Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sickies...and a landmark

I've discovered something that will sap all my motivation for keeping up with the Isagenix lifestyle.  Being sick.  

The last week all I've wanted to do is sleep, drink OJ, take warm showers...and repeat.  On last Monday I was so excited to be 1.5lbs from a major landmark (200lbs)...and I expected to blow through it by mid-week.  Well, the bug I caught had other plans.  

I did finally weigh myself this morning...199.  I'm excited, but definitely not dancing...I'm too tired for that.  I am starting to feel on the mend, which is good.  Hopefully in another day or two I'll be back at my routine.  

I need to feel better ASAP, after all, I need to pick out my "weighing below 200lbs reward"...it's a good one!!

Monday, September 10, 2012

60 Days!

Today marks 60 days since we began this journey.  I have to say that I am flabbergasted at how well Isagenix has worked for me.  I LOVE the products, I LOVE how I feel, and I LOVE that the numbers on the scale keep going down...I am just SO SO SO happy about how this is going!   

Ok...so for the numbers.  I started at 232.5lbs and 360.75"....I am now at
201lbs and 324" (measured across 12 points...see my "Holly" tab for a more detailed breakdown)!!!   
I've lost 31.5lbs and 36.75"
in 60 days!!!

I have now lost
MORE than how much our little boy weighs.  That puts it into perspective!!  Every time I pick him up I think "holy moses, I've gotten rid of THAT MUCH excess?!??!!"

Alright...now on to the photos.  


But first I just have to mention this.  In the beginning I was
NOT very excited to take, let alone POST these photos.  I thought about just keeping them safe and secure and private on my external hard drive...but then I realized that posting them publicly added another layer of accountability.  And now, after losing some weight and inches I'm glad I have them to look back on and be able to SEE my results.  

Here are the pics....L to R: before, 30 days, and 60 days.

FRONT:
SIDE:
BACK:

And all of those are great...but here's a collage that shows it the best.  This is my before pic paired with my 60 day pic:


I'm just going to keep going, doing what I'm doing and hope and pray that the results keep on coming along.  I only have 1lb to go before I hit 200 and I told myself I could get a reward when I did...stay tuned to see what it is!



31.5 down, 51 to go!!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Off the wagon...and a cleanse day

We spent the past weekend in the Calabria region of southern Italy.  Oh man...I had THE BEST cannoli of my life on Sunday.  It was made with free-range sheep ricotta, a fresh shell and crushed pistachio and chocolate.  YUMMY.  I also had seafood ravioli, onion zeppolini, pizza, and buffalo mozzarella.  And a couple Italian Coke Zeros.  And possibly also a few of Miles' Italian cheeto-thingies (it was a 5 hour drive...not that that is an excuse...)  I got home and immediately weighed myself...I'd gained 4lbs over the four day weekend.  I weighed myself the next morning and discovered it was only 2.5...better, but still not happy.  So to help kick our bodies back into Isagenix mode we did a cleanse day on Tuesday.  When I weighed myself this morning I was .5lb lighter than when we left for vacation.  Pfew!  

Isagenix is a demanding lifestyle.  But I also have to be realistic and know that I will not always have the availability of Isa-friendly food.  I tried to always choose the healthier of my options...and sometimes that will be the best I can do.  

So onto the Cleanse Day.  It was my first...even though I've been doing Isagenix for close to two months.  Instead of a full day cleanse I've been doing gentle, every-other night cleansing and have been happy with my results.  The cleanse day was as hard as I imagined.  Feeding Miles his meals while I drink water and Cleanse for Life (which is good, but NOT filling...obviously) was not easy.  I did notice that I was hungry (which is usually NOT the case on Isagenix), and cranky, and I even got a little headache.  But the overall result was worth it.  Yes, I dropped 3lbs, but more importantly I felt better...after getting all that junk from the weekend out of my system!  I think we will start doing regular cleanse days.  

But I'm excited...Monday is my 60 day mark on Isagenix!!  Keep a look-out for my pics and measurememnts.  

I'm also going to be trying out some yummy new recipes: cauliflower mashed potatoes, flourless zucchini brownies, and parsnip fries. (As long as I can find parsnips here in Italy)

Chicken, veggie, and 'rice' stirfry

One thing I have found myself craving is rice.  I've done ok with sweets and bread and soda (which honestly surprised me A LOT...I love my Italian Coke!!) but I've craved a side of rice with my veggies.  I saw on Pinterest a recipe to make 'rice' out of cauliflower so I decided to give it a shot.  I added it to a super yummy stir-fry.  

Ok, how to do it.  It is SO easy...I promise.  

1-  wash and dry your cauliflower.  
2 - grate it using a cheese grater (or use a food processor)
3 - cook it (steamer, boil, microwave, whatever)

Seriously, that's it.  

Ok, now how I did my recipe.  

1- Heated some olive oil, minced garlic, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes and some fresh ground pepper and sea salt in a pan.  Cook until you can really smell the garlic...just a minute or two
2- Add in diced green onions, chopped yellow peppers, and some chopped zucchini.  I also added a dash of soy sauce and a squirt of Rooster Sauce (Sriracha is the official name) because I like it spicy.   Saute until the peppers just barely start to turn soft.  
3- Stir in the chicken (already cooked, cut into cubes) and halved cherry tomatoes, and your (uncooked) 'rice'.  Cook for 3-4 mins

Done!

I loved this so much I plan on making it once a week!