Dust off That Old Fitness DVD

Dust off that Old Fitness DVD

Okay go to the cabinet that you keep your old DVD's and Tapes. Look in the far back corner  and pick out one of your old fitness DVD's that you have forgot about. Now put it into your player and push play.  You now have a fitness program and it didn't cost you a dime.

I had a set of DVD's that I had bought FLO. Actually I bought it as a joke because when we married she had a bunch of fitness tapes.  I think she had bought everyone that done an infomercial.    Tonight we both did Code Red of Barry's Boot Camp. Now that wasn't a very popular fitness tape but it was really a pretty good workout.

I say this to say that sometimes we go out and are looking for the next big thing.  We think we need the latest and the greatest but the reality is we just need to eat right and move our body.  If you don't have a DVD don't worry just go for a walk, run, do jumping jacks, push ups.  Just move and get fit.

Joe Palmer

My 10 DAY Momentum Push

My 2013 Challenge has been good so far.  I will weigh in tomorrow morning and am already down 6 pounds.  My sweet wife is down 4 for the new year. Not bad for a 20 day stretch.  I am really getting excited and I want to REV IT UP!!! So starting in the morning I am pulling out the stops. I am going to finish the month strong.  I don't want anything to stand between me and hitting at least 10 if not 12 pounds my first month.   So I am going to hit my action plan.  Here it is.

1. Two shakes and day for breakfast and lunch.  This is the foundation of the Body by VI challenge and nothing is better.  I love my shakes.

2.  I will walk a mile every day.  Nothing starts your day off better than a nice walk and here is a sure fire way to get the metabolism running. Drink a shake and take a hike.

3. I will do my exercise routine every night for the next 10 day. I dusted off an old DVD and it kicked my butt. So I am going to kick back and see what results I can get on a 10 day program.

4. I will record everything, and I do mean everything I eat. Keeping a food journal helps you be accountable to yourself.  It stops those bad habits of putting food into your mouth and saying it is only one bite.

5. Water, Water, Water.  I am going to start drinking water.  It is not my norm but it is time to hydrate not dehydrate my body. Being thirsty is often associated as hunger.  Water also gives your entire body a boost.

6. Replace coffee with Green Tea.  Green Tea is a know metabolism booster and coffee dehydrates you body. So I'm making the switch.

7.  Cut the Carbs.  I have been a little slack in eating carbs. We need carbs but the right kind and in the right amount. I am going to cut all the sugar I can and all the bread. Carbs with fiber like fruits and vegetables is okay.

8.  Engage a buddy.  My goal this year is to help as many people as I can lose weight. It is proven that by surrounding yourself with a buddy system you are more likely to be successful.  So I am going to reach out to my buddies on the Challenge and see how I can help them and thus help myself.

9.  Cut out the Late Night snacks.  Late night snacks are a killer your metabolism slows down and the body needs some time to rest.  I have definitely been eating too much after supper.

10 Get some sleep.  Last but not least I am going to go to bed earlier.  By getting more sleep your body and your metabolism is boosted.  This also help my late night eating problem and helps me get up and out earlier.

If I do this I'll also get to register for PROJECT 10 and I will hopefully win a cool $1000 dollars in cash.  If not I'll still get my free T shirt.

Joe Palmer

Give me a Little Sugar

This is a great short article on sugar.  If you want to lose weight you need to drop sugar of all forms.  It simply makes us crave more food because it spikes our blood sugar and then it crashes and we feel hungry.


Is All Sugar Equal?

The #1 Thing you Need to Lose Weight

Starting your second challenge can be difficult.  I personally faced several obstacles.

1.  While I love the Visalus shakes and wasn't tired of them I was wanting to eat some things off my food list. At first this wasn't a problem but when I tried to restart my challenge I was committed enough and I slipped back into some old habits.  I had the mindset: "It won't hurt just this once."  It is true in your diet that eating a splurge meal doesn't really hurt.  But eating several in a row will. 

