*** DAY 30 ***

So, I've completed my 30 day Isagenix cleanse. YIPEE! Well, not really.

Week Four Results: 

Pounds Lost: 9
Inches Lost: 17

I'm not thrilled with the results. Probably because I know I wasn't as strict with the diet as I should've been. Particularly during this last week. I let "life" take over. I'm actually surprised I didn't gain weight. I'm not really as sad as I thought I'd be, either.  I think because I know I'm on the right track and I know that Isagenix is not supposed to be a weight loss program. It's a health program. 9lbs in one month is a lot; a lot more than I could've accomplished on my own. Technically, women typically lost 1-2lbs a week. The inches loss mean a lot more than the pounds because that's the reason my clothes fit better.

Moreover, I view this program as more of a lifestyle change rather than a strict diet. No, I didn't do it perfectly but you can't necessarily but birthday parties and family parties on hold in real life. There is a time and place to indulge and you shouldn't beat yourself up about. All you can do is make sure you get right back on the wagon the next day-- and that's what I did.

I'm continuing on with the program for at least 2 weeks before I take a "break" and eat real food regularly. Honestly, this regiment is so scheduled down to the minute that I'd probably miss all my alarms going off telling me when to eat and what to eat!

I'll weigh in one more time tomorrow morning for my "Final" results with the 30 day program.

DAY TWENTY NINE - CLEANSE DAY

I'm still struggling with discipline... This cleanse day has been difficult from start to finish. I'm not sure if I'm just really missing solid food or because some of my cravings have returned (woman problems). I ended up forgoing my last two snacks of the day and eating half of one of my IsaLean bars.

I feel fine now, but I'm still noticeably hungry. I'll probably have to sleep it off to get through the rest of the day. Tomorrow is the last day of my first 30 days. I'm not expecting any great results on the scale, given this week of indulgence. Plus, I can already tell I'm extremely bloated, even with the cleansing.

We'll see how it goes...

DAY TWENTY EIGHT

DAY TWENTY SEVEN

I'm feeling a little discipline-challenged these last couple of days. Yesterday was ROUGH. I've also had numerous events going on so working out has been difficult to keep on schedule. It's day 27, so technically I only have 3 days left on my first 30 days. Luckily, I'm prepared for my second round because this last week has been so distracting and off-schedule. 

DAY TWENTY SIX

So, I decided to do a cleanse day today. Last night I went to a family party that was a going away party for my cousin as an anniversary party for her parents. They paid for all of our meals (it was a buffet) before hand so I was forced to eat.

Although it was Mongolian bbq and I had control of all the vegetables, the oil, etc. I still felt that two "indulgence" days for one week was just way too much. So, I'm buckling down and cleansing today.

It's really been rough so far. Usually, cleanse day is a breeze for me... today has really been challenging. Nevertheless, trucking along....

DAY TWENTY FIVE

My new stuff came in! I'm excited because this means I can do a back to back cleanse day this week-- I'm thinking Sunday and Monday. Last night, I added a scoop of Cleanse for Life to my water... just because I love how it makes me feel.

Today, instead of drinking my Isalean shake for breakfast, I tried out my new Chocolate Peanut Crunch Isalean Bar. These bars have a little more calories and fat than the shakes (the shake has 240 calories, the bar has 270). So, I thought I'd eat 3/4 of the bar for breakfast and then eat the rest of it for my midmorning snack. I was only able to eat half the bar because I started feeling full.

The bar is actually quite good. It tastes like a candy bar so my palette was a little shocked at the taste of so much sweetness early in the morning. My stomach was also probably shocked that solid food was actually going down after 24 days of shakes! I usually hate these protein bars, but I really like the taste of this. It's definitely peanut-buttery, but it's super filling and quite satisfying if you have a super sweet tooth. I recommend it if you're tired of the shakes.

Some of my friends are gonna start their 30 day cleanse. I'm glad-- I think it'll motivate me to stay on for another 30 days... if only to be their support system. Of course, first I'll have to get over the FIRST 30 day program. Five more days!

DAY TWENTY FOUR

So, I'm still not feeling guilty about last night's indulgence. Probably because I know I'm not giving up and went right back into the regularly scheduled program this morning. I recently read that the average weight loss in the 30 day period is about 7-9lbs. So, I guess I'm right on track.

