Day 23

<- Tuesday's Food Log

Woke up to a hot flash this morning. That hasn't happened in a while. I know I ate badly last night - nuts and dried fruit are yummy but it's just too many calories as a snack that late. I hate this teeter totter of emotion; wanting these products to work has added stress and it shouldn't. I guess that's what comes from years of dieting and failing - I need to learn to trust. On a lighter note, I received my first CNI cheque yesterday, that was nice! Another good work out this morning; shooting right after my walk really gets the sweat flowing, especially on a warm morning.

Breakfast: The southern greens in my smoothie this morning were bitter and the Lean made a nice balance of flavour. (I made a double batch so that I had dessert ready to go in the fridge.) Lunch was at Wendy's; I had forgotten I had a date today. My friend was so sweet, telling me she could see the difference in my face and form, and that I should keep using the Core4 because it was working for me. Also, the long shorts I wore and expected to be loose, were also longer! So I must be smaller around, no? All in all, some positive feedback today for the program. Still eating at night, I need to figure out why. I might not be getting enough calories in during the day, maybe I'll track that tomorrow to see.

3 Weeks on Core4 : Day 22

<- Monday's Food Log

198.2 :: As anticipated I woke up in a better mood this morning. While not happy with the number I saw on the scale, only half a pound lighter than day one, my inches are still gone, that wasn't a fluke. Encouraged, I decided to do all my measurements this morning and I'm down 12.1 inches since I last measured; I wish I had done this on day 1 and not just my hourglass measurements so I would know how many have come off recently. But I did just notice my thighs being thinner this week when wearing shorts this past weekend so that is recent, and the same with my arms looking better and my tops being looser through the shoulders. Also, per the scale I am down a full percentage point now from 47% to 46% in body fat. So I really am converting fat to lean muscle.

I am not going to let the craziness of my eating these past few weeks continue, I guess the mental shift from 'eating for nutrition' to 'needing to lose weight' was too much for my psyche to handle. So this morning I am back to eating for health, and letting the Core4 products just be a companion to my normal regime. No more focusing on losing weight, that has never worked for me and I know that. I guess my brain is so hard wired for how to act while 'losing weight' that I reverted to old behaviors (crazy!) This morning I can see that for what it was and get back to my healthy habits. Part of the idea behind using the Core4 products is that you add them to what you normally do, and there has been very little 'normal' about the way I have been eating these past three weeks. Despite my subcouncious effort to sabotage myself I am still able to report some good results, and I feel positive about the upcoming week. I'm also going to try and use the Lean as a meal replacement each day instead of as a supplemental snack, and not stress so much about how often I use my Cheat.

Update: Well, good intentions aside, I found myself eating this evening. This is discouraging since that is one of the bad habits I thought I had overcome. But the reality is that I didn't get in enough nutrition, and that is when the uncontrollable eating happens. I absolutely need to start my day with a green smoothie, and have my salad at lunch so that my body isn't craving nutrients come evening time.

Day 21

<- Sunday's Food Log

Yesterday wore me out, but if it hadn't been so hot today I would be up to doing more. I was out early to walk with Kaylee and water the garden. Then after breakfast caught up the kitchen. But just watched TV and played on the computer most of the afternoon with the house closed up and the A\C running. More bored than anything else, I inhaled the french fries my honey had not eaten from his fast food lunch; why did I do that?

It was a relief to get out of the house when my daughter called asking if I could go watch the baby while they ran an errand; I had just wolfed down two tomato sandwiches using the left over hamburger buns from earlier in the week - I haven't binged like that in longer than I can remember. (Of course I haven't brought a whole package of buns into the house in probably a year either, WTH?) But that diversion, as wonderful as it always is to see the baby, wasn't even a safe escape from myself; while the baby napped I found some more carbs to snack on - what the heck was going on today? I haven't riffled through a cupboard looking for food in a really long time; I'm just some sort of animal today.