2.  I had a lot of distractions.  I went on vacation.  I had the holidays.  I also was moving and that became a distraction. I went to buy burgers for my workers and started to eat a lot of fast food.  Distractions are a challenge but really the issue was motivation and commitment. 

The #1 thing everyone needs to lose weight is commitment.  That is why I love my 90 day Challenge is that I put myself out there to do this and reach this goal and I am committing myself to the program for 90 days.  

I have a lot of people ask me if they can buy a back of shake mix and try it.  I really don't like to sell a bag because I know from my experience the results. 

1. They will drink the shakes and like them.

2. They will lose a little weight but not much because they aren't committed.

3. They will fall back into their old eating habits and conclude the program didn't work.

We need to be honest the program works but it won't work if you don't work the program.  This is a 90 Day Challenge. 

If you sign up with me and do the 90 day challenge you will see great results. Your results may be better or less than someone else, but you will see results.  

So if you want to commit to the challenge send me a message or call me.

www.leannapalmer.bodybyvi.com

New Years Challenge

Drop me an email at joepalmer01@yahoo.com

or through facebook.

Overcoming Discouragement

One of the obstacles we face in life regardless of what we do is discouragement.   Just think about the areas of our life that discouragement can affect.

• Learning to play an instrument.
• Finishing your education.
• Completing a project.
• Our job.
• We can get discouraged about a church, or a civic club we belong to.

Losing weight and getting in shape is one of the hardest things to do.  Consider just a few of the things that can make these tasks discouraging.

• It requires us to change our habits of eating and exercise.  
• It takes a long time.
• Sometimes the results are slow.
• Sometimes there are setbacks.
• We know there will be obstacles.
• Sometimes people may discourage us.

So today I want to ask the question to you as a reader, "How do you handle discouragement?"  Hopefully you are not answering going to the fridge and getting a bowl of Bluebell Ice Cream.  Tomorrow.  I'll give you some of my suggestions.  

Challenge # 2 - THE GOAL

This week Flo and I started challenge number 2.  My goal is to lose 30 more pounds.  If I accomplish this goal several significant milestones will be broken.

1. I will first of all break into the range of overweight.  Now I am officially obese.
2. I will next break below 200.  I started my challenge at 228 so.  I am shooting for 198.

In my first challenge I reversed 7 years of weight gain in 90 days and got off one blood pressure medications.  If I make to 198, I will be at a weight that was last seen in my 20's.  I have no memory of when I was last below 200.  I do remember being at 210 when I was at my first church in Ridgely, Tennessee.

If I do this I will also have to buy a complete new wardrobe.  Not a bad problem to have.

Flo's challenge is to lose another 20 pounds. If she meets that goal she will be at the weight she was when we started dating.  So that would be awesome.

I lost 2 pounds so far in only 2 days so that is awesome.  Flo hasn't weighed in yet but we  will keep you posted.  

90 Day Results

Joe lost 40 Pounds and 12 inches.

Flo lost 20 pounds and 19 inches.

My Trip to the Chinese Buffett

Well it finally happened after two months and three weeks I went to a Chinese Buffet.  One of my rules in doing the Body by Vi challenge is I will not turn down invitations to go out and eat when it related to socializing for work.  I have to make a lifestyle change which includes eating out.

I said in a previous blog that that the "Hong Kong" Chinese Buffet has put on half of my extra weight in the past two years.  So Chinese is one of my weaknesses.

How does Body By Vi work?  You replace two meals a day with a shake. But which meals? It allows you to eat any meal you want.  I normally eat supper, but the plan is flexible.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.  This morning I weighed in and no change in my weight.  So what is so great about that?  It means I am not rebounding.  I am learning how to eat anything, anywhere, and not overeat.

WHAT DID I EAT?  I at a generous helping of sushi and some boiled shrimp. I sampled some of my favorites but didn't gorge on them.

