I hope most of you don't understand this statement, "I'm the fattest chick here" but for the past year (if not longer) it was the dreaded truth for me. Any event I attended, I was that person. It sucks, people either think you are pregnant, or give you a look. Not a look of evilness or rudeness, but a look of like "should you be eating that?" By that point, I was ready to take the cupcake and smear it in their faces.
Even among friends, it was still a insecurity that I thought about, but no one would ever say it to me. Yesterday, I attended a family baby-shower for one of Kevin's cousins. While I was answering questions of why I look great, and telling them about the Body By Vi's 90 day challenge and how it has guided me to eating better, feeling better, and added a pep in my step. I didn't realize, what I was doing. I was checking all the girls out! (Which we all do- we're always sizing up our competition!) But I was looking to see, if I get the award for Fat Chick!
Drum-roll....NO! I wasn't. Yes! It was a small victory for me, a large one for my confidence, but more importantly it made me realize that I am losing weight. While things are definitely looser or too big as in the case of my favorite pair of jeans from a couple of years ago- it finally hit me that I am starting to realize there is not as much of me anymore. Halleluiah!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Whoops!
I figured I would share a funny, yet exciting story with you today. In the process of getting dressed this morning, I stepped into a pair of my favorite jeans. You know the ones...their old, comfortable and fit perfectly. Well, not exactly. They USED to fit perfectly. Not so much anymore. When I put them on today, they literally fell down. I felt like I was in a bad movie or something. I buttoned them up and then the first step I took they fell to the floor almost causing me to fall flat on my face. I wish I had video because it had to be pretty funny.
Now I know I've been losing weight, but they always say that everyone else will notice before you do. It's just natural. And that has definitely been the case with me. People have been asking questions about what I am doing to lose this weight and I'm naturally excited to tell them. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far and I believe in the 90 Day Challenge. In just 60 days it has helped me to change my way of life.
But today just happened to be one of those days when the weight loss slapped me in the face. I was forced to retire those favorite jeans in a private ceremony to the back of my closet. RIP jeans...I'll miss you, but definitely not the stuff that used to fill you out.
Now I know I've been losing weight, but they always say that everyone else will notice before you do. It's just natural. And that has definitely been the case with me. People have been asking questions about what I am doing to lose this weight and I'm naturally excited to tell them. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far and I believe in the 90 Day Challenge. In just 60 days it has helped me to change my way of life.
But today just happened to be one of those days when the weight loss slapped me in the face. I was forced to retire those favorite jeans in a private ceremony to the back of my closet. RIP jeans...I'll miss you, but definitely not the stuff that used to fill you out.
Day 60 Update
So when I first checked in with this blog Kevin and I were on Day 45 of the 90 Day Challenge. At that point, I had lost about 25 pounds. We are now 60 days into our Challenge and we've never felt better! We're both back to the gym now (as I discussed a bit earlier) and are as motivated as we have ever been. So....you want to know the number, right? In the past 15 days I have lost another 9 pounds!!! Not to mention 13.5 inches!! It seems like I am losing weight from everywhere...my arms are getting smaller, my thighs are shrinking, and my waistline is disappearing. All in all, very good things.
The best part for me is how much energy I have and how motivated I am to continue going with this path. On one hand I can't believe it has already been 60 days...on the other hand, I can't believe it has only been 60 days. I am so used to the routine of eating healthier, that it feels like I have been doing it forever.
If you want to do what you can to live healthier, and challenge yourself to make a transformation over the next 90 days, visit my web site at www.ehglass23.myvi.net. You won't regret it!! I certainly haven't!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Calorie Counting
Thank God for the smart phone! Calorie counting used to be a nightmare, but now with my iPhone it is so easy. When we started the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge, Kevin and I decided to download an app on our phones that would help with the whole calorie counting process. It has most common foods and brands preloaded in there so all you have to do is select it and you can keep track of your calories. There are tons of free apps out there, but the one we are using is called My Net Diary.
The app calculates your required daily intake of calories and determines your calories needed to lose weight. It will then provide an analysis of your eating on a daily basis to let you know when you haven't had enough protein, fat, or other nutrients. It's really helpful.
Here's the mistake that we both made at first. Don't cut too many calories!!! If you are supposed to eat 2000 calories per day, you need to come close to that number. We figured that "well, if I only eat 1200 calories I will lose more weight." WRONG! In the short term you will lose weight but you will quickly reach a plateau. That's what happened with both Kevin and I. We were going great for the first month both having lost around 20 lbs. But we had cut too many calories from our diets, we weren't hitting our recommended calories and we didn't lose an ounce in the next week. It wasn't until we started eating more that we started losing weight again. Sounds ridiculous right? But it turns out that you actually have to eat in order to lose weight.