And then I still wanted to eat once I was home and it was after 8pm. I just don't eat compulsively at night anymore like that, and I feel like I am a different person today, someone I thought I had said goodbye to; someone I didn't ever want to see again. I ate more refined carbs today than I normally do in months, I am just disgusted and don't even want to get on the scale tomorrow. I spent the last year striving to eat for nutrition and today was if all those months hadn't existed at all. My carefully developed inner peace had somehow been shattered and I realized late in the day that my 'mad at the universe' mentality had crept back in. How did I let that happen? Have I let this 'month trial' that I am on change me? I leave for bed more depressed than I've been in a long time. I know I will feel differently in the morning, and find a way to put a positive slant on everything - that's what I do, play the Pollyanna game - but tonight I just feel like I am failing all over again.

Day 20

<- Saturday's Food Log

I was up early making breakfast to eat on the go while we drove to Sacramento for an archery shoot. I couldn't seem to pass up ordering a biscuit from fast food when my honey got his breakfast - sort of a palate cleanser between toothpaste and smoothie. Then since lunch was paid for as part of the entry fee, I ate more crap I shouldn't have. Then on the way home ... I'm so easily corrupted; my honey wanted ice cream and he got no argument from me! Three hours of shooting in 100 degree weather, sweating in the sun the last hour, always makes me feel like I deserve a treat :)

And then arriving home to 105 degree weather, we ordered in pizza for dinner. Could this day have been more of a food fiasco? I will make different choices when we go back to shoot next weekend - days like this cannot be excuses to indulge in gluttony. Yuck. I did use all my products today, but still - I feel so overfed and undernourished and I hate that feeling. Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, right?

Day 18

<- Friday's Food Log

Felt great this morning, but got busy fast and forgot breakfast. I indulged in a single sample bite of lemon tart at Trader Joe's when I was out shopping. I also picked up some veggie burgers (too many big mac commercials lately) and made a wonderful sandwich for lunch. SO YUMMY! Had the baby again this afternoon so kept busy and caught up on exercise in the evening, which is fine on a day in the 90's. I made sure I got in some raw greens at dinner while the baby napped - what a workout she is! I almost skipped my bike ride she wore me out so much, but wanted to get in the aerobics so forced myself out the front door. Thank heavens for audio books, they are often the deciding factor when it comes to whether I exercise or not. I forgot to update my food journal, but I rode 2.6 miles in a good time and can feel my bike legs returning after only a few rides. Muscles are amazing when you give them a chance!

Day 17

<- Thursday's Food Log

Swollen again this morning, but today's water & sweat should take care of that. I forgot about eating the Cheetos yesterday, no wonder! I had a great workout this morning, doing my shooting\push-ups circuit right after walking.

Sometimes cleaning out the fridge is a great way to create a new salad and lunch was delicious, crunchy and satisfying. I wasn't that hungry and I saved half my morning smoothie to use with some Lean in the afternoon; quick and easy.

Then, since they recommend using the Lean twice a day (at least one of them a meal replacement) I decided to make another shake for dinner. So delicious, and pumped up with extra antioxidants from the cacao. This worked out perfect since I needed to go grocery shopping and the fridge is looking pretty bare. Murphy's Law being what it is, my honey then whipped up some spicy rice & sausage and it smelled so wonderful I had a small bowl; perfect time for some Cheat! It had been a while since I had eaten any meat (and this was pretty rich) and my tummy was a little upset for a bit, but some sleepy time tea helped settle things down.

Oh, I keep forgetting to mention, I love opening the bottle of Flush at night - it has a wonderful scent of India; cinnamon and 'curry' aromas are so comforting to me.

Day 16

<- Wednesday's Food Log

Another warm day, but I was prepared and Kaylee & I took our walk early before the heat set in. I noticed that my shadow is slimmer :) A drive into Hayward reminded me why I don't want a 9-5 job or a commute; I could feel myself getting smaller and darker and withdrawing from joy. Then a wonderful afternoon with my granddaughter, which meant I missed my shooting, but it was worth it. We had so much fun; she is so active now pulling herself up on everything, laughing with me and really engaging in back and forth play.

I made an easy dinner since I had the baby, but I feel bad not getting my quota of raw veggies in today. The Lean is suppose to eliminate carb cravings, so why do I seem to be eating more of them? I have let the products change the way I was eating and I need to get back to my good nutrition. Probably a mental break in discipline and somewhere my primitive brain is giving me permission to just EAT, since after all, I'm using weight loss products. Wrong thinking, I need to get past that.