Though, I do intend to workout as hard and as often as I can. That seems to be key in dropping weight for others. However, like I said in my previous post-- I'm just happy that I'm feeling healthier.

I still need to do my measurements for the end of week 3. I'm so bad at that; it's much easier to hop on a scale than to measure and write all that down in the morning. I could do it at night, but I don't think it'll be as accurate and as consistent with the rest of my measurements. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it tomorrow morning. 

P.S. I may not feel "guilty" about last night-- but I am nervous to weigh in! Sooo, I won't be weighing myself until next Monday (after my last cleanse day).

DAY TWENTY THREE

I'm trying to be more optimistic today... I've been googling (<~ why is spell check telling me that isn't a word?? it so is!) tips on how to break through a plateau on Isagenix. I've found some interesting and motivating stuff including this video:

So, I'm back to eating isagenix snacks to up my protein intake. I wouldn't mind adding another cleanse day during the week but I don't think I'll have enough for my last cleanse day. My new stuff still hasn't come in.

Confession: I ate half a burger, some fries, and a piece of ice cream cake tonight... It was my friend's birthday and FAT TUESDAY... so if there's ever a time to "cheat" it's then. I'm not feeling guilty at all-- seeing as how I've been following the plan for four weeks and have only had results in the first week. It's really hard to stay so dedicated to something that yields no results. I'm also giving up junk food (sweeeeets!) for Lent. So that's 40 more days....

Nonetheless, I'm not giving up. I'm continuing on to complete the 30 days and will continue when my refills come in. I do like what Isagenix has done for my body:

1. I am never tired during the day-- no more lunchtime naps!
2. It is a lot easier for me to wake up in the morning.
3. My insomnia is now non-existent.
4. All my clothes fit a lot better

So, I am a believer of the system. I just need to keep in mind that Isagenix is more of a detox program rather than a weight loss program; weight loss is simply a benefit. Thus, I shall keep on, keepin' on... with the ultimate goal of just being healthy. 

DAY TWENTY TWO

No weight loss... I actually gained a pound.

Pounds loss to date: 6 :(

I'm not gonna lie... this is extremely disheartening. It's really difficult to stay motivated and stick to the program when I've stalled so much and have not seen any results for two weeks. I understand that the initial "shock" of the program is over and my body is stabilizing but I really think the drastic change in diet and increased workouts should yield some sort of result.

Hopefully this is TRUE. I didn't even indulge!

Maybe I really did jinx myself when I had such good results early on. SIGH. I have nine days left on the program... I'm gonna finish out the 30 day program and continue on when the rest of my stuff comes in. Hopefully, this hard work (and hard earned money!) pays off somehow, some way.

Someday...

DAY TWENTY ONE - CLEANSE DAY

I spent the ENTIRE day at the beach today. It was sooooo relaxing and I spent most of the time swimming so I got a lot of exercise in. It was really great to do something else besides running!

As hard as it was, I managed to stay on my cleanse. There were snacks galore and a whole buffet of food available but I held my ground. It was a looooooooong day and I'm glad it because I know I'll be able to sleep easier tonight.

I'm hoping for some scale victory tomorrow but honestly, I'm not expecting much. I weighed myself this morning and I still had no weight loss... I was told today that your body regulates itself so it's normal for weight loss to plateau, but it's still really disappointing.

I guess we shall see what tomorrow will bring....

DAY TWENTY

Today went well. I early this morning and drank a shake for both breakfast and lunch so that I could eat my "meal" at the wedding I had to go to. I did pretty well with my calories during the dinner; it's harder to count calories when you didn't cook the food yourself. If I went over, I'm confident it wasn't by much.

DAY NINETEEN

No weight loss to report today. Fridays have proven to be my days with the devil and things never go right for me.. so here's hoping that will change this week! I'm already nervous about all the events I have lined up this weekend.

Going running after work... Funny how I look forward to it now! Earlier today I had my first real cravings for chocolate... it could be a woman thing, but it could also be because there's a ton of it around me. Gotta stay strong!!

DAY EIGHTEEN

So, as promised... I finally did my measurements for week 2 this morning. I've lost another 6.5 inches. Yaaaay! This makes the stalled weight loss a little easier to handle. This brings my total inches lost to 13.5 inches! In case you're wondering 4.5 of those inches came from my abdomen.