YOU CAN DO IT.  I hope this blog encourages you if you have given up on losing weight that you can do it. Being a party of the Body by Vi group has allowed me to meet lots of people that have overcome many obstacles to lose weight. So if you have questions just ask.

Joe and Flo

Week 12 Report

Well this is the beginning of the last week of my first 90 day challenge. I am down over 38 pounds. Flo is down 19.  We are both very happy with our results.

For the past three weeks I have worn clothes to church that I haven't worn in a long time. I have a friend coming in a few months and he isn't going to recognize me because I am going on another challenge.  I already have my goal picked out and I am so excited about reaching it.

230 - I am down to 230.  I started at 268.  I am down 14% of my body weight.  I get positive encouragement all the time.  But most of all in my mind I know I am doing the right thing.  My health is improving.  The nutrition is great.

So join the challenge and let's do it together.

http://leannapalmer.bodybyvi.com/

Week 11 Report

Flo and I are at week 11 and the program has been awesome.

Joe:  I am down 34 pounds.  I lost 2.5 pounds this week. I have already surpassed my goal of 30 pounds.  Plus I have reaped the rewards of this program in many ways.

1.  Improved health including lowering my blood pressure and getting off of one medication.

2. Improved energy and stamina.  I just feel better.

3.  I am fitting back into many of my favorite old clothes.  I look better.

Flo: is down 18 pounds.

1. She looks marvelous.

2.  She looks really marvelous.

3. She looks really, really, really marvelous.

The great things is we did this in the easiest most painless way possible.  You can't believe how good a Vi Shake is.

If you want to try one just leave me a message here and we will either mail it to you or bring it to you in person.

Joe Palmer

Third of the Way to the Goal

This week I hit another milestone. I am a third of the way to my ultimate weight loss goal.  I have lost 33 pounds 12 percent of my original body weight is now gone.  I feel great.  My health is improving and I really don't miss my old life too much.  Sure I miss some things that I don't eat but I love the things I do eat, and I love my Vi Shape shakes.  My Neuro energy and mind charging drinks and not carrying around 33 pounds all the time.

My ultimate goal is to lose 100 pounds.  I had hoped to lose it in 3 challenges.  Now I feel it will take me four to do it.  I have gone from 268.3 pounds to 235.2 pounds in less than 11 weeks.

My son told me yesterday that he thinks I have a better attitude now too.  Well maybe I do.  It is easy to be more optimistic when you feel better physically.

Being a third of the way is exciting but it is also a reminder of how far there is to go.  I feel thinner but the chart still says I am obese.  I have to get to 210 pounds before I pass from obese to overweight.  At about 174 I go from overweight to normal.  My goal of getting to 168 is simply because A) it is in the normal range and B) it is a nice round number.

What if I don't make it.  Well, I will.  But my motivation behind my goal will cause me to keep altering and defining my goals and ultimately to set new goals.  My motivation is to have a healthier body so that I can serve God better, and longer while on this earth. I'm not a third of the way to that goal.  I have already reached that goal and can continue to improve in that as long as I keep my focus on doing the right things in my spiritual life and my daily physical life.

I hope you will set some goals and work to reach them. Think about your motivation too.  Be sure you are doing the right thing for the right reason. That will help you when you complete your goals and as you refocus you goals from time to time.

Joe and Flo

Diet Vs. Exercise

VS.

I read the article linked below with a great deal of interest in regards to what help the most diet and exercise.  I encourage you to read it and apply it to your weight loss and fitness goals.  I have a few additional comments below.    

Diet Vs Exercise

I say if are able to exercise, diet and exercise are the best route.  They both help. Exercise help you burn calories and tone up your body.  Diet helps us fuel our body and giving it the right fuel matters.

This article gives great hope to people who are not physically able to exercise because of the pain their body is in.  I can personally let you talk to two people who have been on Body by Vi and lost weight and could not exercise. One is in a wheelchair and has lost over 30 pounds. One has had knee surgery and lost 20 pounds and isn't even finished with the first 90 days.