The app calculates your required daily intake of calories and determines your calories needed to lose weight. It will then provide an analysis of your eating on a daily basis to let you know when you haven't had enough protein, fat, or other nutrients. It's really helpful.
Here's the mistake that we both made at first. Don't cut too many calories!!! If you are supposed to eat 2000 calories per day, you need to come close to that number. We figured that "well, if I only eat 1200 calories I will lose more weight." WRONG! In the short term you will lose weight but you will quickly reach a plateau. That's what happened with both Kevin and I. We were going great for the first month both having lost around 20 lbs. But we had cut too many calories from our diets, we weren't hitting our recommended calories and we didn't lose an ounce in the next week. It wasn't until we started eating more that we started losing weight again. Sounds ridiculous right? But it turns out that you actually have to eat in order to lose weight.
Can I eat in a restaurant?
Kevin and I decided during our first week of the 90 Day Challenge that we wanted to learn early on how to eat healthy in a restaurant. While it sounds good to eat dinner at home every night, we all know that's not going to happen.
We figured out that many restaurants actually offer nutritional information on their web sites. That makes life pretty easy. For those that don't, there are still plenty of options that don't involve only eating a salad. Just be smart with your choices. Grilled chicken is fine, even with some BBQ sauce on it. Just try to have veggies with it. Fish is always good provided that it's not fried. Kevin likes to have steak and that's not a problem. He just can't have the 20 oz prime rib. As long as portion sizes are appropriate that's not a problem.
The funny thing is that we find that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs now. We don't need to early nearly as much to feel full, which is a good thing.
We both used to be a big fan of soda as well. Like 2-3 glasses of soda per meal. Now we will still get a soda when we go out to eat (no soda at home though) but we will also get water with it. We drink the water first and then just sip on the soda with our meal. We're able to save ourselves 200-300 calories right there!
We figured out that many restaurants actually offer nutritional information on their web sites. That makes life pretty easy. For those that don't, there are still plenty of options that don't involve only eating a salad. Just be smart with your choices. Grilled chicken is fine, even with some BBQ sauce on it. Just try to have veggies with it. Fish is always good provided that it's not fried. Kevin likes to have steak and that's not a problem. He just can't have the 20 oz prime rib. As long as portion sizes are appropriate that's not a problem.
The funny thing is that we find that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs now. We don't need to early nearly as much to feel full, which is a good thing.
We both used to be a big fan of soda as well. Like 2-3 glasses of soda per meal. Now we will still get a soda when we go out to eat (no soda at home though) but we will also get water with it. We drink the water first and then just sip on the soda with our meal. We're able to save ourselves 200-300 calories right there!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Can I afford it?
I just got this question tonight from one of my friends. She was asking about Body By Vi after seeing and hearing about the results. I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at this one.
Sit down for this one....Kevin and I are saving about $800 per month doing the 90 Day Challenge!!! No, that wasn't a typo. I said $800 per month!!!
Hear me out, sadly this is what we were like...
$5 per day @ Dunkin for breakfast, 5 days per week, for 2 people = $50 per week
$10 per day for lunch, 5 days per week, for 2 people = $100 per week
$25 per day for dinner, 5 days per week for the both of us = $125 per week
$40+ per day on weekend meals = $80 per week
That comes out to $355 per week or $1,420 per month! On meals alone...never mind the snacks!
Ouch...that was way too painful to put in print.
Now here's what we are doing...
$99 per MONTH for ViShape Kit, per person = $198 per month
$70 per week for groceries including snacks = $280 per month
$50 per week for eating out = $200 per month
That brings our new monthly total to $680 total for food. A monthly savings of $740!!
So I can lose weight, have more energy than I've ever had before, and save all this money? How could I afford not to do it before?
Sit down for this one....Kevin and I are saving about $800 per month doing the 90 Day Challenge!!! No, that wasn't a typo. I said $800 per month!!!
Hear me out, sadly this is what we were like...
$5 per day @ Dunkin for breakfast, 5 days per week, for 2 people = $50 per week
$10 per day for lunch, 5 days per week, for 2 people = $100 per week
$25 per day for dinner, 5 days per week for the both of us = $125 per week
$40+ per day on weekend meals = $80 per week
That comes out to $355 per week or $1,420 per month! On meals alone...never mind the snacks!