Aside from that, today was just another day of our regularly scheduled program. I got off work really late today so I didn't get to go running. I'm probably just gonna do some pilates tonight and some free weight training. I have a birthday party on Friday, a wedding on Saturday, and family beach day on Sunday. Crossing my fingers for the will power and discipline to stay on track!! Fridays are always the hard days for me! Beach + Swimming + Sun = hunger. Sunday = cleanse day. Wish me luck.

DAY SEVENTEEN

Lost one more pound as of this morning. Yes, I know I said I'd stop weighing myself but I can't help it. Hehe. Anyway, it's about 11:00am right now and I'm not hungry. My appetite has dramatically decreased since starting Isagenix. Expectantly so, though. You get used to the limited calories and limited solid food.

I've decided to stay on the program longer than the 30 days. I'm nowhere near my goal and last week's set back really bummed me out... But I know that real and lasting weight loss takes a lot of time. So, I'm gonna give it another go. But this time I'm ordering:

• 1 canister Chocolate Isalean Shake
• 1 box Chocolate Peanut Crunch Isalean Bars
• 2 canisters Cleanse for Life
• 1 bottle Natural Accelerator 

This will probably only give 15 more full days of Isagenix meals (Breakfast & Dinner), but I think I'm more interested in the Cleanse for Life stuff. Like I said, I just really like the way it makes me feel. Also, I'm more focused on making sure I can replace dinner. I was never a big breakfast eater to begin with. I'm trying out the Isalean bars because I'm just so over the shakes!

I ran for 3 miles today. I've discovered that the 90's pop pandora station is THE greatest workout music ever. It totally motivates me and makes running a breeze. It reminds me of my young self; I push myself to prove that I'm not that old. ;) I found myself smiling the whole time and wasn't concentrating on the time or the distance. I suggest everyone finds something equally motivating-- it makes ALL the difference!

Also, despite the disappointing numbers this past weigh in-- I'm happy to report that my clothes fit a lot better now. I've noticed a real difference. Again, I've also done away with the lunch time naps and the after work naps. It's also A LOT easier to get up in the morning; I'm not as moody or as groggy. So, even if I'm not losing as much weight as I had hoped, I'm still really pleased with the overall change in my body.

Oh! I still need to do my measurements for week 2 but I want to do it in the morning to be consistent with my other measurements. I'll do that tomorrow; hopefully the numbers will be a good way to start out day 18!

DAY SIXTEEN

Lost half a pound this morning. Whoop. Ahhh, I really need to stop weighing myself everyday and focus on the BIG picture.

Still at our regularly scheduled program... It's amazing how easy it is to turn down all the sweets around for valentine's day! I imagine if I wasn't on Isagenix right now I'd be on my 10th cookie. YIKES! Tonight I shall be going on a romantical RUN for valentine's day. Since I "cheated" on Friday, there are no cheats for the next two weeks! Hopefully, the scale starts to cooperate with me!

DAY FIFTEEN

Sigh... I lost ZERO weight after cleanse day. ZERO. Which makes my weight loss this week up to just 1.5. I'm feeling really crappy about this... but I think the most important thing right now is that I don't give up. I worked out everyday last week: running, pilates, weight training.... So I can't say I didn't push myself. I just have to make sure I'm extremely disciplined with the diet this week.

Results after two weeks:

• Pounds lost: 7
• Haven't had time to measure yet, so I'll post that tomorrow.

Today was business as usual with the shakes. I baked treats for valentine's day and didn't try a single one. I was a little bummed today given this morning's results... but I'm gonna keep trucking along with this and hope that I get better results this week. Wish me luck.

DAY FOURTEEN - CLEANSE DAY!

Cleanse Day Number Two.

I was actually looking forward to this day because of my disastrous Friday. I did everything the same as I did during my first cleanse day, so I pretty much had the same experience. I thought doing cleanse day at home (as opposed to work) would be easier since I could sleep off the cravings, if any. This was kinda true, but it's hard not wanting to go places (parties, etc.) because you can't eat and would inevitably just sit there miserably.

