Sunday, February 7, 2010

Um, yeah.

Diets suck. The end.

I don't know what's happened lately but despite the higher number of good days than bad the scale is disagreeing with me on every side. It's just not pretty folks. So I am trying to regather myself and figure out my next step in the fight against fat. In the mean time I am entertaining myself with my true love (besides food and my family), sewing.

Yep, you heard it here. I am an avid sewer and have been cracking out the projects and plan to do more. If I could just sit and sew all day, every day, I would and it would make me oh so happy. So you can only imagine how incredibly happy I was to be told about a great give-a-way today. There is this really neat site (I think I've found another site to stalk) that is giving away not just 1 but 2 Janome machines. www.thediydish.com What I would give for that embroidery machine! So if there is anyone out there following me you should really check it out, and if you happen to win and don't want it I will gladly help you out....

Monday, January 18, 2010

I'm running behind.

I was so busy this weekend that I managed to space getting on on Friday and posting my weigh in results. As of Friday I was at 234.4, I'm down 3 lbs.

I am strictly watching my intake right now and trying to focus on moving more whether it's actual exercise or just up and cleaning even more. I've started reading 'You on a Diet' but haven't had time to get too far on it yet, I do know some of the basics that are in it though from a friend who has managed to read it and from watching Dr. Oz's show. So I've got a good start even though I haven't really gotten in to the info in it yet.

The Diet Tester

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Yep

That's about all I can say right now, yep, I was right, the acai cleanse had an opposite effect once I stopped it. I didn't 'do' anything yesterday and it wasn't until this afternoon I had stomach pains and spent way too long in the bathroom. It's my opinion that no benefit can truly be had from taking such a strong natural stimulant that any other type of product warns not to use too many days in a row for this exact reason. Stick to fiber and water, better for you in the long run.

It's correct to say that I will not be taking another pill form cleanse.

Tomorrow is weigh in day...

The Diet

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

End of Acai Cleanse, my review.

*Warning* Some of the info may be more than some care to hear, read at your own risk.

Well, yesterday I decided to end the Acai Cleanse. I think I may have had a couple of days left on it but it wasn't worth continuing.

The first thing to keep in mind is that one of the main ingredients is a natural laxative so you have to be careful not to use it for longer than recommended or your body can become dependant. That's the same reason the bottle has a warning about making sure to go at least 30 days between cleanses. Because of that I did 'go' more than normal, especially the first week. Man did it seem to be cleaning out my intestines.

After that first week things seemed to become a bit more solid again which was a welcome change to the occasional stomach aches followed by pure liquid. In the last couple of days I noticed that the amnt over all was less and that I even skipped a day in there. That is not right considering I was taking a powerful natural laxative twice a day. Now I'm even a little worried because as my first full day with out taking it I have had no bowel movements and not even a hint that my body wanted to, despite my coffee this morning either. Really hoping that tomorrow fares better or my review will get even worse.

Acai berries are know for their antioxidant properties. All of the commercials running right now are spurting off about their wonder properties but yet I have yet to hear what those properties are or what good they do. I did a little research and the results weren't good. I had planned to C&P the definitions but for some reason my computer doesn't want to let me right now. So instead you're going to have to deal with links.

The first definition of antioxidant. (Britannica.com)
This is one of the easiest definitions of what antioxidants do, they're anti aging I guess.
Here's a slightly different explanation.
And direct from May Clinic's site on the question about benefits of acai berries.

What I gathered from all of that is a lot of nothing really. Between antioxidants and acai berries (yes, I know they are supposed to be one in the same in these pills but they're man made horse pills with who knows what really in them) you shouldn't get older as fast as long as they're natural, if they're man made you could be taking the stuff that helps in the process of making gasoline, but the fiber that the berries themselves offer will help you to crap it all out in the end.

What? It's all good for you? You should be taking supplements daily? Have you ever stopped to think about that statement? Really think about it. Supplements are just that, something artificial created to supplement what your lacking nutrient wise in your own life. You know, I was going to go in to a major rant about this but I've decided to save it for another post because I want to have the time to put a whole slew of info on here showing just how 'beneficial' supplements are.

So, to conclude my review on the Acai Cleanse that I happened to purchase at GNC, don't bother. You can have the same effects by drinking Smooth Move tea (same laxative ingredient) which is less processed and better ingredients all around and be totally cleaned out after doing that for 2 days rather than pills for 2 weeks and then just load up on some good, fresh fruit for the rest. I don't' feel any better after doing it and I don't feel there was any change on the scale that was exceptional. I've been watching my food intake for the most part so I don't know what can be 'blamed' for the 2-3lbs I've lost.

