Just DO it - DAY 10

Yesterday I shared some reasons you should not use Body by Vi.  I thought today I would share a few comments on each point. So really I am telling you why I am doing Body By Vi.

1.   You don't need to lose weight.  I lost 1/2 pound today bringing my weight to 9 pounds in 10 days.  Flo lost 1/2 pound today and is down 6 pounds in 10 days. 


Now I am a big guy and I needed to lose  lot of weight.  But if you need to lose 20 pounds and you could do that over the next three months or six months with just replacing one meal a day with a drink that tastes like a milkshake why wouldn't you do it?

2.  You are satisfied with your health. This is my number one motivation.  I am at that point that if I don't take my health seriously it is going to be too late some day.  I have went up over the says years of my marriage and I need to really change.  I am also walking. Trying to eat healthy.  This program is not magic.  It is a good aid.  I can honestly say the products are helping me. My goal is to get off my BP meds and to avoid diabetes.

3.  You don't enjoy milk shakes. - I shared a drink with a friend last night the reaction was typical. "This is good." These shakes don't taste like a diet.  I think these are helping my wife especially because she is addicted to ice cream.  She isn't craving ice cream because she can drink her shake.

4.   You prefer to procrastinate.  Because later really will be better. I kept thinking about doing this because.

• I didn't know if it would work.
• I was going on a trip.
• Something else was coming up.
• I didn't want to spend the money without knowing for sure it would work..

So whatever reason you have today for not starting tomorrow you will find another one.  Just do it.

5.   You like the way you look now. Let's be honest we all want to fit into a smaller size. I don't like the way I look.  I don't like the way my clothes DON'T FIT ME.

6.   What you are currently doing to lose weight is working for you. -  I know some people have a better plan.  Today my wife and I brought back and old friend.  We made some cabbage soup. Have you ever done the cabbage soup diet?  I think this shake would help people on other plans like weight watchers.  But if you have a plan working for you great.  I honestly don't think this is the diet for everyone but it has helped me.

Why You Should NOT use Body by Vi - Day 9

I have to say that Body by Vi is not for everyone.  Some people don't need this program.  Maybe you are one of them.  I know that other programs work.  Some people do great just cutting back.  Others are great at exercise.

Here are some reasons you should not do Body by Vi.

1.   You don't need to lose weight.

2.  You are satisfied with your health.

3.  You don't enjoy milk shakes.

4.   You prefer to procrastinate.  Because later really will be better.

5.   You like the way you look now.

6.   What you are currently doing to lose weight is working for you.

My Progress

Today is day 9.  I lost another 3/4 pounds on the program.  

Another thing I want to share is that I keep my program flexible.  

Today's menu.

Breakfast:  Visalus Shake

Lunch:  1 Bowl of beef stew

Snack: 1/2 of a shake

Dinner:  Pan fried chicken, mixed vegetables steamed, Pan sauted squash with Olive oil

 It is probably better to cut back and eat smaller meals that is why I often have a salad with a lean protein in it or something healthy during the day.  I am definitely cutting back on my portions and on high calorie foods.

Joe Palmer

Sign Up Here.

http://Niceguy4life.myvi.net/challenge

Weigh In on a Wii - Day 8

REPORT

Today is my eighth day.  I was very excited that I lost 2.6 pounds.  I can't explain it.  In fact I weighed three times because I didn't believe it.  That means I am down 8 pounds in 8 days.

FLO - Flo weighed in and as we had said yesterday was down 4 pounds. That is really awesome.  I am very proud of her.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the big things I have heard debated is how often should you weigh in. I have heard people say you shouldn't weigh in more than once a week. Other say you should weigh in every day.  To me the answer is.... YES!  I don't understand how it can make any difference. It comes down to what is best for you.  Me I have to know every day.  Let's face it it is discouraging when you have been trying to lose weight and you don't lose weight.  For me weighing in keeps me on track.  It keeps me in the game mentally

I personally weigh in on a Wii console.  I love the way it show me a chart of my weight.  Plus it actually has games to play that can help you lose weight.  Hey what can be better than having fun losing weight.

On a Wii you get a Mii  (pronounced me).  You can design your Mii to look like you with special hair and everything.  It also makes him fatter and thinner based on your looks.  Allegedly they get skinnier looking as you lose weight.  I haven't lost enough weight for mine to change his appearance.

 I am not saying you need  Wii but I enjoy it.

Joe

One Week on the Challenge

Today is one week on the challenge.  I'd like to share our results.