And thank heavens it's cooling off tonight, I hate having the AC running. One last note, my go-to 'nice' tank top that I put on to wear to my EDD meeting is loose in the shoulders, and the shorts I put on this afternoon are baggy in the leg. I didn't measure there when I started, guess I should have! I'm still feeling swollen, and I didn't add salt to anything yesterday so this is wierd. I think I will make sure I get in some extra water and really sweat tomorrow to see if I can't make this go away.

Day 15

<- Tuesday's Food Log

Really pathetic reading back through yesterdays log & entry; is depression creeping back in? The signs are there. No, I think I just exhausted myself physically and mentally over the weekend. So many thoughts of my son Joey (passed 2/16/06) coming across pictures and some of his things and his not being here to help was just a little too much and I kept pushing those feelings down so I could get the work done and put on a face for the crowd. I'm feeling more balanced this morning, more on the even keel I've managed to attain.

Breakfast: Used some left over banana\walnut smoothie and mixed in a scoop of Lean - so yummy. This gave me an idea. Make up a batch of green smoothie in the big blender, then divide it between the four magic bullet cups, cover with saran wrap and store in the fridge. Then I have 4 nutritious shakes ready to mix on the Bullet with a scoop of lean at any given moment. Brilliant!

Lunch & dinner: A wonderful, crunchy, creamy salad at noon, but I need to get back to making my own dressings. I also realized that the tea I bought on sale is one that lists 'natural flavors', a sure sign of glutamates, and I've been drinking a pot a day. No wonder I've been craving carbs, and this would explain the drop in mood mentioned above too. I'm throwing the rest out, I've learned enough about my body in the last couple of years to know I don't tolerate an excess of those - we get enough naturally without overdosing from the food industry.

I did remember my Cheat today, even using it on the veganaise I dipped my artichoke in. Looking forward to another good day tomorrow, despite my appointment with the EDD and the traffic I will have to navigate.

2 Weeks on Core4 : Day 14

199 :: Monday's Food Log ->

I'm now almost half a pound heavier than when I started two weeks ago. But I'm still down an inch in both my waist & hips, and now my bustline is an inch smaller too. Plus, my scale showed 46.5% fat which is down half a percentage from 47% last week. TOTALLY FRUSTRATING. I know I have great muscles, and I know all the work I've done this past week moving boxes and book shelves etc. has been like weight training so they are becoming denser and smaller and heavier, and I know I always have this shift between muscle and fat as I increase my exercise - but this is so crazy to have gained two pounds over the weekend that I can't get my mind around it. Doubt has crept in, and I'm so scared seeing that number just 1# away from the 200 that I swore I would never see again. But part of it is that I look thinner this morning and I expected to see a smaller number, to have lost a couple of more pounds. Maybe the Lean is just speeding up the muscle\fat exchange ... maybe I am just delusional because I want this to work so badly, because I hear about it working for others and want to trust the science behind it. My plan was, and still is, to use the Core4 for a month and then decide if I want to do the 2nd month. I think I'll call and get some input from my up-line and see if others have experienced this; doesn't everyone need reassurance that they are normal? God, it so looked like I was thinner this morning....

We had company for breakfast so I made pancakes, but used my Honey's fat free mix and only had two (they were not good, I won't do that again.) Then more company for lunch so I made sandwiches and banana smoothies. The hummus mix was so yummy and fresh with the chopped kale in it I had another one for dinner. What's going on? For anyone counting that's six servings of refined grain in one day. Jeez loueez! Go Vail. And adding insult to injury I forgot to use the Cheat all day. On a more positive note, I set up a training schedule for the next 38 days; time to count down to Nationals and focus on exercise. Maybe if I stop obsessing about what I am eating and just use the Core4 consistantly this week will show some better results. And no weighing, I'm just making myself crazy. Weighing evryday works for me to not gain weight, but not now when I have high expectations of having lost each time I get on the scale.