In regards to your diet.  I can tell you first hand what a pre-measured, good tasting, nutritionally balanced meal can do for your diet. 

I have lost 33 pounds

Flo has lost 17.4 

We did this with a minimal amount of exercise.  Yes we exercise, mostly walk, when we can but we are no gym rats.

So don't despair if you can't or don't like to exercise. Get on the Challenge.

http://leannapalmer.myvi.net/

Another one Drops 10%

Today Flo is down 10 % of her original body weight.  This is a really big milestone.  She is losing weight  every week.  Her weight has dropped 17 pounds. Joe is now down 11.5 percent of his body weight. 

What can losing 10% mean.

A Healthier Heart.  -  I don't have issues with my heart but heart disease is a lead killer among women.  So keeping my heart healthy is important.

Lower risk of Diabetes - Diabetes is a silent killer.  My weight loss means I am lowering my risks.  As you know diabetes is one of those diseases that compounds the problems with so many other areas.  I want to avoid it.

A Better Nights Sleep -  I don't have this issue that I know of but losing weight helps sleep apnea.  So lose weight and sleep great.

Joint Health -  I have knee problems and while they aren't giving me a lot of problems now every pounds I take off my knees helps them work better, longer, and with less pain.  This is very important since I work all day on my feet.

Lower risk of Cancer - All the research shows that lowering our body fat decreases our cancer risk.  While losing weight won't guarantee you don't get cancer it will help your body fight disease and lower your risk of getting cancer.

More Energy - Okay so it is time to go grocery shopping. Here is your list.

5 pound bag of flour
4 pound bag of sugar
3 pound package of hamburger meat
1 pound of cheese,
1 pound of frozen corn
1 pound of dried pinto beans
Two 8 ounce tubs of sour cream
a pound of butter. 

Now go carry that from the closest grocery store to your home.  If that makes you tired recognize that is amount of weight I am NOT carrying on my body today, that I was 10 weeks ago.  Now do you think I have more energy?

So do you want to try, "Body by Vi?"

Sign up here

Join Joe and Flo on the Challenge

7 Tips to Boost Your Metabolism

I am going into week 10 and my weight loss has slowed a little bit.  Now honestly it is at a very healthy  1.5 pounds per week.  But we all want to keep that weight loss going.  So I started to go back and look at how can I increase my metabolism.   Today I want to share a few of the tips I learned that I think I can apply.

1. Eat Breakfast - If you sleep eight hours and then skip breakfast you are telling your body that food is not available.  So eat.   This is great for me because I always start the day with a Body by Vi shake.  

2. Add in B Vitamins -  B Vitamins are supposed to help your body in lots of way but research shows they help our metabolism.  Wow, that is great news for me because "Neuro" which is included in the transformation kit is loaded with B6 and B12.  I usually have one of those about 10:00 A.M. every day.

3. Eat small meals often - I have been trying to do that too.  I try to eat about 5 times a day but I am trying not to eat late in the evening.  Eating small meals helps by keeping your body from shutting down because it thinks you are starving.

4. Include protein in every meal - I use shakes twice a day.  I eat peanuts and almonds for snacks. I always have lean fish or chicken for dinner.  Protein fuels your body and takes more energy to digest than carbs.

5. Green Tea and Coffee -  Caffeine is supposed to help our metabolism by increasing our energy. I don't do much caffeine because it affects my blood pressure. I can start adding decaf green tea to my diet.  I was drinking a lot of green tea and I have stopped drinking it lately. Green tea has compounds called phenols that have great thermogenic properties beyond that explained by its caffeine content.

6. Eat more hot pepper - Peppers contain the bioactive ingredient capsaicin, which not only makes them spicy hot, but also doubles energy expenditure for 3 hours after a meal.  love hot food, but I haven't been eating a lot of food with cayenne or jalapeno lately.  So starting tomorrow I am going to add some heat to my diet.