Joe - I am down 5.4 pounds.  

Flo - My girl is down about 4 pounds. I say about because her official weigh in scale is at work and she isn't working today.  She may have done better than that.

Here is what I like about Body by Vi and the challenge.

1. The shakes taste good.  I am not going to lie and say I'd rather have a shake than a rib eye and baked potato, but I do like the shakes and I can customize them which I really haven't even started doing yet.
2. It is easy.  Drink a shake. Skip your regular meal.  It is easy to clean up my little blender, and food prep time is eliminated.
3. It is adaptable to my lifestyle.  All I have to do is use the shakes when I can and eat a sensible meal the rest of the time. I have had friends over, church events, been out to eat and I have still lost weight.
4. The Planning. - Flo said she likes the fact she doesn't have to plan.  She knows she is going to drink her shakes and otherwise eat a sensible meal.
5. IT HAS WORKED.  I have lost 5.4 pounds that is awesome.
6. The Support. Our whole family is now on the plan.  I am thinking about doing a challenge party and meeting once a week to give each other support.
7. Free product - I will get my products free next month because my family and friends are signing up.
8. The challenge itself.  I like challenges.  I have a goal and a deadline.

Joe Palmer

Review of Visalus Vi Shape and Neuro Day 6

Today is Sunday which is a big day for me being a preacher.  I lost .5 pounds today bringing my total to 5 pounds.  Flo didn't lose anything.  We will know her true total on Tuesday.

I am finished with the phase of rapid weight loss it seems where I lose a pound or two a day.  That is okay because that isn't sustainable, healthy, or realistic.

I got my full kit on friday and that was the first time I got to start taking the other products in the "Transformation Kit."  Let me share with you a few observations on two of the products in the kit.

Visalus Shake - Vi Shape

• The Visalus shake is the best tasting product of it's kind on the market.  I know it claims to have an advantage in it's formula.  I can't personally attest to that fact.  I just know it tastes better.
• The shake is great because it is adaptable. Instead of choosing one or two flavors the shake has hundreds of options based on what you want to put in it. Including the flavor packets that Visalus includes in many of the kits.  If you want some recipes leave a comment and I will send them to you.
• It does a good job of keeping my hunger satisfied.  
• It is affordable even when compared to products you can buy in your local discount store. Product comparison http://visalus.com/docs/product/compare/US/D1215US_ViShape_CompChart.pdf

Visalus Neuro - 

• Negative - It doesn't taste very good.  When I first tried this product I compared it to the Propel fitness water products I use.  Propel has a minuscule portion of the vitamins that Neuro has.  According to the Visalus literature it is the vitamins and natural why it doesn't taste really great.  
• Pro -  I really thought on first glance I would be canceling my order for the transformation kits and just go down to one of the other kits.  However what this product lacks in taste it makes up for in effect.  This product is one of my favorites.  It is better than "5 hour energy" and contains only 1/4 cup caffeine.  That was important to me because I have high blood pressure and try to avoid caffeine.
• Let me say again I love this product it gives me a lot of energy and makes me feel good.  I also think it helped my ability to concentrate which is a big plus for me being an adult with A.D.D.  I didn't even know until after I felt this effect that the product claims to help mental alertness.

Here is more information from Visalus about Neuro.
http://visalus.com/sites/default/files/products/faq/d1216us_neuro_faq.pdf

I'll review the other products later as of know these are the only two I have strong feelings about. Remember this blog is my honest opinion.   I have no medical expertise and my comparison of this product to other products is simply my opinion.

Joe Palmer

Join the Body by Vi Challenge
http://Niceguy4life.myvi.net/challenge

How to Keep on your Weight Loss Track during the Holidays. Day Five

How to Keep on your Weight Loss track during the Holidays.  Day five

Today is the start of the holiday weekend, Memorial Day.   Let us begin by saying thanks to the men and women who gave their life to establish, defend, and protect our freedom.  May we never forget their memory.  This year we lost a special young man in our town Joshua Born.  He was killed in Afghanistan by someone who was supposed to be his ally.

Holidays are special times.  Here are some of the pitfalls that come in holidays.  Flo and I have each lost weight.  I am down 4.5 pounds now and she about 3.5 or so. (We aren't sure because she weighs at work.)  Flo said today we are good at losing five pounds. The sad fact is we are also good at gaining it back.

