I am sitting here once again completely overwhelmed by all the information that has arrived in my Isagenix box this week. At the same time I am completely excited for my journey to begin again and for me to make myself into a better person then I am now and I have been in the past. By begin my journey again I mean that I am starting from scratch and getting ready to start all over on my weight loss journey.

How the First Journey went

A little over 3 years ago I started a journey with How To Cleanse to lose 50 pounds and change my life. I started the program when a friend of mine found Isagenix and asked me to join her on the journey. I told her I would give the program 30 days and see how things went. Well, the 30 days came and went and I was hooked on all How To Cleanse had to offer and the results it brought me. I stayed on the program for about 8 months lost  about 45 pounds and 76 inches. I went from a size 18 to a size 6 pants and a size XL to size M shirt. I gained all the confidence, happiness, passion, and determination I could ask for.

After being on the program for a year my life all of sudden took a totally different turn and I started a long road of having my life fall apart and not knowing how to fix it. I don’t feel about going into a lot of detail of how and why my life has fallen apart, but I definitely reached a slippery slope and just kept going down while unfortunately my weight started going up. I have watched my weight rise and rise for the last 2 years and have finally reached a point where I can no longer watch it go up or keep it the same. In the past 2 years I have gone from a size 6 pants back up to a size 18 (possibly higher, I refuse to buyer pants any larger then an 18. I actually no longer fit into my “fat pants” from when I first started. I also know that I am now at a higher weight then when I first started Isagenix 3 years ago.

The Aha Moment

Recently I feel that I have reached my limit for weight and the way I look in clothes that I have to do something about it starting now. I think it is interesting that I have decided once again to invest in my health and How To Cleanse and re-lose my weight. Pretty much the day after I ordered my 30 day program I was called pregnant. I have never been so embarrassed of myself then I was at that moment. Hearing her say that too me I knew that I have made the right decision in starting my journey again.

I am really excited for this journey this time because it is going to be a totally different experience then it was the first time. I know what to expect and I know what is coming, but the experience is still going to be completely different then the first time. The first time round I started because I needed to lose weight and because I had a friend doing it so I jumped on her band wagon to do the program. This time it is going to be all me, I am not doing this program because anyone else asked me to do it. Instead I have made the decision on my own to start the program and lose the weight. I still full support doing the program with a friend, but at the same time for some people (me being one of them) they have to make all the decisions to do it on their own before the lessons learned will stick.

Deciding to throw the bar instead of just setting it high

This time around I am already setting the bar higher then I did last time. I am getting ready to sign up for at least 1 – 5K races and 1 – 10K race for the summer. Which means there is no waiting to start training and start getting healthy so I can perform to the best of my ability at the events.

I am also setting the goal of taking pictures weekly so I can watch my progress through them as well as through my weekly numbers I will be taking. I also have a goal of losing more weight this time around because unfortunately I have gained more then I lost originally. Some of my goals are still the same though, I want to weigh around 145 pounds and be a size 6/8 pants.

I can not wait to get started by seeing all my measurements and pictures of where I am starting from. I am also really excited to start the IsaBody challenge tonight, which always helps push me to do a little better knowing that I have a chance at some great prizes. In the end though, the ultimate prize is me being happy and healthy.

Last time I took this journey I was way to scared to post starting pictures or numbers cause I was really embarrassed of how I looked and felt I looked. I had myself convinced (and I do now) that if I do not tell anyone the actually numbers or show them the actual pictures then it would not be true. I could just continue to ignore it and it would all go away. This time, since it is all for me and to kick off the new brave me I am going to post my beginning pictures and numbers. I am going to give you my beginning weight (as of 9pm 5/12/13) and the total inches that I measured in 14 different areas. Then every week I am going to share with you the difference in inches and weight and as validation I am going to post updated pictures.

My starting weight is 220 which gives me a goal of losing 75 pounds. My total starting inches is 387.

There are hundreds of weight loss plans, systems and charts one can choose from when looking for the right weight loss option for them. But how do you know if your money is invested wisely and if you will get your most bang for your buck?

