Visalus Challenge Day 4

Today is Tuesday. Day 4. I have to start by saying, that I am not a Visalus Distributor, I am just blogging about my experience doing the 90 day Visalus Challenge. I have tried every diet and every shake under the sun so when I try something I usually do a review online of the product on about 40 websites and read about it before I buy it. For a couple of reasons I decided to blog my experience. One, to hold me accountable and motivate me to follow through and Two,  for the people who do reviews like me and would like to hear how Visalus actually works before they jump in full force and buy one one of the kits.

So far so good. Last night I felt great. Had a shake around 5:30 because I knew I had Scentsy orders to deliver and wouldn't be able to eat till later. It worked out perfectly. I was Scentsy Santa till around 8:30 and then went home to eat. I had whole wheat pasta, a small piece of steak and broccoli. I drank 2 more bottles of water and didn't have a snack all night. On top of it all, I haven't had a cluster headache for two days. I didn't fall asleep till around 1 but that is because I have been obsessed with a new hobby. More to come on that later.

Today I woke up a little tired but I know I need 7-8 hours of sleep, however I jumped up for water and felt ok instead of exhausted. I started the day off with a shake and the Strawberry add in. It smells so good. Just like strawberry milk.The funny thing is I have not been hungry at all. Considering I was skipping meals, my body is problem thanking the gods I found Visalus. Its so easy. I have a thermal tote bag and I put two scoops of the mix in 2 zip lock baggies to be ready for my day. I bring my blender ball bottle. This mixes it right up. No clumping or anything.

For my first snack, I had an apple and string cheese. I had my next shake around 3 then raspberries, turkey and a hard boiled egg for my 2nd snack. For dinner, I had sushi with brown rice. Yum, my favorite. Today I also managed to get in 5 bottles of water.

Everything is pretty normal for me. I use to eating like this quite a bit. What I never get use to is how much I go to the bathroom. : )  I am less bloated. The hydration helps. A pair of jeans I wore today fit much better, so that is a plus. Mostly positives so far. I am definitely not perfect on the eating habits but I have improved quite a bit in 4 days. I think once you start feeling better and seeing even a few results, it makes something like this so much easier.  So first steps, I have more energy and a pair of jeans fit better. Good enough for me for now. I have to comment again how much I love the taste of Visalus with the milk. Its a really good flavor.  They go down very easy.

Tonight, I am not hungry at all and I am just downing water. No sweet cravings but yup trips to the bathroom all night long until my body gets use to the water intake. Want to join me on the challenge. Check it out here. VISALUS 90 DAY CHALLENGE

Day 2/3 Visalus Challenge

Today is Monday so time to cover both days in one blog post to update my Visalus Challenge. Sunday was an average day. I had two shakes and filled in between with snacks such as low fat string cheese, an apple, hard boiled egg for snack 1 at 3:00pm. Oh the first shake was at 11 am. We'll consider it brunch. LOL. I then had a small burger with only avocado and jalapenos on it. This was my cheat. My next shake was at 6 pm. No difference in energy or anything. I know I am still skimping on water so I need to add that in as well. 8pm was my normal healthy dinner consisting of chicken and whole wheat pasta. I didn't crave a snack and drank lots of water before bed.

This morning, I was pretty tired when I opened my eyes but when it came time for my first shake, I was full of energy. I can't really explain it. I didn't mix today's shakes with anything special, because the vanilla cream taste is pretty awesome but you can do all kinds of stuff. I got instant coffee and cocoa as well as lots of fruit, yogurt etc in case I get bored or have a little more time. I am really considering buying a magic bullet to keep at the office or carry with me on trips etc. This way I can mix all kinds of fun stuff in them. They really fill you up. I have not been hungry all day. For my morning snack, I had string cheese, apple and that egg at 2pm. At 5pm, I just had my second shake. Both shakes have been mixed with non fat milk.  Now I know I don't have nearly enough calories yet but I feel great and weirdly, I am not hungry. I have had 3 bottles of water. I need at least 2 more at minimum. I finished everything on my to-do list for my day job which is Compliance. December is always our audit month, so it is a lot of checking and double checking to make sure things are up to date. It gets repetitive but I completed quite a bit today. Last night I finished my Christmas Cards, tonight is more Scentsy deliveries. I am just getting stuff done. : )

For workouts, I started the one I always go back to. Well there are two. I either start on the C25K which is a running program or Jillian Michaels 20 minute workout. I don't get bored with either of these and I see results pretty fast.

I am  not measuring or weighing myself except for weekly and I am going to do the sissy thing to do. Not post any of my weight of measurements till I start feeling a difference in my body. We'll base everything on energy and eating habits right now.

Hopefully soon, I can create a poster with my before and after pictures on it like the one below. : )  Join me on the Visalus Challenge. So far so good and why not lose a few pounds before the Holiday. I gotta make room for my Mom's meatballs. : )

Visalus Pre-Challenge Prep Day 5 and Day 1-Challenge Start

So today is Saturday, yesterday was the last day  of the Visalus Pre-Challenge Prep. I got tons of goodies today. 4 boxes of Scentsy and my Visalus Box.

Of course I skipped breakfast, drank tons of water and then had a turkey sandwich on wheat bread for lunch. I had a protein shake around 5 and then sushi for dinner. Not a bad day all in all. Once I got the shakes and really realized how poor my eating habits are, I switched my auto ship to two shakes a day. That is 60 meals a month for $99.00. I watched quite a few You tube videos about the results and I haven't really seen anything negative. In fact, there are quite a few people who were losing 10-20lbs without even working out. 

So I opened the Visalus Box and here is what came in my kit.