1. Celebrations normally mean food: fattening food, food high in sugar, food with lots of extra calories and fat.  So this mean lots of temptation.
2. Holidays mean traditions and  one of those traditions may be eating to excess.  Often around memorial day we like to grill ribs, burgers, etc.  Maybe your family cooked some special treats on holidays and you think about eating those during this time of year.  
3. Holidays mean we give ourselves permission to indulge.  People can't say no to the fattening drinks and desserts because it is a holiday and one day of indulgence won't hurt.

So what do we do?  

1. In the Bible there are a couple of words of wisdom.  "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he." I have to recognize that I have been thinking like an overweight person for years.  I go to buffets because they are a good value, not because they are good food, or high quality, or healthy.  I celebrate on holidays,  I give myself permission to overeat.  So I have to understand the problem may end up on my plate, but it begins in my mind.  I have to stop feeling cheated if I don't eat to excess, or if I don't have those high calorie treats I am used to
2. "Don't be conformed to the world but be transformed by renewing your mind."   I have to change the way I think.  Just because the world celebrates with food, do I have to celebrate with food.  Today I celebrated by going out on a boat.  I drank a VITALUS shake instead of some other food.  I celebrated by being active rather than by stuffing my face.
3. Monday we are going on a picnic and we are going to take our own healthy food choices. We may eat some of the items other guests bring but we are going to enjoy the fellowship and friendship and avoid the calories.  Yes, we will drink our shakes too.  We will likely do one for breakfast, and one for dinner having our meal at noon.  By planning ahead we can stay on the challenge.

Joe Palmer

P.S. Don't let anyone sabotage your plan. Sometimes friends and family beg us to join in their celebrations.  Those who should be helping us can often become the enemy of our goal.

Sign up for the challenge here and join under me.

http://Niceguy4life.myvi.net/challenge

Fitting Body by Vi into your Lifestyle - Day 4

Fitting Body by VI into your lifestyle?  

That is a real question with any diet.   I look at Body By Vi in two ways now.

1.  First is the challenge.  I am really excited about the challenge because I want to really lose weight.  So far I have lost a total of 4 pounds. Now I don't expect to keep up that pace.  I know that the weight comes off easier at first.   I have been walking and changing what I eat.  But I still go everywhere and do everything I did before.

I am a preacher and few things can be more difficult than dieting and being a preacher.  This week I have an event going on at my church.  Yesterday I bought donuts for breakfast for the group, and we went out for lunch.  I was able to eat a healthy meal and stay on the program.  I am not a slave to not eat, or to eat only certain types of food.  I just have to make healthy choices and use my shakes as needed.  Even in the middle of the challenge I stayed on the plan even though I cup back to one shake ate two meals.

2.  After the challenge when I have gotten the weight off I know I need to maintain my weight that is where Body By VI can really help my lifestyle.  I will be able to substitute a shake for a meal once a day or as needed to keep my weight down.  My dad lost weight many years ago and he set a rule that he would cut back anytime he got five pounds over his ideal weight.  Using that strategy he has maintained his weight to this day.

I know that that Body By Vi will let me do what my Dad did.  If my weight goes up I can use more shakes and cut back on my meals and lose the weight.


RESULTS FOR YESTERDAY

Joe - 1/2 pound for a total of 4 pounds

Flo - No loss for a total of 3 pounds.

If you want to join the challenge let me know.  One of the cool things about Body by Vi is that as people you friends join you get the products free.  I have signed up three and am very close to getting my current plan for free.  No I am not a distributor.  This is just their way of spreading the program.  Let me add that it is not expensive compared to other shakes that you can buy at the local retail level.

Joe

Joepalmer01@yahoo.com

Ups and Downs - Day 3

Day 3

Well yesterday was honestly a hard day for me on Body by Vi.  I don't think it was the product I was just sleepy and being sleepy makes me hungry.  I have been a student all my life, either in college or studying for presentations.  When I get sleepy I eat to stay awake.  That is one of my demons.  I also had a church event yesterday.  I didn't lose weight. I stayed the same.

Not losing one day isn't bad.  I have already lost 3.5 pounds and everyones weight fluctuates.  I started walking on day 2.  I walked 2 miles.  I use this neat ap on my Iphone that tracks my distance. I walked two miles on day 3 yesterday.  Everyone tells me you can lose weight on Body by Vi without exercising but exercise is good for your heart, helps your muscles strengthen, and is good for your heart.  It also burns calories.

THE FLO REPORT

Day 1...... - 0
Day 2..... - 1.5 pounds
Day 3..... - 1.5 pounds
Total ...... - 3 pounds

That is great.  She is almost up with me exercises less and has less to lose.  She also has a very active job in a doctors office.