One of the more popular systems who have a plethora of celebrity endorsers is Jenny Craig. So what does Jenny Craig offer that is so special? Lets break down how your money would be spent and what results you can expect.

It is no secrete most weight loss and health programs have a membership cost in addition to the cost of the products. For the middle package of Jenny Craig a member can expect to pay upwards of $359 per year just for the membership! In addition to the steep membership cost there is the cost of food, which ranges from $15-$22 per day depending on the types of foods the user prefers. As the price breaks down a potential costumer is looking at throwing down an average of $585 per month on the system.

Break Down Of Food

We live in a day and age where instant gratification is smiled upon and simplicity is embraced and desired. Jenny Craig offers food wrapped individually and ready for use. As convenient as this is there are some key points that are missing. After processing and packaging the food which looses nutritional integrity, they are frozen and then shipped to the user. Ones the customer receives the products they are then kept frozen until meal time when they are promptly popped in the microwave which continues the nutritional massacre leaving the user with low calorie, low nutrient dishes which many claim to leave them unsatisfied and hungry. Not to mention the utter inconvenience on sticking with the program while traveling. Frozen food doesn’t travel very well.

Expected Weight Loss

Jenny Craig doesn’t actually offer a typical or expected weight loss number for their system, however on the Jenny Craig Blogs most people who have a significant amount of weight to lose report an average of 2lbs lost per week totaling approximately 8lbs per month.

How Are We Different?

With a once a year membership fee of $30 plus an average of $11-$14 per day our system is more feasible for those looking to maximize nutrition, lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

In addition to the cost difference our products are carefully formulated to support the entire body and not just on the consumption of food. Most products are not heated above 109 degrees to preserve nutritional integrity and are also mixed with enzymes which become active once mixed with water. This makes them a whole food. With the ingredients specially selected for maximized nutrition we have no artificial or synthetic ingredients or fillers. Our products are easy to use, effective and easy to travel with.

With an average weight loss of 7-9lbs in 9 days we are not only a better option than other products with regards to price and nutrition but results as well.

Please check out our results page HERE for photos and descriptions of our cleansers and time frame in which they accomplished their results

Why Binge Eating At Night Is Bad

Swimsuit season is here and the last thing we need is a late night snack or stress of feeling guilty get us down and lower our mood, not to mention increase our waistline! When food sits in our stomach over night and is not burned off with activity because we are sleeping that food turns into fat and is stored with in our bodies. Who wants that.

During a study conducted by The University of Missouri-Columbia they concluded that those who ate a breakfast high in protein reported an increased level of satiety throughout the day with increased control at night to not binge eat.

The study was conducted on 20 overweight women age 18-20 who were separated into 3 groups. Group number 1 ate a high protein breakfast, group 2 ate a normal breakfast of cereal and group 3 skipped breakfast all together.

Those who skipped breakfast were more likely to snack later at night where as those who ate a protein rich breakfast stayed more satiated and had less cravings.

In addition to eating a high protein breakfast such as the one How To Cleanse offers here are some helpful tips to ward off late night eating.

Add more fiber to your diet and stay away from simple carbs. The longer your body takes to digest the fuller you feel. Simple carbs such as bread, rice and pastries digest quicker leaving you with a quick sugar rush and additional empty calories.

The 60 Minute Rule. Eating your first meal with in 60 minutes of waking up is a new rule of thumb. The longer you wait to eat breakfast the more hungry you will be which means it takes much more to feel full and satisfied!

Starting in middle school we are taught that our bodies operate as a system, With the three main components to keep living are our heart, lungs and brain. With out the proper functioning of those three critical components the system will gradually or immediately fail with the end result being. Ok you get the picture. So because our bodies are a system how do we keep them functioning properly and “well Oiled”?

The basics are the Healthier our body is the better our system works

There are countless magic pills and single products on the market that make massive health claims and market as the only thing you need to add to your diet. The bottom line is there is no singular product that does everything our bodies need it to do. If that was the case, food would be obsolete and we would all consume one product and be good to go.

