Off The Wagon

This challenge has taught me a few things about myself.  One is that if there's chocolate cake in the house, I will most likely eat it for breakfast.  Another is that if there's pizza in the house, I will most likely eat it for breakfast.  If there are homemade lemon squares in the house, I will most likely eat them for breakfast, lunch and snacks in between.  Hmmm, seems like a pattern.

I've also learned that I like variety.  One of the things that I like about the shakes I'm having is that they come in a few flavours.  Add the fact that I like to mix and match the flavours, and it's even better.  On top of that, I'll sometimes add some peanut butter or banana or fruit and the options are endless.

I've also learned that as much as I like variety of flavours, I also love food.  Yesterday for breakfast I had leftover buffalo chicken pizza.  Maybe not the best breakfast food but see above.  I was considering having my shake for lunch since I didn't have it for breakfast but then a spring mix salad with mango chipotle dressing was calling to me.  It was so good.  Somehow, I don't think a mango chipotle salad shake would have had the same effect.  I didn't bother with a shake at all, and it's not the first time.

I was talking to a friend the other day about different meal-replacement/shake programs out there.  With some it's one shake per day, others have two shakes per day.  I just don't know how anyone stays with it, especially for the long term.  Perhaps I just love food too much.  It's not just the chocolate cake and the pizza that calls to me.  Most of the food that I make at home is made from scratch and I aim to use whole foods as much as possible.  I focus on vegetables and fruits.  I like to cook and I make good food that I love to eat.  I love different texture and seasonings.  I like trying new things.

Don't get me wrong.  I love the shakes, they taste awesome.  I also love the convenience, especially when mornings are hectic.  I love how they keep me full for a really long time.  Instead of getting hungry around 10:00, I don't get hungry till about 11:30.  And, while I have given in and eaten the odd pizza slice or piece of cake for breakfast, having the shakes available has kept me from making poor breakfast choices on more occasions.  It has also helped me avoid skipping breakfast altogether.  Now, I'll mention here that while I'm focusing on the shakes, there are also bars available and I love them too.  I generally keep a couple in the car for times when I'm out and hungry.  It helps me avoid going to get mango and bear claw ice cream for lunch.  As one friend puts it, the bars help her to not eat "stupid".

So, that said, here are the pictures from the past few weeks. With my lack of posting this month I'm getting behind.  The top picture is from three weeks ago.  The middle one is from two weeks ago - the week of the turkey dinner with two desserts and the all you can eat pancake and sausage breakfast.  If memory serves me correctly, that was Easter weekend and we had a big ham dinner too. The bottom one is from last week.  I still need to do one for this week.  I usually do it either first thing in the morning or last before bed and I missed this morning and last night before bed.  

Quick Update

Things have been super hectic and busy.  I missed posting last week and this one will be really short.  I don't have time to get the pictures loaded on the computer right now.  I'll make sure I get them uploaded tomorrow.  My weight has crept up again.  Last week it was 64.4 kg (if I remember correctly).  This week it was 64.9 kg.  (Where's the jaw drop smilie?)  

I'm not surprised at all about the weight gain.  We had a turkey dinner on Friday, complete with two desserts.  On Saturday I totally cheated and had cake for breakfast and then went and had all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausages at the Wilberforce Maple Syrup Festival.  I'm not usually a big fan of breakfast sausages but dipping them in real maple syrup does wonders.  Unfortunately, this year was horrible for sap running.  Anyway, on Sunday we had a big ham dinner, I love ham - well just pig meat in general.  All of that eating on the weekend was topped off by chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate on Monday.   

I have some other thoughts that I'll share but I'll wait till tomorrow when I can do it more coherently.

Detour Finished

I meant to get this up yesterday but things were just crazy around here.  Better late than never though.

This week marks the half-way point in my challenge.  After the past two weeks I was extra curious about what was in store for this week.  My weight this week was 64.1 kg.  It was down 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) from last week.  My waist measurement stayed the same at 29.5 inches.  So far, since I started with the shakes on February 15th I've lost 1.7 kg (3.74 lbs) and 2 1/2 inches from my waist.  I'm pretty happy with the results.  I'm curious to see what happens over the next six weeks.

Honestly, the things that I'm most pleased with don't even have a lot do do with my weight or measurements.  I've mentioned before the improvement in energy and digestion with the vitamins I've been taking with the shakes.  It's nice to look good but it's even better to feel good.

I've also noticed that I'm not as hungry in the late mornings.  I used to do a lot of snacking during the morning.  Even if I had eaten breakfast, I was still really hungry by about 10:30.  Since I've started having the shakes I find that I'm not getting hungry until about 11:30.  I still have the snacking habit but I'm not hungry like I was.  I also find that I seem to fell full faster, even at lunch and supper.