It's about 8:30pm right now and I'm pretty hungry... The only thing I do is guzzle down a good amount of water; it helps fill me up. Tomorrow will mark the halfway point for me on the program. I'm kinda nervous about weighing in since I "cheated"... But, I was really good at working out all week. I'm hoping that counts for something.

Gotta go sleep off the hunger now!

P.S. Rest in Peace, Whitney Houston. :'(

DAY THIRTEEN

Sooo, yesterday sucked. I refuse to weigh in today because I don't want to beat myself up about it. I just made sure I woke up early and ran 2.5 miles.

I stayed on track today... Tomorrow is my cleanse day and I won't be weighing in until Monday. Here's hoping I didn't undo all my hard work with that one bad day... SIGH.

DAY TWELVE

I really need to stop weighing myself everyday! I "gained" .5lbs from yesterday... and I know weight fluctuates so much based on water. ESPECIALLY if you are female and subject to monthly bloat. Nonetheless, I was irrationally annoyed this morning.

I think I'm the 3rd one from the left right now.

1:45pm: AHHHHH! It was a really busy (read: bad) day at work today and I didn't get a chance to go home to make my shake. I had planned on having a shake for lunch because I have dinner reservations with my boyfriend for dinner tonight. I ended up staying in the office and admist the mcdonalds and donuts, the only thing I could find that was "healthy" was a tuna sandwich. So, I removed one of the slices of bread so it became an open-faced sandwich. I did this because 1) I needed to try my best to keep it to 240 calories much like the shake and 2) because I didn't prepare it, I'm pretty sure it wasn't "light" mayo in there.

ARRGH. I'm pretty sure this won't kill me since I've been in this situation before (oddly enough, last Friday!)... and I still was able to lose weight. But this coupled with my scale annoyance this morning is putting me in an even fouler mood.

We're going running before dinner so hopefully I can work out all this random food AND my stress!

Dinner...
Well, ended up eating over 600 calories for dinner. To sum up today: program FAIL. I'm not gonna let this set me back. Tomorrow is a new day, so I can only make sure I stay ON TRACK from then on...

DAY ELEVEN

One more pound lost. Slowly but surely....

Here's hoping I'm losing actual fat!

1:45pm: My appetite has completely changed.... Wasn't hungry at all when it was time for my mid morning snack. Was kinda hungry during lunch but ended up not even finishing what I had prepared (fish, eggplant, and brown rice). I have ZERO cravings for anything sweet which, if you look back to week one, feels like quite the feat. It's really nice not having to WILL yourself not to eat a giant bag of skittles or a chocolate bar. Liberating, actually. I love it!

On another note, I've been calculating and even if I only lose weight after a cleanse day-- which on average is supposed to be 2lbs-- by the time my 30 day program is complete I'm looking at losing 12 lbs! This is nowhere near my goal... but a great start (I really hope I didn't just jinx myself there....).

I'm still on the fence about ordering more Isalean shake powder, but I know for sure I'll be ordering Cleanse for Life. On my cleanse day, I really noticed how great I felt. I thought maybe it was the wafers, but I've been eating those wafers since then and I don't get that same feeling... I really love that stuff!

Good to keep in mind!

4:00pm: Despite my alarm, I totally spaced on the mid afternoon snack because I wasn't hungry. So, I'm eating a couple of bites of apple right now. I plan on going running again after work. Every time I see another pound lost, it's motivation!

7:45pm: So here's the only problem I'm having thus far-- that's making feel very BLAH about having over 2 weeks left on the program-- I'm really over the shakes for dinner. Not because I'm hungry and it doesn't satisfy me, but because it's too SWEET! I think Isagenix sells soups but it doesn't come with the 30 day program. Bleh. I didn't even finish my shake tonight because I'm just over it. I'm DEFINITELY not ordering more of the shake. 52 meals of it is enough for me.

I think tomorrow I'll start breaking my meals up again to two 300 calorie ones. That way, I can eat something savory at night. Otherwise, I may just start skipping the shake all together.

Onward to day 12....

DAY TEN

No weight loss today. Boo.

It's about 10:30am and I really have no appetite. Again, I don't want my body to go into "starvation mode" (and slow my metabolism) so I ate one of the Isagenix wafers (the taste is now tolerable). I'm REALLY hoping it won't rain today. I really want to go running.... As much as I work out, running is the hardest thing for me to do so I'd really like to conquer this challenge and get better at it.