So what should people look for when finding a new product for health management/improvement, weight loss and performance/recovery support? The easy answer is a system. Find a system that can be implemented into your daily life that supports the entire body. They only way to support a system is by implementing a system that has a goal at supporting all aspects of the body.  When the entire body is supported it has more energy and a better chance at eliminating the things that weigh us down. Such as toxins in the body, stress and excess weight and in addition find a system that adds the extras that help us feel good. Such as trace vitamins and minerals to support energy and body function as well as protein to assist the body in building lean muscle mass.

When all aspects of the body are supported by a system like this an immediate difference can be felt through energy and transformation through weight loss and muscle gain! Our bodies are a system… Time to start treating them like it!

Bikini Season is Almost Here

There are many avenues one can pursue while trying to get in shape for the summer but if you are like thousands of other Americans and you put it off you find yourself with only weeks to get the stunner body you want to wear that new swimsuit you have.

There are hundreds of challenges out there ranging from 30-90 days to get you in shape and toned for the reveling summer outfits you no doubt want to wear. So how do you pick?

1. Map our exactly how much time you have to get in shape, maybe you have a big vacation, spring time pool party or you just know when it gets warm. Once you have your time frame COMMIT to starting NOW! If you wait any longer you are going to enter into the summer and be kicking yourself for not starting earlier while you pull out that one piece suit and sarong to cover up with all the time.

2. Understand that you don’t want to starve yourself or restrict yourself. You know as well as I do if you try to tone up this way as soon as you reach your goal and summer parties roll around all of your efforts will go down the drain as you start to consume the same things you always have.

3. Make sure you are doing this for you! YOU want to look amazing and YOU want to feel amazing while wowing all your friends with your transformation.

4. Make sure your approach to weight loss or toning up is reasonable and something you know you can stick to!

5. Make sure that you diversify your attempts, I know this sounds difficult but it isn’t. Find a fun and active workout routine that you will be able to stick to, like zumba, boot camps or other such activities. Then make sure you pair it with a healthy diet shift. Remember a diet isn’t a 4-6 week thing it is a lifestyle shift so make sure you are getting the best calories packed with the most nutrients. There are many awesome nutritional programs that support healthy lifestyle shifts as well as will aid you in dropping lbs and inches as well as toning up! I prefer the simplicity of the How To Cleanse system!

Finally, find a tone up buddy, maybe a friend or family member who wants to tone up with you who you will hold accountable and who will hold you accountable as well. Motivation goes up significantly when 2 or more people are participating and trying to reach the same goal!

The time is now! Ready, Set…. Tone

One of the most common ways for people to get an idea of their success, in weight loss, has been to get on the scale and record number after grueling number. This over time has a negative effect on one’s motivation towards weight loss and gaining better health. Lets face it, those numbers never seem to change fast enough.

Why The Scale Doesn’t Tell The Truth

Although the scale is an accurate way to determine the entire weight of your body it does nothing to tell you how the weight is dispersed from your bones, muscles and then the pesky fat. There is so much emphasis put on the number on the scale that most Americans forget completely about how they feel or if they are truly seeing results or not.  If you are working out along with eating healthy or participating in a cleansing system like How To Cleanse offers, the body is not just burning and flushing fat…it is also building lean muscle mass.  The scale itself does not show this. Because muscle is more dense when it is built up, a persons body or frame may appear smaller than when they started the program but the number on the scale might not change at all. It may even (gasp) go up a few lbs.

How To Measure Success

In addition to the scale one of the easiest ways to see a change while on a weight loss program is to take body measurements… That’s right, measuring the body right before a health or exercise program will help you to see the results faster than the number on the scale shows. When doing body measurements it is very important to remember exactly where on the body they were taken so the follow up measurements are taken in the same spot. As fat melts off the body it is most measurable through tape measure rather than scale. For every three inches total lost off the body it is equal to 1 lb of toxic body fat in addition to the lbs lost on the scale

Measure your success and stay motivated! You will succeed!

