When You Want to Exercise But Your Body is Having None Of It!

I know...I haven't blogged in awhile.  At least not on this blog.  And there's really no excuse...though I could give you a few.  I've just been very frustrated lately and didn't feel I had anything of value to say.  But the truth of the matter is that I've been on a bit of a roller coaster with my weight loss, mostly downhill (and not in a good way).  \

My last post was in October...it's now March, that alone should tell you something.  In October, I was starting to give up on myself.  You know...the old excuses...Halloween candy, Thanksgiving, Christmas...too many temptations to overcome.  Not to mention, I was buying sugar laden flavored popcorn by the Sam's Club bagfulls just so I could get enough cloth Santa sacks (that they came in) for all my kiddos at Christmas.  Ya know, because that would make Christmas morning a little more Pintresty...I've always wanted to be a Pinterest Mom.  ;)  But to be honest with you, I really didn't even WANT to try to eat healthy.  Sure...I wanted to BE healthy, but I just didn't want to do the work necessary to get there.  I'm not sure I even believed I could...after all, I've tried for several decades and never really been successful.

Then a friend talked me into a BeachBody challenge in January.  I love a good challenge & felt like it was exactly what I needed to get motivated.  And it was!  I was drinking the Shakology and loving it.  I was eating healthy.  AND...biggest surprise of all, I was exercising and ENJOYING it!!!  Not since the time my cousin was my exercise buddy could I say "exercise" and "enjoy" in the same sentence! And even then, it was the time with my cousin that I enjoyed, not really the exercise.  ;)  But I really did enjoy the BeachBody exercise video...and my little kids loved doing it with me!

BUT...one day while exercising, I heard a "pop" and felt a sharp pain in my knee.  I had to sit down immediately.  The pain didn't last long, so I got up and kept going.  And I kept going.  And sometimes I even pushed past the pain.  But the pain never fully went away, so I checked with my doctor & she suggested I rest it for awhile (I actually got doctor's orders NOT to exercise!), take some ibuprofen and see how it did.  I'd like to say that was all it needed...but it didn't.  It still hurts when I stand up after having sat for awhile and I have to limp for awhile before I can walk normally.  Sometimes it will lock up on me while I'm walking and I end up walking like I've got a peg leg.  And the pain is worse.  So, last Thursday found me back in the doctor's office...this time with a different diagnosis.  She suspects a meniscal tear.  YIKES!  I will go for an MRI on Saturday & then follow up with an orthopedic doctor.  I'm praying this doesn't mean surgery...ain't nobody got time for that in this house!

I'm REALLY bummed!  Did I really just say that about not being able to exercise?  Why yes, yes I did!  And I'll tell you why.  I had a goal of losing a lot of weight by October...and I'm not making much progress.  Why October, you might ask?  Well, my hubby has a conference for work in Orlando that month and the kids and I always go with him on these work trips.  We are hoping to be able to do some fun things with the kids while we are there and I really don't want to be so big that I can't fully enjoy our time there...or to be physically unable to do some of the things we have planned.  So...if you are still following my blog, please pray for my knee to heal quickly and for me to find the motivation to eat healthy during this time.  When I'm exercising, the motivation to eat well is so much easier.  Pretty sure that's because I don't want to undo all the hard work I've just done!  ;)

Three Little Words

It was supposed to be a fun thing that showed up in my Facebook newsfeed.  A word search with a jumble of letters...first three words you find describe you.  The puzzle is at the top of this blog post...what do YOU see first?  My eyes first landed on:

Fat.  Bad.  Broken.

And what's really scary is that is exactly how I'm feeling about myself right now.  I'm totally disgusted with myself.  I keep trying to make changes...and I keep failing.  Two steps forward, three back.  I feel like I'm totally broken.  I'm not giving up...but I'm just so sick of failing.

Today was the epitome of those feelings.  A friend was having one of those home parties where you go and buy stuff.  Kinda like Tupperware or Pampered Chef...but this was clothes.  Leggings, to be exact.  Leggings & skirts with tops to go with them.  They are very cute...if you are a normal sized person.  Leggings are just not for people my size.  And under normal circumstances, I would have avoided this type of party like the plague.