7.  Exercise - The best way to exercise turns out to be endurance with bursts of intense exercise.  Strength training to add muscle also helps.  So I need to walk with shorts sprints and do some weight training.

JOE AND FLO REPORT

FLO is down 17 pounds

JOE is down 31 Pounds.

Today we start week 11 on our journey.  Wish us luck. If you want to join us...

http://Nicegirl.bodybyvi.com/challenge

10 Reason My Diet is Working

10 Reasons My Diet is Working

Previously i posted  10 Diets That Don't Work.  Today I want to clarify why the diet Flo and I are doing doesn't have any of those weaknesses.

1.  I Eat -  Some people think I am on a Protein Shake Diet.  Yes I do drink my Body By Vi shakes but I eat real food too.

2. I Eat Often - I concentrate on eating so I don't get hungry.  I eat about 5 times a day.  I always start with a shake in the morning.  I have a Neuro and some nuts about 10.  A small lunch of a shake for lunch. I eat something in the afternoon, maybe some nuts with water.  I eat healthy for dinner.  I vary this routine based on my schedule.  

3.  I am Not on a Fad Diet -  It is a fad if I can't sustain it. My intention is to sustain this diet for many years if not the rest of my life. 

4. I Exericise - I am not a fanatic but I am trying to get out and walk and move my body.  It don't matter what you do, just do something.

5. I Watch What I Eat - I don't go to any dinner invitation too hungry. Neuro which is a Visalus product really helps my hunger.  I might drink some water or even a shake a couple hours before going out to eat, or to a dinner party.  I plan how I am going to eat.  I don't deprive myself of everything, but I am careful.

6. I Follow My Plan Every Day - I haven't had fried food, candy, hamburgers or french fries in 9 weeks.   I followed my diet on vacation, at church, when I am eating out.  My diet is not just a diet it is a lifestyle.

In my last post I asked you these questions.

• Is the plan to complicated to follow?               NO
• Is it flexible enough for me to adjust to situations in my life?    YES
• Is it boring or just too restrictive?                      NO
• Will I stick with it for the long term?             YES   

7. I Stopped Procrastinating -  I don't let anything keep me off my plan.  Nor do I say no to living my life.  I do always find a way to stay on the plan and I am no longer procrastinating.

8.  The Yummy Diet - Vi shakes are Yummy!!!  Here are my favorites so far.

Chocolate Peanut Butter - Dark Chocolate, Chocolate sugar free pudding mix, skim milk, ice and Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter.

Blueberry - Blueberries frozen, Skim milk, and Ice.

Banana - Use a 1/2 or a whole Banana with skim milk and ice.  Adding blueberries is great too. for Blueberry/Banana. 

Cheesecake - Use Sugar free Cheesecake pudding mix and add cherries, or Strawberries with ice and skim milk

If you prefer you can use soy milk in any of the above.

9.  My diet includes a Maintenance Program - It is called the Balance Kit and it will be exactly what I need to maintain my weight.  

10. I Stopped Doing Nothing -  If you are ready to start...

SIGN UP HERE

http://Nicegirl.bodybyvi.com/challenge

10 Diets That Don't Work

10 Diets That Don't Work

1.  Eating Nothing -  Yes you will lose weight but you will also die.  It is called starvation and it is not any more healthy than stuffing your face with too much food.

2. Eating Next to Nothing -  If you eat too little you will shut down your metabolism and ruin your diet. Ask any registered dietician and they will tell you this is a fact.

3. Fad Diets -  Again some of the diets will help you lose weight but if you can't adapt it to real life it won't make a lasting impact.

4. Exercise Alone - Yes exercise is great, but exercise alone won't give most people the weight loss they want.   You can exercise and still maintain excess weight by increasing your calories.

5. Diet Alone - Okay I do know people that have lost weight without exercise but to optimize our health we all need some exercise.  So even though I know you can argue with this one. I think we should commit to some exercise if we can do it.