Day 13

Saturday's Food Log

What a long day! The wind last night created extra work this morning and I spent time cleaning up before I could set up for the garage sale. I did take time to make a healthy breakfast before starting to work. It was a beautiful day until noon when the wind started picking up again and the customers fell off. I grabbed a quick lunch that I could eat out front, refilled my water bottle and took 2 Accelerate. Then all of the work of packing up and organizing what was left - a hard job by myself (including taking down the pop-up tent in the wind) and when I was done I was in the car driving to Carl's Jr. before I realized what I was doing. I know what triggered it, the neighbors were cooking bacon. BACON! That is something I miss, and I remember thinking it's too bad there's no where to drive through to get a BLT. That must have been when the brainstorm hit and I ended up getting fast food. It's easy to say, "no meat patty or cheese and add extra tomatoes please" when ordering a bacon cheeseburger; close enough to a BLT when I'm this tired. I inhaled the fries on the way home, but once here I sprinkled my Cheat on the sandwich. Now I'm ready for the hot tub and to call it a day. As God is my witness - no more garage sales by myself!

Day 12

196.5 :: Friday's Food Log ->

Discouraged this morning I turned to pancakes & jam. At least they weren't from Mickey D's and full of oat bran. But I did use my Cheat, and I've sent a big mental finger pointing to my fat saying "resistance is futile!" in my best Jean Luc Picard accent. Needing some encouragement I turned once again to the tape measure, and it's not just my waist, I'm down an inch each at my hips and bust too. Whoo hoo!! And I'm wearing a top today that hasn't fit in years, another good sign. So I'm very pleased after all :)

My freezer has decided to take a break, so frozen entrees for dinner tonight. Felt actually okay to be eating the mac n cheese since I could put the Cheat on it and really enjoyed it; I rarely indulge in cheese anymore so what a treat.

Busy days today & tomorrow getting ready for the garage sale; I need to remember to take care of myself - the garage sale doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to BE!

Day 11

196.2 :: Thursday's Food Log
I'm so close to a new low, I can feel it coming. I need to remember that muscle is both smaller than and weighs more than fat, and that with this new energy level I am exercising more & increasing my muscle density. This is why the tape measure is so important to a healthy weight loss as opposed to just a water weight loss. So I measured just my waist over my PJ's and I'm down a full inch now in less than two weeks - I have to be happy about that number :)

Breakfast: I heard on the call last night that mixing in a scoop of Lean with oatmeal and applesauce is like Apple Pie Ala Mode. While I didn't have applesauce on hand I did have my blackberry (fruit only) jam, and together with the Lean and flax meal it was very good. I did add a drizzle of honey to complement the flax; very filling and satisfying.

Knowing I would be out working in the got garage I chopped enough veggies at lunchtime so that I could have another salad for dinner; just keeping it cool on a hot day. Who knew re-fried beans and Caesar dressing went so well together! I'll have to do that again.

And I almost sprinkled some Cheat on my watermelon for dessert but that felt silly so I didn't. But I did hear someone say to sprinkle it on everything. Maybe next time. Another good thing about doing this is that I am paying closer attention to getting my daily water in, where I wasn't being so fastidious before.

Day Ten

<- Wednesday's Food Log

196.6 :: A glutton for punishment I did get on the scale this morning even after laying in bed amazed at how tight my rings were. But there was a reason. I have one of those scales that measures body fat, but haven't used that function in over a year because ... typical me ... I never got around to changing my age last year. So this morning I picked the scale up, and reset 'my' stats by clicking twice at the age setting and weighed as #1 instead of as a guest. Per the scale this morning my body fat was 47%. How gross is that!?! I looked back on my tracking sheet and when I first bought the scale in January of 2007 I was 53% - it makes me squirm just to think about being more than half fat. Yuck. I know that when I was doing some weight training that Spring getting ready for a week at Surf Camp (which I highly recommend, by the way) they had a Chiropractor bring in her measuring gear, and they said I was 126#'s of lean mass. I somehow find the two measurements out of alignment so to speak. I was 205#'s at the time, so if I'm calculating this right that would have been 79#'s of fat, or about 38.5%. Somewhere the numbers were off about 30#'s. I'm not going to let this make me crazy, I just wanted another benchmark to see change as I lost weight. The scale this morning also said 38% TBW (total body water) which is apparently quite low for normal but expected considering how fat I am per Wikipedia. Not the most reliable source, but the easiest way for me to satisfy a non academic curiosity. So now I have a third gauge of progress; besides inches and total weight lost, I can monitor my percentages of body fat and water. But I am glad the salty leftovers are finally gone, and I can stay away from processed foods for a while.