12:30pm:

Didn't really get hungry until about now. If you remember, during week one I was REALLY hungry around 11:30am. Today, I ate an organic spinach lasagna with some whole wheat garlic bread. It was around 550 calories. 

Earlier this morning the evil skittles spilled all over my desk in a freak accident! I'm happy to report I didn't eat a single one-- nor did I want to. Yay for the absence of cravings (I'm all about cheap thrills).  

10:00pm:

So, I ran two miles... and I'm happy to say all cravings for sweet and junk food are virtually gone! I wasn't hungry when it was time for my mid-afternoon snack (though I ate an apple anyway) and it's no longer torturous to just drink a shake for dinner. It really does get easier!

Here's hoping for some scale victory tomorrow.

DAY NINE

Week One Results:
(reminder:  I did my cleanse day a day late)

• Pounds lost: 5.5
• Inches lost: 7 

I'd been hoping for at least 6lbs, but I guess 5.5 will do! I don't really feel it... but maybe I will by next week.

Just a follow up to my first cleanse day:
I started feeling really hungry when I was trying to go to sleep. It was an uncomfortable feeling but I got through it. I think that was the hardest part about cleanse day. I also got a headache around that time as well.

DAY 9:

8:00am: I was feeling a little weak from the cleanse day so I added a little of the want more energy to my vanilla shake. It really did taste like a creamsicle... so that's a good tip if you ever need to liven up your shakes!

10:00am: I officially believe in the nasty wafers... so I ate half of one and half of a hard boiled egg today. We'll see if that gets me through til lunch!

12:00pm: LUNCH! Real food... ahhhh! I had salmon, brown rice, and small salad with organic balsamic vinegar... and I couldn't finish it! As hungry as I was I got full really quickly. I guess my appetite is shrinking. YAY.

I've decided to work out as hard as I can this week. I've heard you plateau a little after the first initial week and I really want to get as much out of the program and I possibly can. This means running longer and more weight training!!

I'm kinda glad it's coming off slower than with other diets I had previously tried. This gives me hope that the results will be longer lasting. I'm already planning on buying a new supply of Cleanse for Life so I can drink it daily. It really did make me feel great.

3:00pm:
Didn't have much of an appetite this afternoon so I just ate one of the wafers... It could be that my cravings have gone, but it could also be that I've had a really bad day today...

6:00pm:
It's a rainy day... so no running for me. Instead I did some turbo kick boxing (also helps with pent up aggression!) Still not hungry... but don't want my body to go into starvation mode, so I'll have my shake.

... and that's all for today!

DAY EIGHT - CLEANSE DAY!

Here I go! This is my "cleanse day kit" that I prepared last night:

Ionix Supreme, Isagenix Wafers, Apple (I'll slice them up later), Cucumbers (in case of emergency), one packet of Want More Energy (also in case of emergency), and of course the Cleanse for Life.

In other news... down 4lbs as of this morning. Hopefully, that'll motivate me to get through the day!

8:00am:

• Cleanse for Life: First off, I tried the liquid form a year ago... and it was VILE. Which was also one of the reasons I had been dreading cleanse day! I'm sooo HAPPY to report the new berry powder is quite good! Great, in fact! It kinda tastes like fruit punch! After drinking my first round, I began to feel better about today!

8:30am:

• Ionix Supreme. 
• Snack:
• So, despite my apparent GAG reflex for these vile wafers, I'm told they are key during Cleanse Day. I want to make sure I maximize my results so here is my plan of action for these so-called "snacks". I will stomach the wafers... but chase it with a small slice of apple. TRUST ME, a "chaser" goes a looooooong way with these things! I literally eat half the wafer, bite a slice of apple, half the other wafer, then the rest of the slice of apple. Yes, it's that bad.

10:00am:

• Snack number 2. Feeling okay... stomach is growling a bit, but I'm not feeling too hungry. I imagine this will change drastically in two hours when my stomach will be DEMANDING food. 

11:00am:

• Second round of Cleanse For Life. I'm still feeling okay... around 11:45am is when I usually start getting REALLY antsy for lunch. So we'll see how the next hour goes. I've already drank over 1.5 liters of water.