The Diet Tester

Friday, January 8, 2010

hhmmm

Where've I been? Really, I'm asking, do you know where I've been? I think I got lost along the way some where but I'm finding my way again.

Corny? Yep, I think so too but I'm kind of of the mind of just saying what comes to me.

I'm still going with the Acai Cleanse and that's not going bad, but I don't think it's doing any good either. I had actually gained some more weight and was up to 137lbs but am proud to report that as of this morning I'm back down to 135.4lbs. Do I think it has anything to do with the acai? No, I really don't. Will I keep taking it? Yes only because it's a 2 week course and I can't truly say it doesn't do anything if I don't do it the entire set time. The one thing I can say for it though is that it helps to 'clean' you out and after the first couple of days it really just helps to keep you regular, but if you over eat or have heavy fats it 'cleans' even more. My colon ought to look pretty nice after all of this.

In my neck of the woods we are experiencing a serious cold stretch. Normally I would've said cold snap but a snap is fast, this is not going fast but lasting for way too long. I've had knee issues for as long as I can remember, even as a child I had week, water filled, knees and the constant sub-zero temps is not being very kind to me. For this reason I've been limited on just what I can do in way of work outs but I am at least making a point to do some stretches and as many stationary workouts I can do that don't require bending my knees with my full weight on them.

When I looked in the mirror today as I was fixing my hair I realized that I can already see a small change in my face, it doesn't look as puffy which really made me happy.

When it comes to this blog and my posts I've realized that I over-shot in my plan to post results every day. It's not happening. I'm sure I could make a point to do it but in the end it's the fact that all you would read is me saying the same thing over and over, I ate food today, did a minimal work out, not going to weigh again until Friday, blah blah blah. I don't even want to read that dribble every day, I'd rather have better posts every few days that really give some personal insight on the affordable diet options on the market today and how they work for me at least, a real person.

So, now that my acai cleanse is getting closer to it's end and I've started watching what I'm eating more I figure I'll get my mental work out as well and read some good books on nutrition, dieting and exercise. The 3 main books that I have set aside to start on are 'You on a Diet' by Dr Oz, 'Mindless Eating, Why We Eat More Than We Think' by Brian Wansink, and 'Living Yoga, Creating a Life Practice' by Christy Turlington. Each has it's own purpose and merits, the You book is a great book on how to control ourselves and making lifestyle changes rather than being on a diet for the rest of your life. The Mindless book is more o fa perspective and research book on the ingredients in our food that cause us to feel hungry more often and eat more. The Yoga book is actually a background and informational book on the purpose and uses of Yoga as well as instructional on how to do it and to do it right. My reading time can be a bit limited so don't expect huge book reports on all 3 in a week but as I'm reading them I'll try to keep updates on those too and my personal thoughts on them.

So stayed tuned until next time my fellow dieters!

The Diet Tester

Friday, January 1, 2010

I'm fat!

It's one of those days, I'm fat and miserable and I wallowed in it.

I once again quit taking the Slim Quick after just a couple of days because it was giving me horrible stomach cramps and diarrhea. I need to go to their website and see if there are any other 'warnings' and if it was maybe something else I was eating/drinking or just my body not getting along with it.

I weighed myself today too, what a disappointment. I didn't expect any loss really but was hopeful, instead I was up. I didn't weigh in this morning right away so I am trying to tell myself that that played a bigger role than I know it did. 237.4, that was what I saw.

I have an acai cleanse that I've been debating on trying and I think that's my next step in an aide.

Discovery Health is also running a National Body Challenge that is a great, and free, option to help keep things running. I am keeping track of the menus that will work for me and their calorie/nutritional info as well as the exercise plans. They also have a full community section where you can connect with others, get help with things and support each other. I haven't taken advantage of the community part yet but I'm sure I will in the future.

Off to a new start, again, tomorrow in hopes that I won't have to buy yet another pair of pants in another size larger.

The Diet Tester

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

SlimQuick All Natural

I didn't start the SlimQuick yesterday as planned because I wasn't feeling well and wanted a clear look at how I will react to it, so today was the day.

I took my first dose this morning and will be taking another one shortly. There is a lot of caffeine in each dose so I opted to skip my coffee this morning as I think it was the combo and having too much in my body that caused the stomach issues the last time I took it. I am not really craving the caffeine in it but the warm and yummy goodness of it so this is really hard for me.

I am going to compromise with myself in just a bit though, I will take my next dose with the required water and then I'm going to make some tea that is either caffeine free or at least a low dose so I can get some warm yumminess and feel satisfied.

The Diet Tester