The invite to the party said you didn't have to buy anything just come out and have fun...and chance for moms to get together and let the kids play.  And so I went for the sake of my children...a chance to get my homeschooler socialized.  LOL!  I figured I might look at the tops maybe.  But I was mostly going for the fellowship.  I looked at a few things, but didn't find anything I really liked and fit in my budget.  My friend kept encouraging me to try some leggings on.  She singled me out and wouldn't let it drop until I tried them on despite my polite protests.  I was beyond uncomfortable...but I went along with it so as not to make a scene and draw even more attention to myself.  And once in the safety of the make-shift dressing room, my horrors were confirmed.  I could not even get the leggings on.  I redressed in the outfit I'd worn to the party and quietly put the items away and found a place to sit, hoping no one would notice me.  Everything in me wanted to flee at that moment, but I knew I could not do that without making a scene since my boys were spread out over the play area.  Though I'd hope to sit there without being noticed, it was not to be.  Another friends saw my feelings sitting on my sleeve and asked if I was ok.  I simply nodded and held up my hand with a desperate hope that she would allow me to regain my composure.  She did.

 My friend having the party, however, comes over and says, "SOOOO...how did it go?"  I quietly told her I could not wear them, hoping that would be the end of it.  It wasn't.  "Well, WHY not?!?" my friend pried.  I'm sure my cheeks flushed a bright crimson as tears began to well up in my eyes.  "Because I can't get them on my fat body" I said in my defeat.  The tears began to fall and the scene I desperately wanted to avoid became a reality as others began to notice and circled around me.  

To my friend's credit, she did come to me later and apologize.  She's one of those people who can't possibly understand what it is like.  She's one of those ultra healthy people who drinks raw milk and eats seaweed.  She's never experienced my struggle.  I'm sure she has struggles of her own.  But the struggle of food addiction, like miscarriage or infertility, can only truly be understood by those who have experienced it themselves.

Even though I'd seen that crossword and found those words several days before this incident, I couldn't have felt more fat, more bad, more broken than I did at that moment.  I hate myself for what I've allowed my body to become...and yet, I feel powerless to change it.  In the women's Bible study group at my church, we've been studying the book of Romans and a verse in chapter 7 describes me and my relationship with food perfectly:

"For I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate...For I have a desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing."  ~Romans 7:15, 18-19

I know the right things to do.  I know I should eat less and exercise more.  I know I should eat healthier foods.  I know I should avoid sodas.  I know, I know, I know...I should, I should, I should.  It's not a lack of knowledge...it's a battle within myself.  I know the right thing to do, but the addiction lies to me and tells me one more time won't hurt, we'll start again.  And so I give in...or I spend hours fighting the craving.  Either way, I feel like I lose.

Please pray for me.   God is the ONLY one who is able to fix this in me.

Falling Off The Wagon and Getting Back On...It's A Daily Struggle!

If you read my last blog post, you know my struggle with weight has been a life-long one, and a daily one as well.  Sometimes it's a minute by minute struggle.  But the difference now from where I was a couple years ago is that the time between falling off the wagon and when I get back on is becoming hours rather than days, weeks, months, or years.  Oh...and I've also decided I'm no longer ON A DIET.  No, I don't just eat whatever I want, whenever I want it.  I'm just changing my mindset.  In the past, a diet was something I went on to lose weight, struggled through it as long as I possibly could, all the while looking forward to the day when the diet was OVER so I could eat whatever I wanted. Which would lead to weight gain...and eventually the cycle would repeat itself.  I believe they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result every time.  So...I guess that makes dieting a pretty insane thing to do, huh?