Why I Prefer Measurements

Okay, I'm not sure what's going on.  Well I have some suspicions.  Anyway, my weight actually went up this past week.  I was really bummed out about that . . . until I took my waist measurement.  I weighed in at 64.6 kg.  That's 0.2 kg heavier than last week (just under 1/2 lb).  My waist measurement went down though by an inch.  Last week it was 30 1/2 and this week it was 29 1/2.  There are a few things that I think might be at play.

One is that muscle is denser than fat so at some point there will be a bigger difference in size than in weight.  The second thing is that even though I didn't want to make any changes besides using the shakes for breakfast, I ended up making one big change.  I night-weaned my son this past week, it was overdue.  Thankfully it went fairly smoothly and my sleep is much less disrupted now.  The big issue is that my milk production is still getting worked out.  Also, since I don't need to produce as much milk, my calorie intake requirements will be less as well.  I'm sure it will all get sorted out in the coming weeks but I think it threw things for a loop this past week.

One last thing, the promotion that was supposed to end on the 15th has been extended till the end of the month.  The company I'm working with has more than just shakes as well, thank goodness.  I think I'd get sick of just shakes after a while but maybe that's just me.

My Past Has Caught Up With Me

I was determined when I started this challenge that I the only change I would make was having the shakes each morning and I've kept that resolution.  One thing that I've learned as a result is that attending (and pigging out at) a chili-fest in the middle of a challenge like this might not be the best idea.  I'm not sure if I should be disappointed that I'm the same weight this week as I was last week or if I should be impressed that I'm not a couple pounds heavier.  My waist measurement is the same as last week as well, 30 1/2 inches.

I've been taking the shakes for a month now and for the most part, I've really enjoyed them.  They're quick and easy in the mornings and for someone who tends to not have time for breakfast, I really appreciate them.  They taste good and they're filling.  I love the variety of flavours, especially the chocolate flavour that I just got.  I also love mixing the chocolate and strawberry - so good.  That said, I don't see myself having a shake every day for the rest of my life.  The fact is that I really like food.  I like having pancakes or eggs and toast or bacon and eggs or a bagel and cream cheese or oatmeal or (rarely) cold cereal or a whole host of other things that aren't shakes.  While doing this challenge I've committed to having the shakes every day and I'm content with that.  I'm not "cheating" at all so that I can see the effect that the shakes are having on my weight.  When I'm finished the challenge I will likely continue to have the shakes on a regular basis as well.  I really do like them (which is actually quite a surprise).  I have to admit, though, I will enjoy not feeling tied to the shakes.  I really don't think I would have it in me to have a shake every day for the rest of my life.  It's like Death by Chocolate ice cream at Kawartha Dairy.  It's soooooo good but I don't think I could have a cone of it every day, sometimes I just need to get mango instead.

If You Want to Join Me, Now's the Time

First, the report on my progress.  My current weight is 64.4kg or 142lb.  I've lost 0.4 kg since last week or 0.88 lbs.  That's just over 3 lbs since I started having the shakes 3 weeks ago.  My waist measurement is now 30 1/2 inches which is 1/2 inch less than last week.  So I would say that the shakes definitely seem to be living up to my expectations.  This month I ordered chocolate as well, my order should be here today.

Now for the exiting part (as if chocolate wasn't enough).  I'm doing this challenge mainly so I can try out products first-hand and see what the results are.  If I'm going to recommend a product to anyone, I want to have first-hand experience with it.  While I'd love to have people try them out with me (and some of my friends have taken up the challenge themselves), that isn't my main objective in doing this.  That said, my company is having a great promotion until the 15th of this month.  If you're at all interested in trying the shakes for yourself (or trying any of the other 350 products), now would be a great time.  Comment on this blog, post on Facebook, send me an email or call me and I can show you some more information.  

Wow, It's Still Working!

Well, I thought for sure I'd have to report that I hardly lost anything this past week.  I made cabbage rolls on the weekend and ate more than I really should have.  Happily, I was mistaken.  Once again I lost 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs).  I also lost another 1/2 inch from my waist for a current measurement of 31".

I've always been a little (well a lot) skeptical of weight-loss shakes.  While I used and loved so many of the other amazing products from my company, I always avoided the shakes.  I was worried that I'd always feel hungry or that they wouldn't really work anyway or that I'd get sick of them.  And, until now, I hadn't really felt the need to lose weight anyway.  After the past couple of weeks I've realized how much easier they make my morning.  Now that I'm having the shakes, breakfast is one of the first things I do rather than being an afterthought.  I'm imagining the results I'd be getting if I started exercising too.  I'm also finding that the food that I eat later in the day fills me faster and I don't have the same cravings (like for bread).  Overall, I'm noticing an improvement, not just in my weight, but in overall well-being - and it's only been two weeks.  Now I'm wondering what took me so long.

Tomorrow I'll be ordering the chocolate shakes and perhaps the strawberry ones too.  While I've enjoyed the vanilla shakes, I'll be happy to have other flavours too for a change.  Also, a couple of my friends have decided to start their own challenge and I'd love to have more company.  Who's up for it?