keep failing but to me, as long as I keep trying, I'm not failing.  It took some time to not be so harsh toward myself but I feel success is there as every day, I'm getting there and it's an every day habit.  


I wrote this blog post while participating in the Mamavation Blogging Carnival for a chance to win a Jillian Moriarity workout  DVD from Jillian Moriarity” at the end of your post if you enter the blogging carnival.

60 Day SlimDown System with Lindsay Brin Review

I think nearly every woman can relate how the new year approaches, New Year's resolutions abound with the typical one of losing weight.  I have the same one year after year but this year, I changed the resolution simply to 'getting healthier for myself and family.'  To me, this is much more sensible as losing weight is about getting healthier by eating right and exercising.  I had a chance to try out Lindsay Brin's DVD in 2010 and loved her high energy.  When given the chance to try the Lindsay Brin 60 Day SlimDown System, I couldn't pass that up.  If you don't know anything about Lindsay, you will grow to love her from her workouts to her blog.  Lindsay, to me, is a real woman who has had children and understands how difficult it is to lose the weight although you can't tell by looking at her as she's fabulous.


The beauty of the 60 Day SlimDown System is variety.  Lindsay provides the tools necessary to ensure success with a downloadable SlimDown packet.  The packets is full of everything you need such as a 60 day calendar, a 60 day meal plan and more.  They are easy to follow and for those that need more direction, this is perfect.  It's also great for anyone as studies have shown that those who log their exercise and food intake, tend to have more success.

The 60 Day SlimDown System works within the first 10 days by increasing your metabolism and shedding pounds.  When you workout with Lindsay, you will understand as the workouts our chalked full of routines that get you moving and are easy to follow.  They are not full of elaborate moves that make it difficult for the uncoordinated (i.e. me).

All of Phase 1 workouts can be done in 30 minutes which is wonderful for those that don't have a lot of time or can't get hour long blocks due to work, kids and so forth.  I'm constantly interrupted by a house full of young children so having something in 30 minutes is ideal for me.  Phase 2 increases the challenge thus increasing the loss with all workouts being under 45 minutes.  It's a nice gradual evolution into adding the challenge when you are most likely ready versus throwing in a workout too hard to complete and you feel more compelled to drop out.  Phase 3 is geared towards seeing results after the initial 60 days.  Lindsay has thought of everything to offer this comprehensive, easy to follow plan to get you healthier.  The only thing you need are a set of 1-2 pound weights.

The 60 Day SlimDown System includes four DVDs:

1. Lindsay Brin CFS Method
2. Lindsay Brin Core Metabolic Jumpstart
3. Lindsay Brin Postnatal Boot Camp
4. Lindsay Brin Shed 5 Fast

The workouts include three levels ideal for each fitness level.  This is a great feature as some movements are too advanced for some of us with little activity.  As I noted, when you find something too hard, you are probably more likely to drop out whereas Lindsay's program has it covered.  When you click here, you can view trailers of the workouts to get an ideal of how the workouts are geared.

It really is a great workout program for any woman, whether a mom or not.  Lindsay is high energy and motivational.  The fact she has had children appeals to me because she was able to end up looking like this with her program so I know it works.  The workouts left me challenged, sore and with the knowledge that when I follow the program for 60 days, I will look amazing!  I look forward to seeing my end result and definitely recommend this program to anyone wanting to feel better and look great.

You can buy Lindsay's 60 Day SlimDown System for $49.99 and if you use this special coupon code '60daydvd30', you can save 30% off but hurry as the coupon code expires January 31st!

Lindsay's site is full of great information that includes:

• Weight Loss Tools - weight loss calculator, metabolism/bmr, goal setting, meal plan and tracker
• Quick Recipes - kids size, family size and Lindsay's family food journal
• Get the Skinny - food & exercise, pregnancy, post pregnancy, exercise FAQ and how to get rid of.

   

You can follow Lindsay on Facebook, Twitter or her blog.  Her blog is full of great information to help you along your journey, actual photos of Lindsay's transformation from post pregnancy and much more.

I received the 60 Day SlimDown thrugh MamaBuzz for the purpose of this review

My First Mamavation Post to be in the Sistahood

I'm finally doing it!  Joining the great Mamation motivators and Bookieboo in realizing my goals of finally getting in shape!  I have the EarthFootwear shoes, I watch the Tweets, I get the e-mails so there is nothing holding me back now ...no more excuses as it's time to do it!