Ouch...that was way too painful to put in print.
Now here's what we are doing...
$99 per MONTH for ViShape Kit, per person = $198 per month
$70 per week for groceries including snacks = $280 per month
$50 per week for eating out = $200 per month
That brings our new monthly total to $680 total for food. A monthly savings of $740!!
So I can lose weight, have more energy than I've ever had before, and save all this money? How could I afford not to do it before?
So am I only eating lettuce or something?
When I thought of losing weight my first reaction was I'm not going to be able to eat anything good. Fortunately I was wrong. I have what some may call a "love / hate relationship"with food....I love food but it hates my hips and tummy. Since Kevin and I started this thing about 6 weeks ago we have found so many great things to eat that are actually healthy too. Healthy and doesn't taste like paste? Who knew that was even possible?
How about stuffed shells and chicken parm? Yep. All for less than 650 calories. That's the first thing that came to mind because it's actually what I made tonight. Kevin couldn't believe how good it was! The best part is that I'm not the type of person who has unlimited time to make meal. I was able to do it all in less than a half hour or so. Not too bad.
So where did we find this magical chicken parm? Well, we've found a few web sites that we really enjoy. One is called www.skinnytaste.com and it has TONS of very good recipes that are easy to make and healthy too.
Some of the other things that we've had recently that were very good were...
-Pot roast w/ potatoes and carrots
-Peppered steak w/ rice
-Chicken burritos
-BBQ chicken
-Salmon
-Haddock
-Peanut butter pie (less than 100 calories a slice and it's to die for!!!)
Literally anything that you like to eat can be made healthier. And the best part about the whole Body By Vi thing is that you don't need to deprive yourself of your favorites. You can have a piece of cake every so often (just not every night). With all the nutrients that you are getting from the ViShape shakes, you are automatically eating better and healthier than you were before you started. By definition, you are going to lose weight!
How about stuffed shells and chicken parm? Yep. All for less than 650 calories. That's the first thing that came to mind because it's actually what I made tonight. Kevin couldn't believe how good it was! The best part is that I'm not the type of person who has unlimited time to make meal. I was able to do it all in less than a half hour or so. Not too bad.
So where did we find this magical chicken parm? Well, we've found a few web sites that we really enjoy. One is called www.skinnytaste.com and it has TONS of very good recipes that are easy to make and healthy too.
Some of the other things that we've had recently that were very good were...
-Pot roast w/ potatoes and carrots
-Peppered steak w/ rice
-Chicken burritos
-BBQ chicken
-Salmon
-Haddock
-Peanut butter pie (less than 100 calories a slice and it's to die for!!!)
Literally anything that you like to eat can be made healthier. And the best part about the whole Body By Vi thing is that you don't need to deprive yourself of your favorites. You can have a piece of cake every so often (just not every night). With all the nutrients that you are getting from the ViShape shakes, you are automatically eating better and healthier than you were before you started. By definition, you are going to lose weight!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Isn't Healthy Snack an Oxymoron?
When I was told that I should eat snacks in between meals I thought people were crazy. How can snacks be healthy? Doesn't that defeat the purpose? After a little bit of research I found out that snacks in between meals actually help you to keep your energy throughout the day. Oh...so maybe that's why I always used to crash and feel like napping around 2:00pm everyday. So, in the name of health, it looks like I was supposed to eat more. Oh no!! I've never been one who's afraid to eat.
So Kevin and I needed to figure out what was healthy and what wasn't. What was going to actually help us and keep us full. It turns out that a snack should be 200-300 calories at the most. In other words, the King Size Almond Joy that we used to be so fond of...probably not a good choice. But we were shocked to find that there are so many things that are good for you, filling, and actually taste good (shocking, I know)
To save you time, here are a few of our favorites.
-Pistachios. You can have 49 pistachios and it's only going to cost you a between 100-150 calories.
-Special K Meal Replacement Protein Bars - Chocolate. Peanut Butter. What else do I need to say. And less than 200 calories.
-Baby Carrots - Dip them (no I didn't say smother them) in some fat free ranch and you're looking at less than 100 calories.
-Planter's Nut-Rition Heart Healthy Mix - pre-packaged for easy snacking and about 180 calories.
-Mini Rice Cakes - Caramel flavored? And healthy? Yep.
-Cottage Cheese w/Pineapple - You can get fat free cottage cheese with pineapple in it for less than 150 calories.