As far as diets, I've pretty much done (and failed) them all...Weight Watchers (failed that 3 or 4 times, at least), Adkins, cabbage soup diet, any diet I found in a magazine or a friend was doing at the time that might possibly work...I think the craziest one I went on was the Sour Kraut Diet (and I was probably all of maybe 12 or 13 when I did that one).  I don't remember all the details about the diet or even if that was the official name of it, but I do remember it involved drinking 4oz of sour kraut juice 2-3 times per day.  Now, I like sour kraut...on a hot dog!  But not the juice...until it promised to melt pounds off my overweight body (which probably wasn't quite as overweight as I thought it was at the time, especially as I look back on it with wiser eyes set in a face far chubbier than my preteen self could have ever been)! It's a wonder I still love sour kraut today (but only on my hot dog or reuben sandwich...never the juice)!  Shoot...I even tried starving myself once.  I was 17 and desperately wanted to go on a church trip but my mother wasn't keen on the location.  My dad made an off-handed comment saying that if I could lose 20 pounds in the next two weeks, I could do it.  I took him at his word and survived on mostly peppermint candies and water for the next two weeks!  AND...I lost 22 pounds!!!  I'm sure he made that comment thinking that it wasn't possible & would get me off their backs about it...but he totally underestimated my willingness to do whatever it took to go on that trip!  By the way, I did get to go on the trip!  ;)

So...why do I tell you this?  Because I've tried it all...and I've failed it all.  Even the most successful program I've done, First Place - a faith based weight loss program that I would describe as Bible study meets Weight Watchers.  I was successful for awhile...long enough to lose 80 POUNDS!  I attribute this success to my cousin Kathy who was a huge cheerleader for me at the time.  Very much like me, Kathy had also struggled with her weight as a child.  But very much unlike me, she had become victorious over her weight issue in her childhood.  Shortly after her daughter was born, she and I began to take walks together while pushing her daughter in the stroller (I was single at the time and we lived close to each other).  While we walked, we talked about life.  She knew I was unhappy with my weight issue (this was around the time the picture was taken that I mentioned in my previous post), but she never once made me feel guilty or ashamed.  On one of these walks, she mentioned that she and another lady from our church were starting a new weight loss program at our church and asked if I'd be interested in being a part of the group.  I agreed, not knowing what to expect, but wanting to be a part of whatever my cousin was doing at that time (not to mention, the idea of losing weight was enticing, too)!

Each week, we kept track of what we ate (following the diabetic exchanges meal plan) on forms that we turned in each week when we weighed in privately with the leaders.  Then we all met together for Bible study and a time of sharing successes & challenges of the week, as well as prayer requests.  The other lady was in charge of the Bible study and my cousin was in charge of the weight loss portion.  Kathy made comments on our weekly food journals and then gave them back.  Sometimes she made suggestions for changes we could make (such as eating only 10 fries instead of a whole order), sometimes the comments were to celebrate something we'd done right (even when we think eating a few goldfish while serving in the church nursery was a bad thing but she noticed I actually had exchanges for it), sometimes they were challenges for something to push us along (one of mine was to go a whole week without eating any french fries)...but always the comments were positive!  I flourished in this environment.  For once, I wasn't berated for my failures...just given ideas for how to keep them from happening again.

Throughout the program, my cousin and I continued to exercise together...eventually moving from stroller walks through her neighborhood to the treadmill at the YMCA.  That way, we could each move at our own speed (she ran, I walked) but still be together.  This actually pushed me to walk faster, with a goal of eventually matching her speed.  Unfortunately, I never made that goal.  After I'd lost about 80 pounds on the program, Kathy's husband's job moved them a couple hours away and not long after that, I moved to Florida.  It was in Florida that the fateful picture was found by the cousin I was living with at the time and the comment that still haunts me today was made.  And little by little, my willingness to persevere dropped away and the pounds slowly crept back on.  As I mentioned in the previous post, my cousin that I was now living with had never faced a weight issue, so she didn't really know how to help me and after her comment, my self-confidence plummeted.  Not to mention, that year was probably the hardest year of my life in so many areas...and when a food addict is stressing out, the first thing we do is look for food to calm our nerves.  And that's exactly what I did.

