Shakeology- the Unbiased Review

There are fads in the diet industry...we all know that. I've tried so many of them- I've lost count. Some have worked.. most haven't.
I was leery about trying yet another one of them, but I have a lot of friends that have been using this stuff and have REAL results. So I decided to give it a try. Knowing that I just finished my first tub of powder (yes... it was seriously a tub lol) it couldn't hurt to try another one. I had results with the protein powder and it didn't bother me that it was a meal replacement. In fact- I enjoyed it.

During my day- I have a food routine. I have 2 meals I like for breakfast, I have very few things I like for lunch, and I enjoy a really good meal at the end of the day. So I opted to replace my lunch- since I don't like it anyway. Most of my snacking takes place between lunch and dinner- so if I can replace a meal and have it fill me up... then I"ll eat less.

On to Shakeology. Having it replace a meal is perfect. I get so full from drinking it, that I literally have NO DESIRE to eat for at least 3-4 hours. It's amazing.
So here's my review:

I don't appreciate that you have to "sign up" to be a participant in the beach body program to get this stuff. You can pay $15 in shipping (which is ridiculous) OR, you can opt to do the auto ship program where it takes the shipping down to $2. Just be careful if you only want one month- make sure you cancel the autoship before the next month so you aren't charged. You are then assigned a "coach" that will be in contact with you to help you on your beach body journey.
Now.... For most people- it's probably not a big deal. But for me... I want to simply try a product. I don't want to be sucked in to any program or be accountable to anyone but me (and my husband lol). I don't want to have tips and tricks sent to my email. So it's been kind of annoying- although... it hasn't been excessive- so I guess it's not all bad.

When I got the package (which came in less than a week)- I was so excited to try it! I had read reviews, I had read that people thought it tasted horrible and that you have to  use "recipes" to make it drinkable lol. So that was exciting. I wasn't about to try it without blending other things in it.

The recipe I decided to go with was mixing it with 1 banana and 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter. I got excited, put it all in the blender and what happened? MY BLENDER BROKE!!! Luckily- my grandma stepped in and let me borrow hers until I could get a new one.

Finally got it all mixed and it was gross! Seriously... I almost had to gag it down. But because I've heard good things, I'm willing to stick with it.

Day 2: I changed it up and did the banana, about a tsp of vanilla, and then some cinnamon. That was my magic right there. It was good! It covered up most of the yucky taste and I didn't have to gag it down this time.

Since then- I've used the same recipe- I've added a little but of sugar to sweeten it up a bit- but it's acutally good and I look forward to having it every day.

NOW- the results haven't shown me anything spectacular yet. (I've been doing it for a week) I have lost another pound (yay!) but that's been my average since I started this thing anyway.
However.... it is delivering what it's promised. I feel better. I have more energy. I'm eating less crap. And that has to say something.

Actually... now that I think about it- it has helped more than I thought! I've had to go through 2 birthdays in the last week and through eating all that cake- I've still lost weight! So there!!! lol

I'd recommend trying this if it's something you want to commit to. It's expensive. So I'd say save up and try it for the 30 days (which is one pack). If you feel it's worth it.. then continue on. For me... Although I enjoy it and I feel results- I can't justify spending the money for it.

I'll stick to what I've been doing so far- because so far... it's been working :) And this is truly how I feel...

Last Weight: 160

This week: 159.6

Down 13 lbs total!!

Resolutions

I forget what day I'm on....let alone what's happened the last couple months.

I can't believe how fast time flies when you get swamped. Seriously- it was just Halloween right?

ANYWHO-
I've decided that after a couple months' hiatus- that posting every day isn't conducive with my life. I do want to keep track of my progress and keep this up to date for those who need something to laugh at ;)-
So I'm going to have the goal of posting at least once a week- which should be doable.

To sum up what has happened since my last post- I have had my ups and downs.

The downs:
*I've hit another rut. I have lost more weight- but now I'm stuck at the same number for the last 2 weeks.
*I discovered that my will do exercise is completely based on having someone else who'll do it with me. I totally suck and doing it alone.
*No matter how few calories I eat (I'm almost ALWAYS under my daily calorie count), my weight won't change unless I add exercise and/or eating the right kinds of foods.

The ups:
*I've lost more weight!!!!
*My energy is up- I don't feel so lazy anymore and have a drive to get things done.
*People have noticed a difference in how I look
*MY JEANS ARE TOO BIG!!!
* I got me a "new to me" Eliptical machine!