Breakfast: decided to skip the tablespoon of flaxmeal this morning thinking I could do without the extra calories for a while and used the Lean as a meal replacement; blended up with a peach that needed to be used and water it was quite nice. But upon refreshing myself of the nutrition facts of the flax I saw that it was only 30 calories, so I won't do that again. But the peach was a perfect compliment to the Lean and I will do that again using frozen peaches once the weather heats up.

Lunch: I was so busy in the garage I grabbed another Lean shake, this time blending it with an orange off my tree - also good. But this wasn't enough calories and around 2pm I started zipping in from the garage for snacks while taking breaks to rest my back.

Dinner: I finally made a quick dinner around 7, and instead of 2nds saved half for tomorrow; I guess being able to stick to one serving is the new norm :)

Made another good dent in the garage and still managed to get in my exercise including the bike ride I wanted to add this week. Thank you Accelerate.

Day Nine

197 :: Tuesday's Food Log ->

It's funny how crazy I can make myself. It took me a year to embrace the mindset that I didn't care how slow I was losing, as long as I was losing and eating lots of nutritious foods. But now that I am 'actively trying to lose weight' again, to see an upward bounce on the scale is disturbing. So I need to get my calm mindset back, because I know it's just a natural fluctuation. It's also partly the salty processed food veganballs I used in my spaghetti sauce, and I still have leftovers to finish tonight. So I'm not going to weigh for a couple of days, maybe all week, or until I feel centered again. I knew I would be putting pressure on myself, which never works unless it's Mom driving up the I5 to visit and the house isn't clean - pressure works great then and it's amazing how focused and industrious I get.

Oh, I wanted to mention about my Omega 3 regime. When I forget to take my flax oil supplements (with lignans added back in) depression starts sneaking back in to cloud up my thinking - and so I was a little concerned about the Cheat eliminating fat calories; what if it kept me from my healthy fats too? But no depression after using the Core4 regime for a week, so I must still be processing the Omega 3's properly since I'm still enjoying the expected benefits, another big yay!

Took my second Accelerate with lunch today, and then after catching up on a short DVR program Kaylee and I went out for our walk. My hips are looser than usual and so we were able to really get some speed going early on; normally I don't start panting until just before we get back home but today I was out of breath and sweating ten minutes in. (The poor little dog is flat out on her side panting and cooling off as I type.)

An afternoon snack of unprocessed cacao powder blended up with a scoop of Lean and some water made for a nice treat. And leftovers for dinner made it an easy cooking night, although I did have popcorn later while watching Saving Grace, but that show is always a little stressful; I just have to watch cuz I love Holly Hunter. But it was only a 100 calorie pack to begin with and I sprinkled on some Cheat, which I think I forgot to note on my food log. But hey, I'm not trying to be perfect here ;) I'm just trying to share a good experience!

1 Week on Core4 : Day Eight

196 :: Monday's Food Log ->

Still at 196 this morning, so a total of 2.6#'s lost my first week. While this may not sound spectacular, keep in mind I just spent 12 months losing ten pounds. Also I did the hourglass measurements again and I'm almost an inch less in both my hips and waist. So I'm pretty excited to start my 2nd week - if I can lose weight two weeks in a row I'll be on cloud nine! I'm on track to meet my 8 week goal of 16#'s, and that means a lot to me right now; cute shorts aside, I need this mental boost.

I'm always more hungry on Mondays - we burn so many calories when it's a hiking weekend, and I'm a little tired too which as we know kicks the appetite into gear - so I added in some starchy veggies and fruit at lunch, and used the Cheat 3 times. I worked in the house today searching for 'stuff' to put out with the garage sale, and got in my walk and shooting - even though I was tired I felt like getting things done. So another good Monday, probably due in part to the Accelerate. But even taking two a day I am tired at night and ready to go to bed - no nervous energy at all.

Day Seven

Another no-weigh day :: Saturday's Food Log ->

We were on the road early this morning, but I had prepped the fruit & greens for my smoothie last night so it was easy to throw it all together in the blender this morning and add my Lean; I packed in the cooler to drink at a more reasonable hour once we were up the road a bit. I had packed trail mix & a banana in my quiver for lunch while hiking, and put an Accelerate in my jeans pocket to have at the same time. And while I knew we would grab something to eat on the way home and meant to take my Cheat, I forgot it. I've decided to pick up a 2nd bottle to keep in my purse since we've been on the road so much lately. When I went to get the Accelerate out of my pocket it wasn't there at lunch; I have a small flat silver pill box that I will start using for days on the trail. I live, I learn...mostly.