So...here I am, doing my Trim Healthy Mama thing, taking my Plexus (which, now that I understand better how it is supposed to help me is actually helping!), and doing the best I can...one meal/snack at a time!  I have fallen off that diet wagon more times than I care to count...so now, I'm trying a new wagon.  A healthy eating wagon...and no matter how many times I fall off, I am determined to get back up until I'm so secure in that wagon that falling off will just become a distant, painful memory of what I used to do!  :)

Food Addict

I haven't blogged here for awhile...mostly because I've felt like an absolute failure.  It's not Plexus or any other weight loss product or program that has failed me.  It's me.  I can NOT stay away from food.  And if you are going to eat past the point of feeling full (like, Thanksgiving-loose pants-lay on the floor full), then no weight loss product is going to work for you.  You have to be willing to listen to your body's full signals and STOP PUTTING FOOD IN YOUR MOUTH.  This is where I fail.  If the food tastes good and/or it might not be there for me later, I will eat it...and continue eating it until I literally cannot put another bite in my mouth without throwing up (unless I'm in public or around others, then I'll try to stay to eating a polite amount of food...but then there's always a chance I might binge later to make up for it).  I fight this ALL THE TIME...but I don't always win.  In fact, I lose the battle more often than I win.  And that's WHY I'm in the condition I'm in.

Hi.  My name is Kara.  I'm addicted to food.

Food feeds not only my body, but also my emotions.  When I think of my "happy place," I think of my grandmother's dining room table.  Sitting at that large, antique, wood table with the claw feet and high back chairs, all seemed right with the world.  It's the place where our extended family gathered for Sunday dinners and holidays...and everyone was almost always in a good mood.  It's where I sat with my grandparents for meals when my mother and I lived there for a short time between her divorce/remarriage and whenever I slept over (which I did as often as I could).  The smells of home-cooked meals my grandmother prepared for the family still make their way through my memory bank today even though my grandmother passed away several years ago.  My grandmother showed her love through food.  Her answer to every problem was food.  Feeling cranky?  You must be hungry, have a snack.  Kids acting up?  They must be hungry...here, feed them.  Feeling mad, angry, sad?  You must be hungry...have a cookie!  I don't blame my grandmother at all.  I know she was only trying to help.  Like me, her love language was food.

Does that mean I'm doomed to be overweight?  No...I don't think it does.  Sure...I could take it on as my excuse and that would make life easier.  Well, not really.  It would enable me to simply indulge in all my favorites and continue down the food addiction road, but like any addiction, it would cause (actually, has caused) me more problems than it ever solved.  Sure...an ice cream cone can melt away the anger, hurt, frustration in the moment...but it also adds numbers to the scale, which brings on other problems.  I am currently at my highest weight...a weight I NEVER thought I would EVER weigh...a weight I'm too ashamed to put into writing.  A weight that's at least 50 pounds heavier than I was in the picture my cousin, whom I was living with at the time after losing about 80 pounds, said that she didn't know if she could love me at that weight.  I don't think she understood what an impact her statement had on me.  She never really struggled with weight a day in her life.  But, I hear that statement in my head all the time and am actually thankful she can't see me now.  And every time someone rejects me or overlooks me, I am sure it's because of my weight.  It might not be the real reason...but it has become my reality.  And I start to think if only I could kick this food addiction and lose weight, my life would be better.  And in some ways, it will.

Being overweight...especially THIS overweight really gets in the way of how I'd like to live my life.  My body hurts, especially my knees.  I get out of breath walking down the driveway.  I can't fit into clothes well.  I can't be outside in the Florida heat for more than 5 seconds without sweating.  I won't even attempt to fit into places that have a potential of being too tight.  I've been embarrassed trying to fit into booths where the seats and table don't move before, so I don't sit in booths.  As much as I'd love to take my kids to a theme park and the local fair, I know I'll avoid the rides like the plague because there's a chance I won't fit properly and be asked to get off.  I can't enjoy doing things with my kids because getting on the floor (and trying to get back up) is too uncomfortable.  Doing much of anything is becoming too uncomfortable...and it makes me mad!

Who am I mad at?  Me, of course.  I'm mad because I let myself get this big.  I'm mad because I can't seem to say no to food without a major inner struggle.  Seriously.  I was at a women's Bible study a few weeks ago and someone at our table brought two boxes of Dunkin Donuts and I literally sat there the full two hours obsessing over those donuts and fighting with myself about not eating them.  Sure, I succeeded...at least in avoiding eating the donuts...but I couldn't tell you one thing that was taught at that Bible study.  And I completely obsessed about Dunkin Donuts after that...until I had one.  The funny thing is Dunkin isn't even my favorite type of donut.  Had it been hot & fresh Krispy Kreme, well...let's just say it would have been all over in 2 seconds.  And there wasn't even my favorite type of DD donut, boston creme, in the box.  But I felt like a strung out junkie in the throws of withdrawal staring at her next "fix."  And, I guess I was.