12:30pm:

• Lunch was another snack (wafer + slice of apple). I also drank a BIG cup of water with a lemon slice-- just to fill me up. Very surprisingly, I'm not nearly as hungry today as I usually am on regular shake days. Maybe there really is something to the wafers? Maybe the Cleanse For Life has magical powers... I don't know, but I still feel pretty good! 

1:30pm: 

• Accelerator. I still feel good! Half the day over... Maybe I was just expecting it to be so much worse or maybe these disgusting wafers really are the key! Who knows... I'm just HAPPY I'm surviving. I literally thought I wasn't gonna make it.

2:00pm:

• Snack number 4. The wafers are getting a bit more tolerable... and by a bit, I mean I don't have to hold my nose... as long. Hehe. Still feeling pretty good! Woot!

Random thoughts:

• I really hope I'm able to lose a couple of pounds at the end of the day. It would be ironic if this was so easy for me, yet I lost NOTHING! Ahhhhh, I dread the thought.
• Also, I've lost 4lbs total... but I noticed I don't feel all that "lighter"... the way I usually do when I'm on a strict diet. I'm hoping this means I'm losing actual fat rather than just water weight. Time will tell. 

3:00pm:

• Cleanse: Round Three. I'm still quite amazed at how great this tastes! I'm still not feeling too hungry and no other side effects so far....

4:00pm:

• Last snack of the day! I was feeling a little bit lightheaded around 3:30pm.... It's passed though. Again, I'm really amazed at how easy today has been. I guess I'm officially a believer in the wafers. I may feel a little "empty"... but I have virtually no cravings. It's pretty amazing. I don't think I'll risk doing any strenuous workout today (I don't want to overdo it); maybe some pilates.  

6:00pm:

• Okay, I'm not gonna lie... I'm quite hungry right now. Not ravenous... but obviously hungry. Also, the lightheaded feeling has returned. I'm gonna do some pilates right now, do my last cleanse, take the Isaflush pills, and go to sleep! Here's hoping for results tomorrow!!
• FYI: Aside from the Isagenix products... the only "extras" I had today were 5 small slices of an apple (less than one small apple). Didn't need the want more energy or the cucumbers.

DAY SEVEN

Well, I gave in and weighed myself this morning and, so far, I've lost 3lbs! YAY.
It's not the most impressive number (I think I lost 5lbs in 5 days doing low carb once), but I'll take it! It's just nice knowing that this torture is paying off somewhat. Tomorrow is my cleanse day, and that's when people usually see the most results, so I'm hoping I'll be up to at least 5lbs by Day 9!

Random note: sometimes when I take the natural accelerator I get a burning-ish sensation in my stomach and chest. It's kinda weird... I wonder if anyone else has experienced that? Anyway, I went running this morning and then went to the birthday brunch. It was quite challenging but I think I managed it the best I could. I ate a huge salad with tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, and shredded carrots, grilled mahi, a few grilled prawns, and a couple of tiny steamed shrimp dim sum. I stayed away from potatoes, rice, etc. In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll admit I ate a small crepe for "dessert" but I only put fresh fruit in it. I plan on working out again this evening to burn as much extra calories as possible.

I'm extremely weary of tomorrow. I have to go into full on prep mode tonight and map out a schedule so I cope well with my first cleanse day at work. I feel sorry for my coworkers. WISH ME LUCK.

DAY SIX

Woke up and went for a 2.5 jog/walk, then did some free weights at home. I felt realllllly guilty about those graham sticks last night =/. Anyway, went back to the strict routine today.

Tomorrow is supposed to be my first cleanse day, but due to a friend's birthday I have to attend a pretty pricey brunch; too pricey to just sit and look pretty sippin' my cleanse for life. Attendance is not an option, by the way. So, just for this week, I'll be switching cleanse day from Sunday to Monday. I actually always thought my cleanse days were Mondays until I took a good look at the schedule again.

I find the cleanse MUCH easier at home. Some say at work you have distractions from the hunger and the cravings. I disagree. First of all, my work is a snackapalooza. On any given day, people are passing around cookies, candy, sandwiches, baked goods, etc. It's really difficult to stay focused with the constant scent of banana bread and cookies within a 2 mile radius. At least at home I can control my environment.

