"You glow!" "So slim!" "You're skin is so clear." "You look SO much healthier..."
Yes, my Life Candy peeps, I got all of those compliments -- and more! -- every since I started my very first ever
Isagenix 30-day cleanse.
OMG, I wish I could tell you
exactly how awesome it's been. I'm going to try. And I'm INCREDIBLY EXCITED about all of this, so I may just start to sound like some crazy televangelist. If I do, please don't hurt me. Or hate me. Or throw chips and cinnamon buns at me, because I won't eat them, and they'll just make a big mess on my floor.
Okay, before I scare you with my Before/After pics, I need to tell you that, if y'all want the complete rundown of my experiences during these past 30 days, just scroll down to the bottom of this post for links to all the cleanse posts.
Alright, here we go.
BEFORE
I'm nervous. Seriously, as I contemplate pushing the "Publish" button, I can't feel my legs. And the reason is because, before I did this cleanse, everyone thought I was "just fine", "normal looking", and "didn't have to lose any weight".
No one knew the truth about the steaming unhealthy mess I hid all these years. Under parkas. Under black "slimming" clothes. Under the sweaters. Under baggy clothes. When I'm sucking in until I'm blue in the face!
Seriously, with all those misconceptions, the sight of my Before pic may come as a shock. Or cause a coronary. You may want to have a paramedic nearby.
Oh, I certainly could be worse -- I'm not 200 pounds. But when
your doctor strongly suggests you do a cleanse,
you're likely not the 110 pound waif everyone seems to think you are.
Okay. Go ahead -- you'll see what I mean...
chest: 38 inches
waist: 39 inches
hips: 39 inches
weight: 147 pounds
(This pic was taken on Jan. 7 -- 5 days after my official start -- although my measurements were taken on Dec. 31.)
I, the old Nenette,...
- had excess belly fat (from the side, I looked about 8 months pregnant) and swollen extremities.
- experienced disabling monthly discomfort and heavy bleeding that led to surgery that ultimately didn't help.
- couldn't pull my shirt down completely over my belly.
- couldn't button up my pants. Good grief, they couldn't even meet in the middle! They're open and resting under my belly.
- was wide enough to make my head look tiny. Seriously, look at me!
- had a facial complexion that looked dull and rather dark.
And the real kicker is that
I'm sucking in my stomach in this picture!!!
AFTER 30 DAYS
chest: 37 inches (-1 inch)
waist: 35.25 inches (-3.75 inches)
hips: 36.5 inches (-2.5 inches)
weight: 132 pounds (-15 pounds)
If you include my neck, arms, and leg measurements, I actually
lost a total of over 18 inches of fat.
I, the new Nenette,...
- can now pull the shirt down completely over my belly.
- despite the bit of a remaining muffin-top, can now completely button up my pants!
- fit into a size 8 jean again. Oh, wait, those jeans in the pic are size 7!
- can now put on the wedding ring I couldn't wear since 2009. I almost cried when I put it on.
-
didn't take ibuprofen during my last period. In fact, I almost didn't know I was getting my period.
- look like I have a huge head in this pic because
my body is slimmer in comparison.
- have enough energy to run with my kids.
- sleep like a rock.
- feel calm and mellow ALL THE TIME (except, of course, when my kids act like monkeys on caffeine and uppers. Armed with boxing gloves and spears.).
ME TIME
Above and beyond the notable physical change has been
the mental shift. It's like someone took my brain, spit-shined it (in the most hygienic way possible, of course), snapped it back in place, and threw some Tabasco
® sauce on it.
It burns! It burns!... but in a good way.
How I look at my life has changed, and my self-worth has definitely increased. Good stuff in, bad stuff out...
- My time has become extremely important to me, and I've removed as many existing commitments and time-wasters as I could. Also, I'm finding the word "No" much easier to say these days.
- I only surround myself with people who support and uplift me. I've also removed many of the energy vampires from my life.
- I'm decluttering my house much more easily. Once I got the clutter out of my body, it got easier to get the crap -- that I've been toiling with little-by-little for YEARS -- out of my house.
- I take care of my appearance more. I wear makeup -- my makeup lingerie, of course! The nails I used to just cut and clean are now buffed and shaped. I'm embracing the "Naked Sexy" style coined by my friend Sly that I used to wear back in my 20s and early 30s. And, oh for heaven's sake, I coloured my hair! I hate it, but I thought I'd try it out. Someone once told me I'd look younger if I did -- I don't see any difference actually.
- I have healthy habits. I crave healthy stuff like salad, fish, and slow cooked lean meat. I drink a ton of water now. I exercise for half an hour every day. I EAT LESS!
MOVING FORWARD
Am I done? No. This 30-day cleanse was just a kickstart to a healthier future...