So...for several weeks now, I've been trying to follow the Trim Healthy Mama plan.  "Try" being the operative word here.  I have yet to make it a full week on plan...shoot, I don't think I've even made it a full day on plan.  But the beauty of this plan is that their motto is if you mess up, try again in 3 hours.  See...it takes your body 3 hours to process what you've eaten.  It will either process it as energy or fat, or some combo of the two, but nonetheless, it's processed.  So...you start again.  No more thoughts of, "Well, I've blown it...might as well enjoy whatever I can the rest of the day and try tomorrow...or next Monday...or next blue moon..."  You get the picture.  So, I keep trying.  And some day, I'll get it.  Thankfully, I have friends who are helping me because they are doing this too...and so, I'll keep trying.

As part of my accountability, I'm going to start blogging my journey again.  I don't know if anyone will even read this other than me...but I need to start doing something to get the thoughts out of my head and onto paper...er, computer.  LOL!  So...here it is.  If you're reading this, leave a comment and let me know.  :)  If you've ever struggled with food addiction, let me know.  If you're still struggling, let me know that, too...we can pray for each other.  If, like my cousin, you've never faced this struggle before, hopefully this will help you to understand the pain & struggle of your friend or family member that is facing it better.  :)

A Better Way

For most of my life, when others have talked about foods they can't have on a diet I have either been right there joining in the conversation with them...or feeling guilty that I'm not currently on a diet, knowing I need to lose weight.  Well, not any more...I have found a BETTER way!  :)  And it doesn't involve counting calories or fat grams, a list of forbidden or limited foods, "cheat" days, or hours at the gym!  I've said it before, and I'll say it again...it is BY FAR the easiest AND most effective thing I have EVER done to lose weight!  :)

The above picture is a perfect example of what happened with me this past Thursday night!  I was helping out at an event at our church, serving pizza before the event.  Next to me was a lady whom most would never imagine was on a diet or even needed to be...but as the night went on, I realized she was because she was talking with one of the other ladies from our church about the diet they were both currently on...one that involves powdered and/or pre-packaged meals and apparently (by what I gleaned from their conversation), only allowed ONE "cheat meal" per MONTH!!!  I have been on diets like this...and I can tell you from experience, there's nothing in me that would ever want to try that kind of diet again!  Just way too much temptation (which is something I don't deal well with), which means that the risk of failure is WAY too high!  All the while, we are serving pizza to those in attendance at the event...which means handling it (with gloves on), smelling it, seeing it...all those things that tempt the most.  When we were done serving, the other lady walked away, most likely feeling deprived...while I grabbed a slice of cheese pizza.  With the meal came 2 slices of pizza, chips and a drink.  I did have one more slice of pizza (because I don't like the edges, part of my first slice was still on my plate & later went in the trash) and a bottle of water...but that was it!  Once I had my almost 2 slices of pizza, I was completely satisfied and had NO desire for the chips (or anything else for that matter)...and neither did I feel the desire to have anything to eat once I got home after the event (which was several hours later).  AND...I lost weight!  :)

In fact, I've lost almost a full 4 pounds since my last blog post!  I am now at 27.4 pounds lost...I have now lost TWO POUNDS MORE weight than my 15-month old weighs!  It's not a fast weight loss, I'm averaging about a pound a week at this point (sometimes more, sometimes less)...but everything I've every heard or read about weight loss says that the healthiest (and most lasting) way to lose weight is to lose an average of 1-2 pounds per week.  So...I'm still on track!  :)  This is no fad diet!  It's not even a diet in the weight-loss sense of the word!  If I want pizza, I eat pizza (granted, I eat a lot less of it than I used to...but that's a GOOD thing)!  If I want cookies, I eat cookies.  NOTHING is forbidden and is only limited by me paying attention to my body's signals.  When I feel satisfied, I stop eating.  Of course, if I eat past the full point, I'm not going to lose weight.  This isn't a miracle pill where I could continuously eat more than my body needs and still lose weight...it just helps me to listen to my body's signals better by taking away the cravings and keeps me from feeling deprived.  As a result, food no longer has the control over me that it used to have, and I lose weight.  As far as I'm concerned, that's a win-win!