Ok- so I'm way excited for the up's apparently. Yes- one of my jeans is too big. My husband commented on it before I admitted it- and that is always nice lol
I took a nose dive into a fashion thing that i've always wanted to do but never had the nerve to do it.....leggings. I am now the proud owner of 2 sets of leggings and i wear them proud!

I think with the new year, i always get high hopes and dreams of doing something- but I never follow through. It usually lasts a couple weeks and then falls by the wayside.

So this year- I made 2 simple goals. One- I won't bore  you with. The other... to exercise everyday. I think that's something completely doable- esp since I'm not putting any pressure on myself of how long I need to do it, or what i need to do etc.

Every night when the kids go to bed- husband and I trek down stairs and workout together. We put on a funny movie and go at it.I do my eliptical, then lift weights, then run the treadmill. then I make my way to the floor for situps, crunches, squats, and if I'm feeling adventerous- planks.

I was very sore at the beginning- but now it's "normal" to just work out every night. My body is used to it. even though I haven't seen a whole lot of difference in weight yet- I'm very optimistic that changes will come the longer I stick with it. The fact that I feel better about myself because of working out is good enough for me right now.

I think the biggest lesson I've learned so far on this journey is that it takes time. I can control what i eat. I can control how active i am. And if I choose to not do either one of those- then I won't see results. So I focus on what I can control and give it time.... and then the results will come. And I'm content with that.

So here is my "before" picture- taken when I started:

And here is my "now":

And yes- you better believe I'm "sucking in" in both of those pics! lol. HOWEVER- you can tell the difference!

So i started out at 172 something and am now 160! I have lost a total of 12 inches body wide. My inches really haven't changed, but I'm OK with that for now. 

So there ya have it. I'll do better and I'll keep my goal of posting at least once a week. So get ready to hear all my shenanigans again :)

Weight Loss Blog: Days 23-24: Achievements

I'll admit that I get excited over the small stuff. It's who I am. Whether it's in this adventure or something else- the small things are a big freaking deal. Like my last post- I've been trying weight loss schemes for YEARS. And every time a lb came off- I did my little victory jig and moved on. (yes... if you saw it, you'd laugh)
So when I post my weekly numbers, I get excited knowing that what I'm doing is actually doing something (go figure.... who knew a good diet and exercise would actually work?)

So here I am to say- celebrate everything. Whether it's an inch, a lb, .2 lbs, or the fact that you can now walk up a flight of stairs without becoming breathless- it's worth celebrating.

Like today- I woke up and did the scale like I do every morning and what came up? A number I haven't seen for a while. It made me smile. And then I entered said number into my calorie counter app and it brought up my total weight loss so far. I smiled again. And then I realized that I'm a mere 3 lbs away from my first 10 lb goal. THAT deserved the victory jig.

I can't say what will happen when I hit that mark- let alone my actual goal of 30 lbs....but I will say this: IT WILL BE EPIC. I think I might just celebrate by inviting all of you on a shopping spree and helping me choose out a new wardrobe or I might just throw a huge party with LOTS of good food :)-

Right now- it's a good day. I'm feeling a little more energized, I am seeing a noticeable difference in the way I look in certain clothing, and I am starting to like myself just a little bit more.

Celebrate it all my friends- it's what will keep you going.

I couldn't resist....lol

Monday's Weight: 166.6

Yesterday's weight: 166.2

Today's Weight: 165.8

Weight Loss Blog : Day 22 : I'm Habitual

I'm a creature of habit. If I like a certain meal from a restaurant, I order it...every.single.time. If I like a particular grocery store, I wont shop anywhere else, AND I'll shop in the same order every time too. (ok.. .so maybe I'm a little OCD as well) When I clean, I clean the same way. etc. I guess I am OCD- I get it from my mother. This funny is exactly how I feel

Habit, OCD, whatever you want to call it.. it's how I manage things. Its how I maintain sanity in all things. I am not afraid of going off a schedule or being spontaneous though- but I don't think I want to be sponateous when it comes to my weight loss.  Call me crazy- but I think I'll stick with what works lol

They say it takes 21 days to develop a habit. I am proud to announce that I have made that! I have officially made my exercising routine, my eating habits, and calorie counting are all a routine now. It feels so good to know that what I started out doing is now part of my every day life. 3 weeks is probably nothing in the grand scheme of things, however- it is the beginning of a life change. And for me... that's huge!

I find that I've been able to apply myself to something I thought I couldn't change. I've been able to exercise, which I've never enjoyed (still dont, but at least I do it), I've started eating better and not giving in to the delicious temptations, and I've given up a few things that I used to think necessary.