- For a small-boned woman with a height of 5'3", I'd like to hit 115-120 pounds or a bodyfat percentage of 21%, which ever comes first. Obviously, I'm not there yet.
- I'm still 3 inches away from my goal waist-size of 32 inches, which will, according to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, take me out of the high-risk zone for high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. (To determine your risk, go to their page and find your magic number.)
- Fitness is my goal... more muscle, strength, stamina, endurance.
REVIEW: ISAGENIX PROGRAM
What did I think about this 30-day cleanse?
1: My favourite thing about this program is that
it taught me how to incorporate healthy habits into my lifestyle, because I had to follow a relatively strict feeding schedule. I'm serious.
They had me on a schedule. Which was great because it maximized my results and took the thinking (and stressing) out of my hands.
Let's face it, we all know what we have to do to live healthy, but do we do it?! Um, NO!
This program essentially
forced me to do it. All of it. And now...
- I'm addicted to water.
- I feel full on less food. Plus, I'm aware of everything I eat instead of blindly shoveling food in my mouth.
- Thanks to our coaches -- yes, all Isapeeps have coaches who've been through the program -- I exercise for 30 minutes a day. (Okay, I still have to work on consistency, but I don't see it as torture anymore!)
Staying healthy is all up to me. Isagenix helped get me close. It's up to me to stay there.
2: I love that it doesn't chain me to my toilet or make me smell like a hobo. This is NOT a colon cleanse. It cleanses cellularly (is that a word?). Then I had "asparagus pee" the entire month -- you know, the weird smell your urine takes on after you've had asparagus. But, yeah, compared to explosive diarrhea and stink-oozing pores, I'm happy with asparagus pee... and the lovely soft clear skin I have as a result!
3: I like that it's basically plug-n-play nutrition -- quick and convenient. The various components of the cleanse are either in pill form, bar form, pre-mixed liquid form, or "just add water" because everything is balanced in terms of carbs/fats/proteins. When it came to the shakes, I didn't have to add anything to "complete" it. I just added water, and I had my 240 calorie breakfast shake. This is awesome for "Nenette the Spaz"!
4: At $3.50 for one shake/meal that I would take for breakfast, it's reasonably priced. Which is great because I'm so cheap thrifty. Ahem. And the supplements made me feel really great, which I just can't put a price on. Besides, because I didn't eat much during my cleanse, my grocery bill was noticeably smaller, offsetting the cost of the cleanse so, budget-wise, I came out pretty even.
5: I've been eating
Primally/Paleo for years, sticking to real foods, avoiding HFCS and artificial sweeteners, choosing organic wherever I can, etc. Still, I think
I'm more nourished now with these products than I ever have been before. Seriously, my energy is unreal! Not only are their supplements complete with vitamins, nutrients, and botanicals, they make sure they are also bio-available and easily absorbed by the body. I totally think this is the case especially with their Ionix supplement, which gives me an energy boost, as well as relaxes me at night.
6: As I mentioned, I try to do organic and natural wherever I can, so I was pleased to learn that most ingredients in these products are properly sourced. The shake is made with un-denatured whey protein from grassfed cows so their enzymes are intact. No hormones or antibiotics, and non-GMO.
7: Their products taste good! I love their shakes -- chocolate's my favourite. The cleanse drink tastes like Kool-Aid (yet has the power to make my skin glow and feel as soft as a baby's bum. I'm so not kidding!). The IsaLean Bars are a delicious chocolate treat that are an excellent meal replacement and will be hidden from my family who will snarf them down like crazy people. And they aren't even as awesome as the IsaDelights, which are a dark chocolate treat with an infusion of green tea.
8: This stuff works -- painlessly. As you can see in my results, they totally do something positive. And I didn't feel like I was torturing myself, depriving myself, or doing anything evil. I followed the program closely, and I got what I hoped. But that was the key -- following the program instead of improvising or doing what I felt like doing.
MY 30-DAY CLEANSE POSTS
THANK YOU
More than anything else, I'd like to thank Roomie, the kids, my family, friends, fellow-Isapeeps, and coaches -- especially my dear friend Sly who got me on this in the first place -- for all of your love and support through this incredible journey. Especially those who had no idea what I was even doing. Your trust in me -- that I was smart enough to do the research and choose what was best for myself -- meant so much.
You all had a part in my better health and my quest to be around long enough to play with my great-grandkids! :)
Well, folks, that's my story!
If you want to do it too, just
send me an email, and I'll hook you up and help you through it all from the beginning to the end of your journey. Or you can check out all the products and even sign up online
through this link. I'll be there with you to answer questions, give you tips, and hold your hand if need be.
Stay well, my darling readers. (Back to regularly scheduled awesomeness...)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also submitted to my friend Bruna's Let's BEE Friends...
Hi. I'm 