There are people taking Plexus that lose weight a lot faster than I am and a few that lose it a little slower.  Everyone's body is different...and that's OK.  That's exactly why you see on every weight loss product advertised with testimonials the disclaimer "results not typical, your experience may vary."  They do this to cover themselves.  They can't promise you will lose 30 pounds in 30 days because everyone is different.  By the same token, Plexus doesn't promise anything crazy like that, either.  BUT they do offer you a 60-day MONEY-BACK guarantee if you aren't satisfied for ANY reason!  I haven't seen too many other weight loss products offer that kind of guarantee!  Some offer a couple of weeks, maybe even as much as 30 days, but most offer no guarantee at all!  With 60 days, you have two whole months to see for yourself how Plexus works for you!  :)

I do sell the products...but I only do that because I believe in them and have seen the results myself!  I will not sell anything that I feel isn't a good value for the money...I don't believe in taking advantage of someone else just for the sake of a sale.  But, when I consider how much my health and energy has improved since starting Plexus, I can tell you, it's worth EVERY penny we spend on it!  I originally started selling Plexus simply so that I could buy it at wholesale...but when others started seeing how it was working for me, they wanted to know what I was doing and how they could get it, too.  And so...I started selling to others!  Now, I have two other people on my team who are doing what I do...getting their own product at a discount, and one of them has had such success she has long passed me!  :)  I love that I get to help others make something better of their lives by getting healthy, and for those who want it, earning an extra paycheck every month!  :)  If you are interested in Plexus, let me know!  You can order the products directly from my website (www.plexusslim.com/karaj) and they will be shipped to you in a few days.  If you'd like to know how you can order them at wholesale and even earn an extra paycheck by helping others, just contact me at karaj.plexus@gmail.com and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have and help you get started!  :)

Best Thing I Have EVER Done To Lose Weight!

Yes, I know...it has been a whole month since I last wrote my blog.  No, it's not because I stopped losing weight...it's just that life has been busy and I've been spending more time with family and less time on the computer.  As I mentioned last time, I watched the little guy I used to babysit for a week and then our homeschooling year began...and it's a busy one!  My 4th grader and I are both working on Memory Master with our Classical Conversations group...this means we will be memorizing 161 timeline events, as well as 24 weeks worth of History, English Grammar, Geography, Latin, Science, and Math memory work...and will recite it all at the end of the school year!  In addition to that, he is also taking the Essentials class that is part of Classical Conversations.  It's an intense Language Arts and Math program that will further prepare him for Challenge when he reaches 7th grade.  :)  So needless to say, that's where a chunk of my attention goes...not to mention my almost-15-month-old (and he demands as much Momma-time as he can get)!  ;)

So...that's why I haven't been writing...unlike previous times when I stopped writing because I stopped losing.  ;)  In fact, I'm now at 23.6 pounds lost!  I've said it before...and I'll say it again...this is BY FAR the EASIEST and MOST EFFECTIVE thing I have ***EVER*** done to lose weight!!!  Only twice in my lifetime have I lost more than I have this time around...and both times, I was strictly following a diet plan and exercising 5+ days per week!  And BOTH times, when I stopped exercising & dieting, I gained every pound I'd lost and then some...and much faster than I'd taken it off, too!