Cleansing also commonly referred to as Detox is a form of increasing health that has been around for hundreds of years. It has even been used as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Cleansing by definition means to make something clean. Mostly referred to or related to cleansing the skin however whole body and internal cleanses are incredibly important as well.

What kind of cleanses are there?

There are several well known types of internal cleanses that aim to reset the body or targeted area.
Liver Detox Cleanse
Colon Cleanse
And most popular the Cellular Cleanse

What is a cellular cleanse

Where as the other two types of cleanses, such as the master cleanse, target a specific aspect of the digestion or intestinal tract  a cellular cleanse focuses on the entire body, cleansing at a cellular level. It has the same benefits as a liver detox cleanse and a colon type of cleanse but goes much deeper to remove impurities and restore whole body function.

Why Should I Cleanse?

Cleansing is very important to reach a higher level of health. On a daily level toxins enter the body through the food we eat, water we drink, things we touch and air we breathe. Even if we are very health conscious we are still being bombarded by toxins. In order for the toxins not to wreak havoc on our bodies our bodies activate a protection mechanism. With all of this build up of toxins our bodies immune system becomes more compromised and some of the nasty side effects of a toxic body are
-Increased fatigue
-Headaches
-Weight gain
-Poor immune system
-Achy joints
-long recovery from activity
There are several more nasty side effects of a toxic body but too many to add here.

What Does Cleansing Do?

Once a cleansing or detox program is implemented its primary goal is to flush out toxins, with a liver detox cleanse the liver is targeted, with a colon cleanse the colon is targeted and flushed out. With a Cellular Cleanse the entire body is flushed of the harmful and dangerous toxins leaving us with a healthy and protected body. When toxins are no longer present in large amounts in our bodies some of the side effects are
-More energy
-Weight loss
-Supported immune system
-Decreased inflammation
-Better mood
-Increased stamina
-All around feeling of wellbeing

The benefits of cleansing have been known for centuries, Choosing a whole body cellular cleanse gives you the same effects as other cleanses plus so much more. Having a clean body from the inside out is just the start to experiencing whole body health.

Diet pills have been all the craze, advertising that lifestyle doesn’t have to change you just need to add one pill a day and the weight will come right off. Well if it was that easy then everyone would be thin and have incredibly rocking bodies, giving the stars of Hollywood a run for their money.

Why diet pills don’t work

Many of the magic pills act solely as a thermogenic, raising the body’s core temperature. When the body’s temperature rises it burns more fat. But it won’t actually address the problem. Fat accumulates in the body for several reasons, most commonly because of diet or food consumed, Toxins present in the body or lack of activity. Diet pills do not address any of the underlying problems and instead just temporarily mask them.

Diet pills are designed as a one off kind of deal, you take one pill and you are good to go, but our bodies aren’t a one off kind of think, meaning we can’t just survive off of one type of food. Our bodies are a system, a very complex system at that and there fore in order for our bodies to have a complete change we need to implement a system. A system that supports proper body function, adds essential nutrients and helps rid the body of unwanted body fat and toxicity. A good system will also encourage and support better food choices and activities.

Diet pills might work to lose a few lbs but once the product is not taken any more the bodies core temperature goes back to normal and the weight is usually put back on, when looking for weight loss or better health and you need it fast don’t turn to a pill. Most of them are not checked or endorsed by the FDA for safety. Find a system that incorporates live foods, good nutrition, awesome support system and encourages activity and better food choices! That is when the change/transformation comes

What Is It About Whey

One of the most overlooked components of a healthy weight loss plan is the quality of protein. Yes we’ve all been told to eat lean meat like chicken and fish but are those really the best options? Will they produce the best results? In fact they will not.

Whey protein is now recognized as the best source of protein available

But choose wisely when selecting your whey. Here are a few things to look for:

1.) Pasture-raised and fed cows produce the whey in your whey protein. Ideally these cows come from New Zealand which highly regulates their cattle and the cattle’s production of dairy.

2.) Non-GMO. Choosing a non-GMO whey means you know your protein is real food.