If you don't know FLO is my wife's nickname.

NEW CHALLENGE MEMBER

I also signed up my third person on Body by Vi.  Even if you aren't a distributor if you sign up friends under you on this program you get your product free.  Next month I will get my product free.  I have signed up three in three days.
My sister in Arkansas is joining our challenge.  She like me struggles with weight and now she is having knee replacement surgery in July.  She wants to lose weight before the surgery.  We are going to start a support group together.  I have the best sister in the world and I want to keep her around a long time.

If you want to sign up leave me a message on here.

Email me at joepalmer01@yahoo.com

or sign up here

http://Niceguy4life.myvi.net/challenge

My Challenge Rules - Day 2

This was my first full day on the Visalus shakes.  I like the chocolate shake.  From my viewpoint if you find someone who doesn't like chocolate you probably shouldn't trust them on anything either.  I made my wife a chocolate for breakfast and a cream for her lunch.

Another thing that makes Visalus unique is that instead of coming in flavors it is a cream base and it can be easily adapted by adding different flavors to it.

Here is picture that shows you the flavor packets Visalus sells. Most of the plans come with a certain number of these.  I tried Banana this morning and I don't like Bananas but it was pretty awesome.  These packets also have added nutritional benefits.  I haven't really researched that yet so I'll talk about that later.

I haven't looked them up yet but I understand that a lot of people have posted different ways they make the shakes, including adding fresh fruits, peanut butter, and other flavorings. 

DAY 2 RESULTS - 

Joe lost 2 lbs

Flo lost 1.5 lbs.

So will Body By VI alone help you lose weight?  No.  I don't think so.  A man once told me that his wife was very religious about her diet. He said she was very religious, she always ate her diet before she did her regular meal.  Obviously you have to change some things.  My wife and I made a list of things we wanted to do to help us make positive changes before starting our diet. This is our list.

Joe and Flo Body By Vi Challenge.

No Bread...

No Sugar...

Daily Dairy...

Using Scales to weigh food.

Exercise Five times per week

Eight Glasses of Water a day

Nightly meal Veggies and lean protien

Eliminate Eating out

Nightly Fiber drink

Tae Bo???

Research Vitamins to help our weight loss.

Well I hope this helps you if you are trying to lose weight on Body by Vi or whatever you are doing.  

Joe Palmer

Getting Started - Day 1

My wife and I had been on a trip to see one of the kids graduate from X Ray school (Congratulations Amanda) when we decided we were going to do something about our weight.  We had been talking about it for some time.  She wanted to do one thing and I talked her into this.

Now you have to know how difficult that is.  My wife jokes that most of those 30 minute infomercials are wasting money because she is sold after the first five.  Actually she isn't exaggerating and I have banned her from watching QVC and HSN. I joke she owns every fitness DVD on the market well she does own all them that were sold prior to our marriage.

On Monday I couldn't get hold of the person I knew that sold "BODY BY VI" and so we started on some awful stuff I had bought a few weeks earlier at GNC.  I finally got hold of my friend Sharon and she brought over the good stuff.

I got a sample from Sharon and it was great.  My wife tried it that night and we ordered two transformation kits for us and my son ordered a kit for him.

On the way home I stopped by Wal-Mart to get the one piece of equipment that you should really get for this program and that is a small blender similar to the "Magic Bullet" blenders.

  I got this model that you see above by GE.  Let me explain why I got this one.  It has four cups with lids.  Now unfortunately for me two of the lids don't seal they have holes in them for sprinkling stuff like ground up parmesan cheese, or nuts.  For $19.00 it was still a good buy.  You may want to get one for your work. They had another model with one cup for less.  If you prefer the wand type blenders or the old stand one those will do.  The advantage to this one, is it cleans up easy.  Just rinse it off.

Here is a shot of the side so you can see all the parts this model has.  I will add I also have a NINJA which I love but it has more parts and would have been harder to clean so I went with easy.

I weighed in on Monday and it was really bad.  I'll tell you what I weighed.  It was an alarming 268 pounds.  At 5 foot and almost 10 inches that is not healthy at all.

I am happy to say I lost 1.5 pounds on the first day despite not having the full day of Body by Vi.

In case your wondering the drinks are great. The powder smells like cake.  I'll talk more about it later.

Have a great day.  

If you want to email me it is joepalmer01@yahoo.com