But with Plexus, I'm not following any strict diet plan, not counting calories or points, not watching fat grams, not suffering through fat-free and low-fat versions of foods just so I can stay within my food plan, not giving up the foods I love...and what's even better, no longer struggling with cravings!  What I AM doing is eating foods I love when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm full...and not eating if I'm not hungry!  I am continually amazed at how little amount of food fills me up sometimes!  Earlier this week, I went out to eat with a friend a restaurant famous for their wings.  My usual order at this restaurant is 10 boneless wings with fries and a side salad...and I've never had any problem finishing it...usually would even go for ice cream or something afterwards!  But, this night, it was 50 cent boneless wings night...so I just ordered 10 wings and a side salad.  I ate my salad and a few of the wings and felt completely stuffed, so I took the rest home.  It wasn't until I got home that I checked how many wings I had left and realized I had only eaten FOUR wings before feeling very full...and I didn't even get fries!  Today was another example...I wasn't very hungry at breakfast, so I just had coffee (I don't become human without my coffee!)...then when I went to do my grocery shopping, I realized I was hungry, so I got a chicken tender wrap (one of my favorites) at the Publix deli.  I sat down to eat it and after finishing half of it, realized I was full!  I didn't even have chips or anything with it (other than my Plexus drink)!  About 3 hours later, I realized I was hungry again, and finished the other half...and was completely satisfied!  SOOOO not like me before Plexus!  I'm still retraining my brain to pay attention to my stomach's signals...so, sometimes I eat too much before I realize it...and feel Thanksgiving-Dinner-full on less food than I would have normally eaten!

Another thing that still amazes me is that this former Diet-Coke-a-holic no longer likes the taste of Diet Coke or any other soda, for that matter!  I used to buy a 6-pack of 20-oz. bottles at the grocery store every week, not to mention all the Diet Coke I would drink when eating out, pulling through the drive-thru, or going somewhere like Target's Cafe.  Well, today, we cleaned out the fridge and found 5 Diet Cokes that expired in April...which was when I started taking Plexus!  I just don't care for them anymore!  And what's even more amazing...this formerly water-phobic girl (i.e. wouldn't drink water unless it was the only option or necessary for saving money) now CRAVES WATER!!!!  WHAT?!?!  Yep...I actually PREFER to drink water over any other beverage!  Occasionally, I'll have an unsweet tea or I'll put either lemon juice or Crystal Light in my water...but for the most part, I drink it plain...just ice and water!  :)

Also, the other two times I lost a significant amount of weight, I was serious about exercise!  The most weight I've ever lost was 80 pounds on a program through my church called First Place.  My cousin (who is an exercise fanatic) had already had me walking with her and became my personal weight-loss coach!  I loved hanging out with her, so the exercise didn't seem so bad.  We started by walking around her neighborhood (pushing her little girl in the stroller) several times a week...and eventually progressed to working out at the YMCA five days a week in the wee hours of the morning (this is when I discovered that 5 o'clock does indeed come twice a day)!  ;)  I did great with it all...until my cousin moved a couple hours away, and I eventually moved to a different state.  Slowly, the weight came creeping back on (though not nearly as slowly as it had come off)!  The other time was a few years ago when I decided to give Weight Watchers another go.  I was doing it secretly...planning to surprise my family at Christmas.  I was exercising at least 45 minutes per day on the elliptical (because it produced the most activity points, which meant I could eat more) and going to the gym at least 4-5 days per week...more if I could fit it in.  This worked well for a few months and I lost about 30 pounds...but then I lost my motivation and the cravings started to take over and the best I did after that was maintain for awhile...losing a few tenths of a pound here, gaining a few there, etc.  Eventually, I gave up.  I made a few more attempts at WW, but none were very successful because the motivation just wasn't there!

But with Plexus, there's no motivation needed!  I get up in the morning, take my accelerator and drink my pink drink...then just listen to my body for signals that I'm hungry or full!  That's really all there is to it!  In the pictures above, you see my "Before" picture that was taken at an Avon President's Club Recognition Luncheon.  I had NO idea just how fat I was then until I compared that picture with some my son took this morning!  I had him take the pictures this morning because I realized that the shorts that used to be too small and the belt that wouldn't even make it around me a few months ago not only fit, but I could put my fists in with the belt on the LAST hole!  I don't always realize how well I'm doing...and sometimes it seems the scale just won't move as fast as I would like it to move (or as fast as it seems to move for others)...but I just keep reminding myself of the moral of the Tortoise and the Hare...slow and steady wins the race!  As a dear friend reminded me today...we are running a marathon, not a 500 yard dash!  :)