First was the bag of Shake. This is a 30 day supply and will cover one meal a day. I plan to order another bag to cover me for the month, so I can change my challenge to two meals a day. Next was the shake mixers. These are different flavors that you can add to your shake. I got Banana Energy Charge, Peach Complexion Care,  2 Strawberry Phyto Power and Orange every day defense. Next was my Body by Vi Progress tracker, The Body By Vi Program Guide & a Quick Health Profile. 

To Maintain your weight, Visalus recommends having 1 shake a day for breakfast because 40% of adults don't eat breakfast. This slows your metabolism incredibly. If you eat breakfast, not only do you keep your metabolism running bu you will typically eat less all day. I have always loved shakes. They are much better than the average starchy breakfast of cereal or bagels. Shakes help you keep your metabolism running, fuel you with protein, fiber, prebiotics and other minerals for fewer calories and fewer dollars than other breakfasts. So one shake a day will keep the pounds away.

To lose weight, I will have a shake for breakfast and lunch. Then a couple of snacks as need such as a fruit, or vegatable or 10 raw almonds or 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, or string cheese. Then at night, I will have a sensible meal. This will be a salad, protein, vegetables or fruit. On the Body By Vi Challenge, you can even cheat every now and then and still lose weight.

This is easy and I love it!! I know skipping meals slows down my metabolism just as you can't train your car to run without gas in the tank, you can't train your body to have a healthy metabolism with out food. You can't too many calories, or you will slow your progress. My calories goal will be between 1500-1700 calories per day.  This takes the guess work out of thinking of meals every day. I just don't have the time. This makes it easy. 

So today is Saturday and my Challenge begins. To Start my program, I took my before pictures. Ah yeah these will not be posted until I reach my goal weight. I would love to inspire people but I am not crazy. I'll inspire people with before and afters, not just befores LOL. Then later this afternoon, I will be taking my measurements and putting them in my progress tracker. I forgot a tape last night but I am definitely going to do this today. After my pictures, I drank my first shake. They taste really good. I didn't mix them with milk, which you are suppose to do because I forgot to get it but I will have my lunch shake with milk. 

So far so good, but isn't Day 1 always great. : ) I really love easy programs and I think this will be great. I have started Jillian Michael's 20 minute video again. Its quick its easy and keeps you motivated. We'll see how that goes too.

Going back to the pictures. OH BOY. Putting on swim suits that you love but they don't fit. Ah yeah if that isn't motivation enough. Visalus is going to give me the energy I want back and the body I want back. I'd love for you to join the challenge with me. I need help keeping me on track. Check it out here.

Pre Visalus Challenge ~ Day 4

Day 4 ~ Waiting for my shakes to arrive. Not a great day. Had a fabulous Scentsy Party last night with amazing Hostesses. I always love consulting at parties. I have the most enthusiastic hostesses. They get so excited to see the warmers and have their friends over. When I was a kid, the home parties seemed so long and drawn out. The Scentsy parties are so fun and I just love listening to each guest as they smell each scent. Their memories come flooding back, filling the room with laughter as they smell each scent.

Because of the party, I rushed around, skipped dinner and had a couple glasses of red wine. Two bad things. Was feeling a little tired this morning but not bad. Burnt my toast so skipped my shake and had coffee and water. Lunch time consisted of Greek salad and Slovakia chicken. So not bad with that meal. I'll have a shake when I get home and then create something for dinner.

I skipped blogging yesterday but I did post on Facebook a quick Day 3 status. I am impressed that I have actually written and tackled this 4 days in a row. I just checked my Visalus shipment. It looks like it is in Orlando and arrives tomorrow. How exciting. Now to start this weekend or start Monday!  I am sure I will have to start this weekend.

What a crazy month. Scentsy is insane with the holidays, now tackling getting healthy before the new year. I guess no better time than now. I haven't changed much during this prep period, but I have added a lot more water and tried to focus on meals. I am also going thru Dana Wilde's "Train Your Brain" program.  So working on the Mind and Body.

I am only doing one shake a day right now, but if I really like them then I will increase to two a day. 2 shakes, 3 mid snacks and a good dinner. I think I can do that. I just may need to add eating to my google calendar for pop ups to remind me...LOL

Wish me luck on the rest of the night. Tentatively, the Visalus Challenge starts tomorrow. Let the quest begin!!

The Beginning of My Quest to Sparkle

Everyone wants to Sparkle. They want that glow and shine about them when they walk down the street. We all want to be described as someone who is always smiling and standing with their head held high staring the world in the face as if to say, "Bring it on, I can handle anything you throw at me!" Sometimes it is just not that easy. Life throws us curve balls and sometimes we just don't feel quite right.

Well finally after reading a thousand blogs and trying to figure out why people actually have blogs, I have decided to launch my own. Why not, right? Of course I don't know if people will read it, although everyone tells me I have good ideas and things I should share but I definitely know at this very moment in my life, there is no better time and could actually help me through some very rough moments. I have amazing family and friends and I seem to be always traveling and participating in the most awesome events that I simply do not want to forget.

My quest is to always Sparkle and to do it from the inside out. I want to build relationships and there is not better way than through Social Media, one of my most favorite things. This grouped with my business in direct sales. My quest is post information about how to Sparkle and Shine through Social Media and have it boost your business. Perception is 100% of the reason people do or do not build a relationship with us. Are people attracted to you, your brand? Do you have information and things people want to hear about? Are you separating yourself from other Direct Sales Consultants. Forever Sparkling will focus on ideas, thoughts and tips that will help us do just that.

Until next time, keep on Sparking,