I started Nutrisystem last week to regulate my caloric intake and I ride my bike six days a week for at least 30 minutes if not for an hour or two sometimes. 

I lost two pounds last week and have maintained it in spite of some cheating.  I'm trying to fit in fruits and vegetables but it's hard when no one else eats them with me. In spite of how I try to encourage it, it never happens.  My biggest struggle is having two young children who don't sleep at night so I'm always tired.  I have all the responsibilities and luckily, I have an older daughter who helps me a lot.  I still work so that is a challenge too along with having my husband deploying to Kuwait next month for a month.

My ultimate goal is to lose 30 pounds in a safe, healthy manner that will change my behaviors for the long term.  I want to join the Mamavation Sistahood to receive help and encouragement while giving back.  I see through the events and twittering how helpful and encouraging the sistahood is.

Losing Weight: I Lost 15 Pounds To Date!

I started a weight loss program in July by watching what I eat and using the Wii Cardio Gym and Jillian Michael's games.  I officially started the Quick Weight Loss Center's home program in August and to date, I've lost 15 pounds (as of yesterday). 

I'm keeping track of my weight loss and program in a separate journal entry (widget on the side) and in an effort to help others who might be interested, am trying to get sponsorship for a Get Fit Giveaway starting October 1 and running until January 1, 2010.

I plan to utilize my knowledge I've learned and my success in encouraging others to join me in getting a jump start on your New Year's resolution!

Interested?  Let me know! 

Resveratrol, Biomarkers and Clinical Trials

Biomarker studies is the latest focus of the pharmaceutical and biotech worlds. So much might be learned by looking at how drugs and natural products/ingredients affect the body. Per Wiki, a biomarker is explained as: “in medicine, a biomarker can be a substance that is introduced into an organism as a means to examine organ function or other aspects of health. For example, rubidium chloride is used as a radioactive isotope to evaluate perfusion of heart muscle.

It can also be a substance whose detection indicates a particular disease state, for example, the presence of an antibody may indicate an infection (see biomarker (medicine) ). More specifically, a biomarker indicates a change in expression or state of a protein that correlates with the risk or progression of a disease, or with the susceptibility of the disease to a given treatment. Once a proposed biomarker has been validated, it can be used to diagnose disease risk, presence of disease in an individual, or to tailor treatments for the disease in an individual (choices of drug treatment or administration regimes). In evaluating potential drug therapies, a biomarker may be used as a surrogate for a natural endpoint such as survival or irreversible morbidity. If a treatment alters the biomarker, which has a direct connection to improved health, the biomarker serves as a surrogate endpoint for evaluating clinical benefit.”

A Phase 1 study published in Cancer Epidemoil Biomarkers Prevention in 2007 studied resveratrol in healthy volunteers. Phase 1 trials are typically the first trials in which a drug is tested in a human volunteer. The volunteer can be healthy or have the disease that is being studied. The hypothesis of this study “was tested that, in healthy humans, p.o. administration of resveratrol is safe and results in measurable plasma levels of resveratrol.” Resveratrol was provided to a small sample size of 10 healthy volunteers in a 0.5, 1, 2.5, or5 g dose format.

“The results presented here intimate that consumption of high-dose resveratrol might be insufficient to elicit systemic levels commensurate with cancer chemopreventive efficacy. However, the high systemic levels of resveratrol conjugate metabolites suggest that their cancer chemopreventive properties warrant investigation.”

Here is a website that list some studies of resveratrol: http://www.anyvitamins.com/resveratrol-references.htm . Unfortunately, it only lists the studies with no results.

There currently eight registered on-going trials:

New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is currently recruiting subjects for their study of resveratrol and alzheimer http://www.delay-ad.org/trials/resveratrol . The University of California is recruiting subjects to perform clinical trials ”to define the actions of resveratrol on the Wnt signaling pathway in a clinical trial in which patients with colon cancer will receive treatment with resveratrol and correlative laboratory studies will examine its effects directly on colon cancer and normal colonic mucosa. These studies will provide data on the mechanisms of resveratrol action and provide a foundation for future prevention trials, correlative studies and therapeutic clinical research with this agent.” http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00256334?term=resveratrol&rank=2
For a complete list of the eight trials registered under the government, refer to this link: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=resveratrol .