So...if you would like to know more about this wonderful product that is literally transforming my body, email me at karaj.plexus@gmail.com, check out my Facebook page, or visit my Website (just click on the links).  If you think you can't afford it, consider becoming an Ambassador.  The annual membership is only $34.95/year and you can get your products at wholesale, as well as earn more money when others order from your website!  And trust me...when others see what Plexus is doing for you, they will want to know what you are doing - you might as well let them order from you and earn 15-25% of what they order!  It takes just 5 people ordering the combo and it's like getting your own product for FREE!  :)  Let me know if you have questions or want to get started!  I'd love to have you on my team!  :)

Weekly Weigh-in

Yep, it's FRIDAY!!!  For many people, that simply means the end of the work week and the beginning of their weekend.  For me, it's weigh-in day!  :)  Time to face the scale and see what it has to say about my progress for the week.  But, before I reveal the results, let me tell you a little about my week.

This was the last week I had completely free from responsibilities other than the normal everyday stuff of being the mom of two amazing boys.  Next week, I'll have the little boy I've babysat for the last year and a half (since he was 3 months old) while his mom goes back to work (she's a school teacher) and his new babysitter is on vacation (I will be the back-up babysitter this year so that I can focus more on homeschooling my oldest).  The week after that, we begin our first week of homeschooling for the new school year.  So, summer is officially over!  LOL!  But, we made the best of it!  :)

Monday I had lunch with a long-time friend at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  I ordered my regular meal (steak fajita quesadilla with the white cheese dip appetizer)...but ended up bringing most of the cheese dip home and half my quesadilla!  Monday night, I had a meeting at church for new middle school leaders and we were served sub sandwiches, chips, and a double-decker cookie cake for dinner (yep, had the cookie cake)!  Tuesday, the boys and I headed to the pool and had a relaxing day with friends.  I had some of the left over sub sandwich for lunch..and then we had Taco Tuesday at home for dinner!  Wednesday we had fun with friends at the park (i.e. the boys ran and played and I sat and chatted with my mommy friends) and then grabbed some lunch at Target while we got a birthday present for a party we will attend tomorrow (ya know Target has Pizza Hut pizza, right?).  Then we had Wednesday Night Dinner at our church...and since I'm not a fish eater (the main meal was crab stuffed sole), I opted for the alternative meal...cheeseburger and fries (and for some reason, they made mine a double!).  Thursday we had a MOPS playdate & ice cream social...but I had no desire to eat the ice cream...even when my 1-year-old was done after eating only half of his...so I gave the rest to my 9-year-old (who was happy to oblige!).  :)  We came home after that and had some leftover pizza that my hubby had brought home from a youth event after church the night before (I'd come home right after church to put the baby to bed).  Thursday night was my night out with a couple of friends before we attended a group meeting at church, and I had Chicken Teriyaki at the Sushi Thai restaurant where we went.  So...that will give you an idea of what my diet has been like this week before I weighed in this morning.  ;)  As far as exercise...I got in 30 minutes on the elliptical ONE morning this week (I think Wednesday) when I woke up early on my own.  THAT IS IT!!!!

Why did I tell you all that?  Well...you see, in spite of all of that, I still lost a pound this week!  I am now at 19 pounds total...and I have NOT done ANY dieting and VERY LITTLE exercise!  Yes, I know I could have lost so much more if I had actually made better choices in my eating and put in a few more days at the gym...but the great thing about Plexus is that I don't HAVE to do that or feel the least bit deprived while losing weight!  I'm certainly eating less than I was before taking Plexus (like bringing home part of my lunch) and some things have lost their appeal (like the ice cream at the social) - and that IS making a difference.  But, I'm not struggling to do it...it's happening naturally!  I'm not beating myself up over every bite I put in my mouth.  I'm not counting calories or killing myself at the gym.  And yet, I'm still losing weight at a healthy rate (roughly 1-2 pounds per week).  And even though it's been a few months, I'm STILL amazed at what Plexus is doing for me!  :)

If you would like to know more about Plexus, you can email me at karaj.plexus@gmail.com or check out my website: www.karaj.myplexusproducts.com.  If you'd like to know how you can earn money while you lose weight, I'd love to help you with that!  Just email me for more information!  :)  I also have a Facebook Page that you can check out if you are on Facebook - I post information, testimonials, and links to my weekly weigh-in blogs there...and sometimes I offer deals and/or contests!  :)