On the way home my honey surprised me by wanting a sit down dinner instead of grabbing something quick and then rushing home to the hot tub, and we ended up at Buca di Beppo. Been there? Not figure friendly, but I didn't choose too badly, not ordering the creamy noodles that were whispering to me but opting for a rich delicious salad - oh how I was regretting not having my Cheat with me!

What a long day, hiking another 42 targets over the course of five hours, but this time we were shooting more arrows at most of the targets (4 instead of 2) and it was an official state wide competition instead of a novelty shoot like last weekend, so it was a lot of work. Good friends, beautiful trail; I loved this day :)

Day Six

:: Saturday's Food Log ->
Didn't weigh this morning - it was cold, and I had nice warm jammies on, and ... enough said.

Started the day by planning out meals, and refilling my am & pm pill boxes for the week; I'm a little scatter brained and have been doing this for years - it works for me. Of course it was after I added the Lean to my smoothie this morning that I realized I might be going about this all wrong. I often have a green smoothie in the morning that gives me good energy and keeps me satisfied till lunch, so why am I adding the Lean to this? Instead of working myself into a tizzy I picked up the phone to get some answers, and I am so glad I did. The most important thing I found out is that I can use the Cheat in liquids, it doesn't matter if it absorbs the liquid before it hits my stomach, it's still going to work the same at eliminating calories once it gets there. Knowing I can still make veggie soups for dinner will make my meal planning easier. I was struggling with how to get in the Lean as a meal replacement and still have two 'dry' meals where I could use the Cheat and I don't have to do that. I can go back to my regular routine, making a nutrient dense smoothie in the morning, then using Cheat at lunch and dinner even if it's soup on the menu for that day. I can add the Lean to my morning smoothie like I did today or have it as a snack in the afternoon depending on how I feel that day and what my schedule is. I guess I should have made that call earlier in the week; I wasn't doing anything wrong, but I'm more confident about using the products going forward as a part of what is normal for me. And of course in my conversation I got to hear about another whole group of people using Core4 and getting great results; SO FUN!

I got more done for the garage sale today, enough that I won't feel overwhelmed when I take stock Monday morning with five days left to prepare for the city wide event. This leaves me free to play tomorrow and we are heading out of town for the day; I'm taking my Cheat on a short road trip ;)

Day Five

196.4 :: Friday's Food Log -->
Photobucket wasn't cooperating tonight for my usual food journal pic, but if you click on the picture here it will open larger. I might just do this from now on since it saves a step!

I'm use to my weight fluctuating, so being up a few ounces this morning was no biggie. And again, there was too much sodium in dinner - I wonder why I am drawn to that right now; I hate being swollen when I wake up. Got a little off track today; I wasn't prepared to leave the house so early and grabbed fruit for breakfast, which is actually one of my normal choices in the morning to break my fast - easy on the digestive track and all. Then we stopped for lunch on the way home from the range, but at least I had planned for this and had my Cheat with me, so that was fine. But though very yummy, lunch was a little large and I wasn't hungry at dinner. Since I was finishing up my book I grabbed some popcorn to snack on; jeez, I really needed more salt....but at least the book is finished now. And so are the prunes - dried fruit is a high calorie habit, but I don't indulge that often and at least there is lots of fiber and nutrients involved.

I was trying to decide if I should make a Lean shake this late, since I didn't manage to get one in today, but it's a little late for me to eat and it doesn't feel right to eat when I'm not hungry. I'll just do better tomorrow. I know I'm going to be up a while longer sorting through boxes, but I really like there to be 3 hours between my last food and hitting the sack and I'm not staying up that late. Also, since my energy is better now I'm going to see if I can't update this blog each night instead of waiting until the next morning. this way my journal dates will match the blog dates - being off a day messes with my OC tendencies a little :)

So I'm still feeling good. I'm a little preoccupied with training and the garage sale, but all in all following the plan fairly well. I also had the chance to speak with some others on the phone today who are getting good results and that was encouraging; there are so many like me who have tried so many different ways to lose weight and are finally getting results with Core4. I want to be one of them, so all four components tomorrow!