On that note, today was easy breezy. No cravings, no willing myself not to eat skittles. It was a good day. I feel satisfied and have no temptation to snack, at all. Yay, me!

DAY FIVE

Hello, Day Five! No other weight loss to report... but at least week one is almost over! I only took one Isaflush pill last night so I had a better night's sleep (didn't have to get up 10x).

I've decided to change up my snacks today. Apparently, the scooby snacks are a mix of carbs and protein. So, since a small gala apple and a hard boiled egg are both around 70 calories each. I'm gonna eat half the egg and half the apple for the mid morning snack and the other halves for the mid afternoon snack. Bear with me, I'm just trying to see what works better for my body.

Lunch:

• Was quite hungry again by the time lunch came around... I wonder when my stomach/appetite will get used to this shortage of food. They say two weeks... so one more to go?! Great.
• For lunch I had a little bit of brown rice, fish in tomato sauce and eggplant. I also had a small apple as 'dessert'.  

Mind over matter:

• I've been trying to keep busy this afternoon to keep me from thinking about being hungry, having sugar cravings... etc. I guess it's working because by this time (3:00pm), I'm usually craving for something sweet... (SKITTLES!) 
• I'm actually not that hungry at all. My alarm went off for my mid afternoon snack but I haven't eaten it yet. I will in a little though... Just to keep my blood sugar up and not go into binge mode later. Since I've started the program, I've noticed that the times that get rough and I'm hungry are right before lunch 11:30am-ish and right after work (6:00pm-ish). Those are the danger zones when I just wanna break from the program and eat something satisfying...
• Needless to say, I'm terrified of cleanse day! I wish I had picked it to start on a Sunday so that I could at least sleep through most of it. I feel like I should put a beware sign on my desk for my coworkers. 

Hitting a Wall:

• So, I'm kinda hitting a wall right now... It's not that I'm hungry or having any sweet cravings (I'm actually not, surprisingly). It's just that this is just... well, it sucks. I keep thinking there's a more sensible way to lose weight without liquid meals and chalk "snacks". SIGH. Maybe I'm just thinking of the weekend and how I have to plan my activities around my "meals". 
• I just need to remember why I started this... and stick to the program so I can at least say I tried.
• P.S. I've googled A LOT of Isagenix blogs to see what others have experienced. I've gotta say, when it comes to the 30 day cleanse 80% of them stop at day 8 or week 2... with no explanation. It's pretty funny. I think the ones with completed results are from men. I vow not to do that. If I quit, I guarantee you a giant "I QUIT" post... with a picture of me devouring some nachos!

Emergency FAIL:

Tonight I was out without my baggie of emergency "snacks" and without a shake supply... I didn't get home until 10:00pm so all I ate were several of these all-natural honey graham sticks. FAILURE. I skipped the shake when I got home so I didn't add more calories to the day... I guess I'll be paying for this tomorrow.

DAY FOUR

I don't wanna keep repeating the obvious, so unless stated, just assume I've followed the program just like every other day.

Just some general observations of the program so far:

• I have A LOT more energy during the day. Before I started, I would usually want to take a nap during lunch and I would always get lethargic around 2:00pm - 3:00pm. Since I started Isagenix, I haven't been tired during the day at all. Even despite the obvious cut in calories. It's really refreshing.
• I sleep earlier than usual. I've suffered from insomnia for years... but I've been sleeping quite early lately. Around 10:00pm (early for me!). The only problem I've had in the last couple of days is that I keep having to wake up to pee! 

9:45am:

• Still have that salty taste in my mouth... I wonder if this is normal. I'm kinda hungry but since it's not even 10am I'm gonna hold off on my snack (hard boiled egg) for as long as I can. I can't wait to eat FOOD. Lunch time has turned into the greatest of treats for me...

Torture.

11:45am:

• Super hungry. It doesn't help that this is sitting in front of me....... ~~~> ALL DAY. My brain is saying, you don't need it... My mouth/stomach is saying, TASTE THE RAINBOW! Sigh..... 15 minutes until lunch aka: salvation (Yes, I know I can have all temptation removed from my eyesight, but I don't wanna be one of those crazies that has to punish others for my lack of self control).