3.) Undenatured. Be sure your whey is not heated while it is formulated or you will lose far too many of the benefits of this super protein. Plus you may have a difficult time digesting your whey if it has been heated.

4.) Protein concentrate – not isolates. Isolates are the leftover parts of a processed protein and are not the entire chemical compound that creates the protein in its natural state. In other words when you’re consuming isolates you’re getting the leftovers…not the pure stuff. Plus isolates are often heat-treated and chemically-treated so just avoid them by choosing a whey protein concentrate.

There are a few other keys to look for your in whey protein formula, we’ll touch on those in another post. These four keys are a great place to start!

Isagenix is a superior way to drop pounds, inches, sleep better, have more energy and overall living healthier for a longer period of time.  Many people want to know how to combine what Isagenix integrates with their common workout schedule.  One of our team members did a test to understand the results of Isagenix combined with the popular workout program p90x.

While p90x is really a 90 day program he spanned it over four months which is actually closer to the average person’s results based on missed days and scheduling conflicts.

Here are the results written in a letter sent to the team at How To Cleanse.*

On 10.14.12 I began my journey with p90x and combining that with the phenomenal nutrition that I found at How To Cleanse…Isagenix.  My test was four months long…ending on 2.14.13. Here are my measurements on the first day and the final day:

10.14.12
Weight = 162lbs
Skin Fold (millimeters) – Bicep = 3.5 Tricep = 5.5 Subscapular = 7.0
Suprailiac = 5.0

Circumference (inches) – Neck = 14.00 Chest = 37.50 Bicep = 12.00 Lower Arm
= 10.00 Waist = 30.75 Hips = 37.75 Thigh = 22.38 Calf = 14.75

Body Fat Percentage = 12.9%

2.14.13:
Weight = 165lbs
Skin Fold (millimeters) – Bicep = 2.0 Tricep = 4.5 Subscapular = 7.0
Suprailiac = 4.0

Circumference (inches) – Neck = 13.75 Chest = 39.25 Bicep = 12.00 Lower Arm
= 10.50 Waist = 30.88 Hips = 36.25 Thigh = 22.50 Calf = 14.75

Body Fat Percentage = 6.3%

Analysis: In four months my body fat percentage dropped by 6.6% and my weight increased 3 pounds. On day one, I had 10.7 pounds of fat and 151.3 pounds of lean muscle mass. On the final day, I had 10.4 pounds of fat and 154.6 pounds of lean muscle mass. Thus, a great reduction in body fat percentage and a gain in lean muscle mass of 3.3 pounds.

These results really blew me away because as a trainer at a popular 24 hour training chain I was never able to get these results.  Not even when I did the p90x program the first time around.   I would work out day in and day out, teach classes, train clients and eat foods/groceries that I purchased at Whole Foods.  Something was missing and not allowing me to get me to ultimate body fat percentage on optimal peak performance.  The results were good, but when combined with Isagenix Nutritional Replenishment the results were AWESOME!  I watched it time and time again with my long term clients.  They always had a jump in accelerated weight loss, lean muscle mass growth and overall better performance/recovery.

 

My new recommendation to clients that are  looking for sports performance results, huge weight loss, or just better health and wellness…that they will achieve their goals through implementation of the Isagenix program with the coaches at How To Cleanse.

It absolutely works! Through Isagenix and How To Cleanse, I continue to experience greater energy, my muscles are far less fatigued post workouts, recovery between workouts is super fast, I sleep better and sleep less. What makes this program unique is the cleansing of the body.  I continue to drink the cleanse each and every day to help rid my body of impurities and nourish it at the same time.

The next step will be to increase body weight by another 5-10 pounds while keeping the body fat percentage the same. Will keep you updated on the progress over the next 60-90 days. Be Well!

Bill. B

Based on Bill’s letter of affirmation of the Isagenix Products and How To Cleanse Coaching he was able to combine that with his p90x workout program and achieve superior results.

At How To Cleanse we will help you set up an Isagenix program that will properly meet your current workout plans, goals and desires.  It’s really that easy.  Success is yours.