Day Four

196 :: Thursday's Food Log

Down a total of 2.6#'s in three days! It felt good to pop out of bed this morning, excited about getting on the scale for a change. While I've been losing slowly over the past couple of years as I learned about eating for nutrition, it's been so gradual that I don't really expect to see much of a change when I do get on the scale. I was pretty happy this morning, I can't remember the last time I saw a lower number three days in a row! Now, these could just be the weekend pounds I put on over our road trip, but if they are it's the first time they have come back off in three days instead of three weeks and if that's the case, well, I'm still really happy! I'm looking forward to taking the products with me when we go away again next weekend, and not so stressed about eating away from home now that I have the Cheat to take with me.

One of the things I struggle with is my honey taking off to buy fast food at some point each day. While I don't want to eat that junk, I still respond to the smells & convenience and have to constantly fight against my cravings for the refined carbs I know he is eating. This is the 2nd morning this week that I've caved and asked him to bring me back pancakes, so it's the perfect time to write a little about the Cheat part of this program since a friend asked. This is copied from CNI, "...sprinkle this clinically proven 100% natural fiber on any solid food. Will not change the taste of food and allows a portion of the food to pass through the digestive tract without being absorbed. Use 5-6 sprinkles per portion." From listening to the product calls I know that the Cheat works by 'sealing in' macro nutrients (protein, carbs or fat) so that their calories just pass through without being absorbed, the Cheat safely eliminating about 25% of the calories without their being digested. So my breakfast of about 500 calories becomes 375 calories, a much more reasonable number for breakfast when I am trying to lose weight. This is what I meant by tipping me from maintenance to losing on days I want to splurge a little, or when I give in to something easy like I did this morning. Calorie restriction is always a part of any weight loss program, this just makes is easier to cut back on unwanted calories without setting up the mental anguish that comes from depriving myself of something I want.

I didn't take my 2nd Accelerate today and I can feel the difference in my energy level. I'll be sure to take it tomorrow. I made a wonderful thick spaghetti sauce for dinner, tossing in some veggie 'meat' balls. Since I had pancakes this morning I skipped the pasta and ate it like a stoup, this worked well for sprinkling on my second serving of Cheat for the day. I don't often use the 'alternative' meats, and dinner was a little heavy, so I packed up leftovers with only two 'meat' balls in each serving.

After a bowl of dessert I realized I also didn't use my Lean today - hey, I could have added it to the dessert? I'll try that another time. For now maybe I should incorporate having a shake and taking my 2nd accelerate together at noon each day as part of my daily routine, that way I won't forget - I know it's important for the program to use all four products to achieve the 'nutrient fusion' that's part of their designed synergy, and I want to do this right! Besides, the Lean has the B12, B6 & Folic acid that are so important to heart health when used together, I don't want to miss that benefit either.

So another good day. Tomorrow will be busy, we're heading out to the archery range in the morning to field tune our bows in preparation for the State Competition coming up Sunday. This would be a good time to mention that the Accelerate does not make me shaky; that would be unacceptable considering the calm and steadiness required for making good archery shots! I just have the energy to practice more, which is a good thing :)

Day Three

197.4 :: Wednesday Food Log

Swollen this morning, I know I shouldn't use the Montreal seasoning but sometimes it just smells like the right thing to add when I am hovering over a steaming pot and searching through the spice cabinet. I won't replenish this when it's gone, way too much sodium, but I should be able to duplicate a similar blend for the future sans salt. I wasn't really hungry this morning, but wanting to take my Accelerate I had an apple. And I slept fine last night so will add the 2nd Accelerate at lunch today. This afternoon I took a break from working on the garage to shoot my bow and then read for a bit; reading is usually a trigger to eat, and I indulged in a bowl of popcorn, sprinkling on some Cheat to defray the damage; this worked pretty well, with just a few sprinkles at the bottom of the bowl with the flavoring from the kettle-corn mix.