I think through the last 3 weeks I've been able to control myself more than I ever have. I've also learned about what can and can't get me through those hard days. And I'm proud to say that I've not given up and that I continue to stick to my guns and goals :)

So I'll keep trucking along until I reach my goal weight. 

Even when I make stupid mistakes like mixing up numbers......like below lol

Total inches lost: 

Off waist- 4 inches

off hips- 5 inches

off bust- 1 inch

10 inches total lost!!!!

And I'm down 6 lbs. So averaging about 2 lbs a week (which is just fine by me)

Yesterdays Weight : 167.2

Todays Weight :166.6

Weight Loss Blog: Days 19-21: Repetition

I tell you what....Most days I sit around and wonder what I'm going to do. And then all of a sudden, my job breaks out and bombards me with a million things at once and I find myself taking and editing pictures for 3 days straight. I LOVE it though :)

It just makes for some blog neglect. lol

Over the past few days- amidst the the turbulence of my fluctuating weight, I've realized something about my body. Repetition is what helps me succeed.

Here's what I know works: I have my protein shake for breakfast, I don't snack until lunch, I eat a lunch of under 300 calories, I allow myself 200 calories of snacks in the afternoon, and then for dinner- I eat under 500 calories (which is a good size meal), and then if there is enough left, I *might allow one more snack.
With in this time frame, I partake in my herbals. 3 capsules for breakfast, 5 capsules for lunch, 3 capsules for dinner. I also do my exercising in the afternoon- after lunch- for 1-2 hours. (this varies because it totally depends on baby's nap) And the final thing: I NEVER eat after 8pm and I NEVER eat more than 1300 calories.

So.... when I find myself going off that schedule, my body reacts- typically... in the form of adding horrendously HUGE numbers to the scale. (because anything going UP... is horrendously huge)

I think the 2 biggest factors for me are eating more than my allotted calories and eating after 8. Those 2 things have triggered my body to either not lose weight or to gain weight every single time.

I have a word of advice: use a schedule. Use repetition. And mostly, record everything. If you record it, you'll find the patterns of what you see helps you to succeed and what things smack you up side the head and kick you in the butt.

And because I've waited several days to post, I'm running out of useful things to say. So I'll leave you with numbers and a reminder that even though I've had bad days and good days, I've still managed to stay on track. So DON'T GIVE UP!!! You'll see results, regardless of what the scale says.  Just wait until I post my totals tomorrow for my 3 week mark! :)

Fridays Weight: 167.6
Saturdays Weight: 166.2 (yay!)
Sunday's Weight: 167.4 (ugh)
Today's Weight: 167.2

Weight Loss Blog: Days 17-18: FOOD!

I was hoping to post every single day. Alas- my job and other motherly commitments prevented my from posting yesterday. That's OK though.

So today- I just wanted to post about what I love... FOOD! Just thought I'd throw out a few of my fav recipes to share. Thing is- they may not be the healthiest, but if you watch your portions... I think they are just fine. It's about taste to me anyway :) If you visit my Pinterest Board you'll probably notice a theme. I like home-cookin' and baking. Do what you will with them.. but I've tried an awful lot of them and they are just as good as they say they are!

Crescent Chicken

The idea is getting crescent rolls, stuffing them with seasoned chicken (I cooked mine in coke and other seasonings... it's so yummy!!), then placing them in a pan and covering it with Cream of Chicken soup. Bake and top with cheese or leave it.

I am a SUCKER for breads. I could eat them all day in any form and be on cloud 9. So when I was on a quest to find the PERFECT roll- I found it :)

BEST ROLLS EVER

Click on the link to get the recipe. so worth it!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Click on the link for the recipe.. it's baked.. and so good!

And because I am a choco-holic.... I will list a delicious devil of a snack for you (I'm sure it's probably about 300-500 calories for one square, but I'd totally eat it lol)

Smores Bars

Smores are a weakness of mine...next to breads. lol

Ok- so this is seriously not the best post in the world for those who are trying to lose weight. My point in doing it is that you don't HAVE to give up the things you love to lose weight. You can still enjoy good cookin' and snacks, just watch the portions/calories. I've been doing that this whole time and I'm still dropping weight. :)

Yesterdays Weight 168.8 (didn't change from the day before)

Todays Weight: 167.6

Weight Loss Blog: Day 16: The Alternatives

I'm am back to my normal bubbly self and am having a wonderful day! It makes such a huge difference to my attitude, my energy, and my emotions when I eat right and get some exercise. Seriously- today is awesome :) This describes me perfectly

Sooooo...... What i'm talking about today is considered "taboo". Meaning: everyone can believe what they want and they can not agree with what I'm about to say, but this is my personal experience with it and I believe it to be amazing.