Based on researching more about Resveatrol, stay clear of claims of free trials of the product especially if seen on 60 Minutes or Oprah. I read many consumers who signed up for the “free offer” only to be charged large amounts and no one to contact to get a refund. I guess it’s marketed under Resveratrol Ultra and under SWM Labs. Read that small print before buying for all the details such as what others wrote as a scam. You can buy Biotivia brand for $24 for a 240 mb bottle (250 mg). I only noticed headaches when I took resveratrol but can’t say for sure it was attributed to the product. Biomarker study is the latest focus of the pharmaceutical and biotech worlds. So much might be learned by looking at how drugs and natural products/ingredients affect the body. Per Wiki, a biomarker is explained as: “in medicine, a biomarker can be a substance that is introduced into an organism as a means to examine organ function or other aspects of health. For example, rubidium chloride is used as a radioactive isotope to evaluate perfusion of heart muscle .



It can also be a substance whose detection indicates a particular disease state, for example, the presence of an antibody may indicate an infection (see biomarker (medicine) ). More specifically, a biomarker indicates a change in expression or state of a protein that correlates with the risk or progression of a disease, or with the susceptibility of the disease to a given treatment. Once a proposed biomarker has been validated, it can be used to diagnose disease risk, presence of disease in an individual, or to tailor treatments for the disease in an individual (choices of drug treatment or administration regimes). In evaluating potential drug therapies, a biomarker may be used as a surrogate for a natural endpoint such as survival or irreversible morbidity. If a treatment alters the biomarker, which has a direct connection to improved health, the biomarker serves as a surrogate endpoint for evaluating clinical benefit.”

A Phase 1 study published in Cancer Epidemoil Biomarkers Prevention in 2007 studied resveratrol in healthy volunteers. Phase 1 trials are typically the first trials in which a drug is tested in a human volunteer. The volunteer can be healthy or have the disease that is being studied. The hypothesis of this study “was tested that, in healthy humans, p.o. administration of resveratrol is safe and results in measurable plasma levels of resveratrol.” Resveratrol was provided to a small sample size of 10 healthy volunteers in a 0.5, 1, 2.5, or5 g dose format.

“The results presented here intimate that consumption of high-dose resveratrol might be insufficient to elicit systemic levels commensurate with cancer chemopreventive efficacy. However, the high systemic levels of resveratrol conjugate metabolites suggest that their cancer chemopreventive properties warrant investigation.”

Here is a website that list some studies of resveratrol: http://www.anyvitamins.com/resveratrol-references.htm . Unfortunately, it only lists the studies with no results.

There currently eight registered on-going trials:

New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is currently recruiting subjects for their study of resveratrol and alzheimer http://www.delay-ad.org/trials/resveratrol . The University of California is recruiting subjects to perform clinical trials ”to define the actions of resveratrol on the Wnt signaling pathway in a clinical trial in which patients with colon cancer will receive treatment with resveratrol and correlative laboratory studies will examine its effects directly on colon cancer and normal colonic mucosa. These studies will provide data on the mechanisms of resveratrol action and provide a foundation for future prevention trials, correlative studies and therapeutic clinical research with this agent.” http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00256334?term=resveratrol&rank=2
For a complete list of the eight trials registered under the government, refer to this link: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=resveratrol .

Based on researching more about Resveatrol, stay clear of claims of free trials of the product especially if seen on 60 Minutes or Oprah. I read many consumers who signed up for the “free offer” only to be charged large amounts and no one to contact to get a refund. I guess it’s marketed under Resveratrol Ultra and under SWM Labs. Read that small print before buying for all the details such as what others wrote as a scam. You can buy Biotivia brand for $24 for a 240 mb bottle (250 mg). I only noticed headaches when I took resveratrol but can’t say for sure it was attributed to the product.

There are many types of products on Amazon:

Good Foods for the Skin

Different websites are touting the benefits of eating right on your skin to prevent wrinkles and retain that youthful glow. I have a friend who at 50, looked AMAZING and actually looked like she was 40. She credited this youthful, wrinkless, glowing complexion to eating right, drinking plenty of water and taking many supplements. Either her genes were very good and/or the lifestyle was working because she looked incredible.

Lycopene from processed tomatoes provides a great source of an anti-oxidant and also helps to ward off cancerous cell formations. Lycopene, in high doses, flush out free radicals. Since lycopene is not made in the body, we require products such as tomatoes to acquire it.

“Researchers introduced Lycopene into pre-existing cancer cell cultures and the Lycopene prevented the continued growth of these cultures. This is pretty powerful evidence that the health benefits of eating a tomato are really quite phenomenal. It takes as little as 540 milliliters of liquid tomato product to get the full benefits of Lycopene. This means that a daily glass of tomato juice has the potential to keep a person healthy for life.”