I had several boxes of 'stuff' to sort through this evening that I had lugged in from the garage earlier in the day and didn't want to take the time to make dinner, so threw some Lean and blueberries into my Magic Bullet, using one of it's 'cup' containers for a one dish meal. See how pretty the blueberries are. I rounded dinner off with half of a left over steamed artichoke from last night and then surprisingly didn't think about eating the rest of the night despite having had dinner a little early. I also made it out to shoot another set of 30 arrows before calling it a day, and earlier in the afternoon I added ten minutes to my walk with Kaylee - I just felt like I wanted to keep walking.

And I guess I need to admit that I spent less time on the computer today than usual. It has sort of been a constant refuge for me, and I have become a little addicted to the 'hidden object' games I discovered a few months ago. What am I, five? But I have good memories of sitting with my sister and 'searching for things' in our old Highlights magazine so it's been a way to de-stress. All in all, it felt good to get lots done in the garage yesterday and still have the energy to walk & train. Thank you CNI for the energy & focus!

ps had a call from the friend who started me on these products, and in the last week her and the three friends that started with her have lost 40#'s!!! As she says, "Yes, it does work!" I can hardly wait to weigh in tomorrow.

Day Two

197.6 :: Tuesday's food log

Down 1# this morning, even with eating the left over trail mix yesterday with lunch. This is exactly how I hope Core4 helps me, tipping me over from maintenance to losing on those days I am just too tired or bored to stick to healthy choices. My head was a little tight this morning, I was sidetracked and forgot to drink all my tea or eat breakfast when I took the accelerate, but it went away quickly and I felt fine all day.

Also, I'm recovered from our trip and not as tired today, so no urge to snack between meals. I felt great, had good energy, and kept busy all day; first practicing my shooting, then cleaning up for a visit from my daughter & granddaughter (who just started crawling - way fun.) I
made us a healthy lunch (Cheat on my salad) and then while the baby napped we worked on getting organized for my upcoming garage sale. All of a sudden it was 5pm and I remembered I hadn't walked Kaylee (the cute little dog.) Normally I would have just skipped the day's walk, but we went anyway and it felt good to have that much energy left in the afternoon.

I made a wonderful Brussels Sprout stoup for dinner. For those who don't watch Rachel Ray, a stoup is just what it sounds like, a dish that is thicker than soup but thinner than stew! So I made sure my fist bowl had most of the broth in it, and then sprinkled my Cheat on the 2nd bowl that was mostly veggies & pasta. I usually feel a little guilty when using refined grains so it was nice to know that the Cheat was going to eliminate a quarter of those calories.

It was fun to listen in on the CNI call tonight and hear the great results others are getting using the Core4 products, not just with losing weight but with the business too; what a wonderful side effect! I usually have a hot cup of tea before bed so that works perfect with taking the Flush at night. I love how easily these products are slipping in to my normal routine and I'm looking forward to Day Three.

Link to Core4

Day One using Core4

198.6 :: Day One Food Log

Tired today after three days of hiking, shooting, and eating away from home where it's hard to get the nutritional meals I am use to eating. And very hard to have before pictures taken this morning - I really don't feel that fat, and can only shudder at thinking I was 30#'s heavier just under 3 years ago. I don't have the courage to post them this morning, but as soon as I see some progress I will get them up. Everyone (including me) loves a set of before & after pictures!

Breakfast: I'm pleased about breakfast, typically eating refined carbs for breakfast would have triggered an early lunch for me and using the Cheat it didn't.

Lunch: The Lean powder I mixed into my green smoothie this afternoon is very mild compared to other meal replacement shakes I have tried over the years and worked really well with the fruit and greens I blended up for lunch. I'm very happy it's only 10g of protein too - we tend to eat way too much of that.

Dinner: The Cheat mixed in nicely with my food today, it's truly tasteless and easy to shake on meals, including my salad just now. Later I wasn't really hungry, just tired from the weekend & bored. Need to work on that. Chamomile tea as usual tonight, but this time with a Flush capsule.

There are four parts to Core4, but since I added the Accelerate to my daily AM vitamin container, and the Flush to my PM box, I didn't have to even think about those, they were already added in to my regular routine. And adding the scoop of Lean to my shake took a second, as did shaking on the Cheat. So while it sounded a little overwhelming having four different things to take, I'm very happy with how easy this system of products is to use together.

Link to Core4