What is this amazing thing you ask? Well.... Hypnotherapy. 

About a year ago, I got a wonderful opportunity to join a friend and participate in a 6 week course of Weight Loss Hypnotherapy. A neighbor of hers had just been certified and he was creating a system and needed guinea pigs. He also wanted to start building a clientel- so we  totally sacrificed our time and weight to be part of this :) 

Believe what you want about hypnotherapy. But my experience has shown that alternate methods of helping to rid your body and mind of negative and toxic things is only going to help. I will go through my process and how it helped me.

The first week, we were asked to fill out a piece of paper. That paper asked questions about our eating habits, what we do to control emotions, things we want to accomplish through the hypnotherapy, etc. He then handed us a piece of paper with a huge list of "scenes" on it where we could choose "where to go" through the session. We could go to the beach, we could go to an amusement park, we could go to outerspace (don't ask me how that is relaxing AT ALL), etc. I opted for the beach :)

A little explanation. Hypnotherapy -in this sense- is a type of self hypnosis. He guides you to relax and your body just naturally drifts into a sleep state (or sleeping all the way lol) where your mind is more formidable and accepting of change. I don't know all the logistics, but basically, when your mind is in that mode, your brainwaves act differently and your body responds more naturally to the influences. So when you see that magician hypnotizing someone- you know where their mind is. - and for my opinion- being hypnotized for sport or fun is NOT good. Having someone else in control of your mind is never a good thing- no matter how hilarious it is. BUT, with this, being self hypnosis- you still have control over everything going on. And not to mention, it's for bettering your body and mind, so I believe it to be a good thing. He explains it a lot better than I do here.

Anywho- so week one happens and the first session was way wierd. I remember listening to the soothing sounds and my mind was racing a million miles a minute expecting that I would be experiencing this weird sensation of someone else telling me what to do and then forgetting it all once I "woke up".

Total misconception.

I ended up staying awake the entire session and heard everything. I was relaxed, but my mind would not rest. It was fascinating. I loved it. And while he did it live- it was recording. The thing is that you have to listen to each session for at least a week in order for it to really take a hold. 

So I listened to it for a week, then proceeded the rest of the 6 weeks. Each week it got easier and easier. At night, I would put it on and I would fall asleep within 2 minutes. And by what was explained to me- that is self hypnosis. It literally feels like you are just putting yourself to sleep.

This system is amazing. Although we were guinea pigs, we learned and changed through this process. I slept better than I've ever slept. I had tons of energy. I felt like my emotions were under better control and I tended to be slower to anger. 

And now you want to know..... did I lose weight? Yes. but there's a "but".

This is one of those things that if you don't believe it will work- it won't. You have to be willing to submit yourself to change and believe it will happen. I was in it to lose weight whether I believed it would work or not. I didn't walk in to this thinking that it was a complete hoax nor did I think this was my saving grace. I had high hopes it would work and then I'd be happy.

However- I didn't apply it. I wanted to lose weight- sure. But I did nothing to change anything in my life to accomodate those things I wanted changed. So although I lost weight- about 10 lbs- it all came back. 

This is not one of those "do nothing and see the difference" type of scams. This is real. This is changing your MIND. This is changing the way you approach food for whatever reasons you have. This changes the patterns of everything you are used to. And it's amazing.

After all was said and done. I decided to stop listening to the sessions every night because I wanted to get to a point where I was committed to change. Like now. 

So I start tonight. I am so excited! Even if you aren't in it to lose weight, the emotional change alone is worth it.

So his site is called Leading Edge Hypnotherapy. Like his page. He hasn't posted in a while, but he did move his family to Arizona for his job- which takes a large amount of his time from what I understand. His system is awesome though. You can purchase his system here.

*his site is currently under construction- but I have messaged him and he assures me it will be up soon*

The most awesome review and experience is with his wife. She is amazing. Read through her blog and her experience and see how she applied his system and lost 45 pounds!

And if you think it still isn't real- I watched her through this process. Each week when I showed up at their house, she was noticeable thinner. She looked completely different just in the 6 weeks I was doing this program.

I will keep you posted, but if you are looking for an alternative method- I HIGHLY recommend using Jonathan's system.

And to leave you- I will add that this is how I have felt all this week. And that's OK lol

Yesterdays Weight: 169.4

Today's Weight: 168.8