Oysters provides zinc which provides that nice little feature of repairing and renewing our skin called collagen. As we age, we lose that ability.

Blueberries prevent cell damage by also being a source of an anti-oxidant. In 2004, a team led by a USDA chemist found that this natural anti-oxidant may lower blood levels of LDL which is the “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides. The pterostilbene in blueberries is similar to the chemical Resveratrol found in grapes. Another claim for blueberries as an antioxidant is the benefit towards slowing down visual loss due to the extract from blueberries. It’s called anthocyanosides and has been found in clinical studies to slow down visual loss.

”A recent study was done in a Boston laboratory by putting one group of young rats on a blueberry-rich diet and another on regular chow. Then the scientist exposed both groups to 48 hours of concentrated oxygen, stirring up in two days the amount of free radical damage that normally takes 20 rat months, or 75 humans to accumulate. Brain cells in the chow group became less responsive to neurotransmitters associated with short-term memory. The brains of the blueberry stuffed rats did not change. He also found that the fruit prevented the kind of short-term memory loss that comes with aging. Blueberries actually stave off declines in brain cell’s ability to send messages to one another.”

Dark chocolate has many benefits to include providing yet another anti-oxidant source. It increases blood flow to the skin which rehydrates the skin and provides additional sun protection.

Walnuts provides omega-3 and vitamin E which is a natural way to ward off psoriasis and eczema. Omega-3 fatty acids also provide benefits ranging from better mental functioning to cardiovascular protection to an anti-inflammatory benefits in asthma.

The Flex Mini Skirt

This is the first time I have seen the The Flex Mini Skirt® with the claim of ”clinically proven to tone the buttocks & backs of thighs.”
Here is the website with the specifics: http://www.flexmini.com/main/?mcp=3845
Women’s Version of the Belt:
Slendertone Revive Muscle Conditioner
Men’s Version of the Belt:
Slendertone Men’s System Abs Toning Belt
“The Flex Mini Skirt® tones and strengthens the same muscles that are worked when you do squats, lunges, go skiing, running, or work out on the elliptical cross trainer in the gym. All these activities are great for your body’s shape, but hard work. If you thought it was impossible to get a firmer, better shaped bottom and backs of the thighs, think again because the Flex Mini Skirt® makes it easy.
This is not a product that doesn’t results – it is a medical technology that works for everyone. It will work for you too. Just ask any of the over two million Flex product pustomers worldwide…
Clinical studies prove the Flex Mini Skirt® works in as little as four-eight weeks. The Flex Mini Skirt® clinical study showed that:
100% of users said it worked
92% of users say it is easy to fit into their daily routine
90% of users saw an improvement in their body shape
90% said they were firmer and more toned
90% said the backs of their legs were tighter
80% reported that their clothes felt looser
80% said their bottom was more uplifted
The best part is you can use it whenever you want to. The Flex Mini Skirt® is clinically proven to deliver a firmer, stronger and more toned butt/hamstring muscles while you are: at home, at work, watching TV, exercising, folding laundry, helping your kids with their homework, taking a walk…virtually anywhere and anytime.”
The cost is $199.99 but it does have a “60-day money-back guarantee assures customers that they can return their Flex Mini® if needed. This is one of the added bonuses about ordering the Flex Mini®—the manufacturer is committed to putting their customers above their own interests. Another feature that emphasizes this point is the 2 year warranty all Flex Minis® are backed with.”
I can’t find any links to the FDA unless they submitted the application under another name and I can’t find anything relative to actual tests that were ran on efficacy.
This website has alleged user reviews that look overwhelmingly positive (suspicious): http://naturalsuperfoodsblog.com/exercise-fitness/flex-mini-skirt-user-reviews/
I was able to find that Biomedical Research has an approved application on the FDA site in which they provided an independent research study noting that the 60 women who tried their butt and thigh toning stimulating device did find marked improvement over an eight week period. However, they do not note if the women in this trial for Slendertone Flex Bottom and Toning device exercised outside of using the belt. You can buy this at Amazon for only $299.95 (yikes)! http://www.amazon.com/Slendertone-Bottom-Toning-System-Shorts/dp/B0006JJFSI
Overall, it appears the technology to stimulate the muscles which simulates exercising has been approved by the FDA. Any readers try it yet? I actually had the stomach one and used it but I lost my 40 lbs by eating correctly and exercising in conjunction with the belt so can’t really say if it helped or not. For the cost, I’d say “exercise.”