-Apples, Oranges, Pears,Pineapple - Turns out I like fruit. Who knew?
-Celery with Cream Cheese or Peanut Butter - You can have several sticks of celery with fat free cream cheese or peanut butter for under 150 calories.
-Dried Fruit Mix - I created a dried fruit mix with dried bananas, dried pineapples, yogurt raisins, dried blueberries, and some cashews for 225 calories.
Let me know if you have any others. I will continue to post more in future posts.
So Kevin and I needed to figure out what was healthy and what wasn't. What was going to actually help us and keep us full. It turns out that a snack should be 200-300 calories at the most. In other words, the King Size Almond Joy that we used to be so fond of...probably not a good choice. But we were shocked to find that there are so many things that are good for you, filling, and actually taste good (shocking, I know)
To save you time, here are a few of our favorites.
-Pistachios. You can have 49 pistachios and it's only going to cost you a between 100-150 calories.
-Special K Meal Replacement Protein Bars - Chocolate. Peanut Butter. What else do I need to say. And less than 200 calories.
-Baby Carrots - Dip them (no I didn't say smother them) in some fat free ranch and you're looking at less than 100 calories.
-Planter's Nut-Rition Heart Healthy Mix - pre-packaged for easy snacking and about 180 calories.
-Mini Rice Cakes - Caramel flavored? And healthy? Yep.
-Cottage Cheese w/Pineapple - You can get fat free cottage cheese with pineapple in it for less than 150 calories.
-Apples, Oranges, Pears,Pineapple - Turns out I like fruit. Who knew?
-Celery with Cream Cheese or Peanut Butter - You can have several sticks of celery with fat free cream cheese or peanut butter for under 150 calories.
-Dried Fruit Mix - I created a dried fruit mix with dried bananas, dried pineapples, yogurt raisins, dried blueberries, and some cashews for 225 calories.
Let me know if you have any others. I will continue to post more in future posts.
I used to think I was allergic to the gym
I know that I've already said I was a former athlete. With that being said, I never really liked the gym.
A few years ago I got on a fitness kick right before Kevin and I got married. I joined one of those "women's gyms" with a personal trainer and it didn't last. I just didn't have the energy for it.
One of the things that I heard about Body By Vi is that you don't need to exercise and you can still lose weight. I thought, "that sounds great, but that cannot be right. That's impossible." So when we started the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge we were did the right things, made our shakes, ate healthier snacks, and made healthier dinners. Over the first few weeks, with no exercise, the pounds were falling off of both of us.
That's when the funniest thing happened. I realized that I had so much more energy. I was actually antsy to get off the couch (a pretty monumental thing for me) and move. I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth, but, I wanted to work out. I had too much energy to just sit around. Kevin's had a gym membership for awhile (note I said he had a membership, there is a big difference between HAVING a membership and actually USING it.) After week 4 of the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge I was asking Kevin to go to the gym and do a family membership so I can use it too.
Alright, now make sure you are sitting down for this one. Today was one of my off days at the gym. I tried to sit down and watch some TV after dinner. Notice I said TRIED. I had too much energy to just sit there though, I actually got up and decided to do a little at home workout. This would have NEVER happened 6 weeks ago before the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge.
A few years ago I got on a fitness kick right before Kevin and I got married. I joined one of those "women's gyms" with a personal trainer and it didn't last. I just didn't have the energy for it.
One of the things that I heard about Body By Vi is that you don't need to exercise and you can still lose weight. I thought, "that sounds great, but that cannot be right. That's impossible." So when we started the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge we were did the right things, made our shakes, ate healthier snacks, and made healthier dinners. Over the first few weeks, with no exercise, the pounds were falling off of both of us.
That's when the funniest thing happened. I realized that I had so much more energy. I was actually antsy to get off the couch (a pretty monumental thing for me) and move. I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth, but, I wanted to work out. I had too much energy to just sit around. Kevin's had a gym membership for awhile (note I said he had a membership, there is a big difference between HAVING a membership and actually USING it.) After week 4 of the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge I was asking Kevin to go to the gym and do a family membership so I can use it too.
Alright, now make sure you are sitting down for this one. Today was one of my off days at the gym. I tried to sit down and watch some TV after dinner. Notice I said TRIED. I had too much energy to just sit there though, I actually got up and decided to do a little at home workout. This would have NEVER happened 6 weeks ago before the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge.
Do I need to starve myself?
I hear this all the time. People think that because they are going to be hungry all the time. The funny thing, is it is just the opposite. Not only do the Vi-Shape shakes taste really good, they are also very filling.