12:30pm

• I felt absolutely famished by the time I ate lunch; I'm not sure why. I also started to get a light headache a little while after I ate. 
• For lunch I had a turkey patty, about 2/3 cup brown rice, and a salad of broccoli and tomatoes. I usually hate broccoli, but I'm trying to get as much healthy nutrients into my body as possible.

Some thoughts:

• I've gone on different types of diets before... including the South Beach Diet which I had success with when I was in college. Any time I went "low carb", I noticed results right away. Also, cravings for sweets and grains disappeared by the 4th day. 
• I'm a little disappointed that this isn't the case with Isagenix. It's probably because the only thing restrictive is the amount of calories, not the kinds of food. I can still eat apples and brown rice which probably make the withdrawal from sugars a slower process. However, I admittedly have a sweet tooth and thought eliminating all refined sugar from my diet would have some sort of effect by now. Not so much. Still want a cookie! 
• Alas, $300 is a lot of money to quit on... so instead, I'm eating yet another apple.

8:00pm

• Had a headache when I got off work and was really tired... Kinda ironic because this morning I was raving about feeling more energized. I damn near ate a bowl of chocolate cheerios, but willed myself against it and ate a couple of cucumbers instead-- which made me feel a little better. I think maybe my lunch was too small-- it was probably 400 calories exactly. I read that if you're hungry, you should eat something. I didn't eat much calorie-wise so I really hope this doesn't mess up my program!
• I honestly don't feel lighter at all, which is a little discouraging. Like I said, I usually see results fairly quickly when I change my eating habit so drastically. I know it's only day four, but people I know saw big numbers on day 7 and I've only lost a pound. 
• Sigh... drank my shake and going to bed early. No hard workout today since I felt so crappy. I just did 100 crunches and did some free weight training. Hopefully, tomorrow is better.

This works!

DAY THREE

Had a rough night's sleep last night. I woke up every couple of hours to use the bathroom-- I guess all that water I've been drinking is flushing me out. Or maybe the Isaflush pills are finally working! I didn't wake up hungry though... as I did the two days previous. I was, however, noticeably thirsty!

Morning: 

• Ionix
• Big cup of water

8:00am:

• Chocolate Isalean shake. I've decided I definitely like this more than the vanilla now... Last night's shake was a little blahhh for me.

9:00am:

• Accelerator pill.

In other news, I was given the advice to make sure I work out as much as I can during this program. Today, I plan to push myself. I really want to make sure I maximize the results as much as I can. As of this morning, I lost 1 lb. I think I should stop weighing myself until the 7th day like you're told. I don't want to be discouraged...

10:30am (mid-morning snack):

• One hard boiled egg with some cayenne pepper and garlic powder. I hate hard boiled eggs! 
• Not that hungry... I took my accelerator pill a little later than usual so maybe that's why... 

11:30am:

• The last two days, this is when I'd start to get really hungry. I'm not yet. I'm not sure if it's because my "snack" was more substantial than the previous days or if it's because I took the accelerator pill a little later, or because my body's getting used to the program. Either way, I'm glad my stomach isn't growling...

12:00pm

• I ate a small piece of steamed parrot fish, a little bit of white rice and some cucumbers. I was at a restaurant and because I didn't want to overdo it on the white rice.. I'm not full at all! So when I got back to work, I ate a local banana (about half the size of a regular banana). I hope I last through the end of day because I'm supposed to up my work out today!

One pound of fat!

(Gross, I know, but it's perspective!)

This is 5lbs of fat!:

3:15pm (mid-afternoon snack):

• Not hungry at all. I let my coworker try a wafer and she said they weren't too bad. Thus, making me feel like a drama queen. So, I decided to give it another try. Yeah, NO... still disgusting! For some reason, the taste really makes me nauseous. I immediately ate an apple to get that gross taste out of my mouth. I don't know if I'll even be able to stomach those things during cleanse days. 

8:00 pm:

• Jogged/walked in intervals for about 2 miles... and I'm EXTREMELY hungry. I ate some cucumbers before my shake. Tonight was rough.... maybe the workout made me hungrier than usual, but the shake just isn't cutting it. I also noticed a weird salty taste in my mouth after I drank my shake... Not sure where that's from. Anyway, going to bed early so I don't torture myself!