I know what you're thinking....Ya Right! I was thinking the same thing when my friend told me. I said to myself, "self, there's no way that thing is going to fill me up." But I was wrong. They give you all the nutrition that most people don't normally get in their regular diet. Things like fiber and protein and stuff (I'm clearly not a biochemist or anything.)
All of those nutrients help to keep you full and then you can have snacks in between meals. What Kevin and I do is have a shake for breakfast when we get up, a snack in the mid-morning, a shake for lunch, a snack in the mid-afternoon and then a regular dinner. We never go more than 2-3 hours without eating. Eating so frequently, we don't have time to get hungry.
I know what you're thinking....Ya Right! I was thinking the same thing when my friend told me. I said to myself, "self, there's no way that thing is going to fill me up." But I was wrong. They give you all the nutrition that most people don't normally get in their regular diet. Things like fiber and protein and stuff (I'm clearly not a biochemist or anything.)
All of those nutrients help to keep you full and then you can have snacks in between meals. What Kevin and I do is have a shake for breakfast when we get up, a snack in the mid-morning, a shake for lunch, a snack in the mid-afternoon and then a regular dinner. We never go more than 2-3 hours without eating. Eating so frequently, we don't have time to get hungry.
Who am I and why do I have a blog?
So let me start from the beginning. My name is Emily and I am a part-time tutor and a full time student in my early thirties. After my company went under a few years ago I decided to switch careers, and go back to school to be a middle school teacher. Everyone tells me I'm crazy - why would anyone want to teach math to 12-14 year olds? Maybe I am crazy...but I do.
So what does this have to do with the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge? Well, a few months ago I was approached by a friend of mine who was doing the Challenge and I couldn't believe the results her and her husband were having. My husband and I both wanted to lose weight...we were former athletes who were no longer in, shall we say, "game shape." We had been talking about losing weight but needed that push to get going.
I wish I could say that seeing their results was just the push that we needed, but that's not 100% true. We still went online (probably like you're doing right now) to see what other people had to say. We looked for Body By Vi before and after pictures and people really were getting the same results as our friends.
I would be lying if I said we weren't skeptical at the start. But we figured we would give it a shot....nothing ventured, nothing gained right? When we first got the shake mix in the mail, we were a little unsure if we would be able to do this. Was it really as easy as we were led to believe. Then we tried our first shake and we were sold. It took literally 1 minute to make the shake, and just like everyone else says, it tasted like cake mix. We both said, "wow...we can make this work." And so off we went. We were officially starting the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge.
We are now 45 days into our 90 Day Challenge and people are noticing the results. I have already lost 20 pounds and my husband, Kevin, has lost 25 pounds. Mind you, this is all a result of the changes we were able to make in our eating habits because of the Vi-Shape shakes.
We'll get into more of the specifics of what we have done to lose the weight in future blog posts. I hope you enjoy following along in this journey with Kevin and I.
If you want more information on the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge I invite you to visit my Challenge website at www.ehglass23.myvi.net and join my team.
So what does this have to do with the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge? Well, a few months ago I was approached by a friend of mine who was doing the Challenge and I couldn't believe the results her and her husband were having. My husband and I both wanted to lose weight...we were former athletes who were no longer in, shall we say, "game shape." We had been talking about losing weight but needed that push to get going.
I wish I could say that seeing their results was just the push that we needed, but that's not 100% true. We still went online (probably like you're doing right now) to see what other people had to say. We looked for Body By Vi before and after pictures and people really were getting the same results as our friends.
I would be lying if I said we weren't skeptical at the start. But we figured we would give it a shot....nothing ventured, nothing gained right? When we first got the shake mix in the mail, we were a little unsure if we would be able to do this. Was it really as easy as we were led to believe. Then we tried our first shake and we were sold. It took literally 1 minute to make the shake, and just like everyone else says, it tasted like cake mix. We both said, "wow...we can make this work." And so off we went. We were officially starting the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge.
We are now 45 days into our 90 Day Challenge and people are noticing the results. I have already lost 20 pounds and my husband, Kevin, has lost 25 pounds. Mind you, this is all a result of the changes we were able to make in our eating habits because of the Vi-Shape shakes.
We'll get into more of the specifics of what we have done to lose the weight in future blog posts. I hope you enjoy following along in this journey with Kevin and I.
If you want more information on the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge I invite you to visit my Challenge website at www.ehglass23.myvi.net and join my team.
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