6. The Diet You Don't Follow - It doesn't help to have a great plan of how you are going to eat if you don't follow the plan.  Consider these points.

• Is the plan to complicated to follow?
• Is it flexible enough for me to adjust to situations in my life?
• Is it boring or just too restrictive?
• Will I stick with it for the long term?

7. The Procrastinators Diet - I stayed on this diet for years and gained lots of weight on it.  I'd tell myself that I'd diet after vacation, or some other big event was over.  I started diets and then ate poorly after someone invited me out to lunch.  I had lots of excuses and big plans to start next week.

8.  The Yucky Diet - It may be healthy but if it doesn't taste good most of us can't stay with it very long.  So whatever you do find something that lets you eat some foods that you like.  Now understand I  realize that to lose weight we have to give up eating certain food, or at least eating them in large quantities. 

9.  The Diet that doesn't include a Maintenance Program - When the diet is over you have to have a plan.  All the research shows that losing weight is only half the problem.  Keeping it off is the hard part.

10. Doing Nothing -  I know this one sounds stupid but lots of people want to lose weight but they simply are sitting there wishing they would lose weight and won't actually commit to any type of real change. So if you are ready for  a change....

SIGN UP HERE

http://Nicegirl.bodybyvi.com/challenge

Think Yourself Thin

You are what you eat...

But you eat the way you think.

For years I have eaten like a fat man, but I also thought like a fat man.  When I went out to eat I thought about value, and value meant the quantity of food I could get for my money. Sure I wanted quality but quantity mattered too.

Since starting the challenge I have been working on changing my habits including my thinking.

I think about nutrition.

I think about my health.

I think about what should I eat, not just what do I want to eat.

I think about quality not quantity.

Learning to eat right is hard but learning to think right is the answer.  I am not on a diet.  Yes I have a weight loss goal.  But I am working on adopting a different attitude toward food.  We eat for a lot of bad reasons.

Sometimes we eat because we are sad.

Sometimes because we are happy.

Sometimes we eat as a reward.

Sometimes we eat because we are tired.

A lot of times we eat because we are depressed. Have you ever heard the term "comfort food."

So if you want to change you weight, and change your waist, change your mind.


Joe and Flo Report.

Today I am down 30 pounds.

Flo is over 16 pounds.


CHALLENGE PARTY

We will have a Challenge Party Thursday night in FWB if you want to come message me and I will get you the details.

Joe and Flo

Week 9

Flo and I just completed week 9. I weighed in at 239 pounds even that means I have lost 29.3 pounds.  Flo is  down 16 pounds.  We are feeling awesome about the Body By Vi transformation.

I know I have said this many times but this is the easiest thing I have ever done to lose weight.  So I hope if you have been sitting on the sidelines thinking I need to lose a few pounds you will jump in and join us.

LOSING INCHES - This week was a tough week for me losing weight.  I only lost 1.3 pounds.  Now really that is a good week.  I realize that my expectations are just too high.  I continue to see signs that I am losing inches.  In the past two weeks I started wearing a belt I couldn't even get on. Now it is on the second notch.  My biggest belt is now in the trash it won't fit any more.  I had one belt that I was on the last hole to the end, now I am on the last hole I can tighten it up to. I can also tell in my shirts.  I am wearing shirts and can tell they are getting loser on me.

FLO -  My girl is looking good.  She is starting to shed more pounds too.  She is knocking on the door of losing 10% of her body weight.   This week we are both starting a new exercise program.  We are going to start doing some light weight training to build muscle and shed pounds.  She signed up to promote the challenge so if you want to join please see her or send us a message through Facebook or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

BLOOD PRESSURE - My blood pressure is doing great.  It is down in the rage below 120 over 80.  So hopefully in another 10 pounds we will see it drop more and I can get off more of the meds.

Well  I hope you have a great week.  We have four weeks of our first challenge left.  We are trying to kick it into high gear and sprint to the finish.  You all know how losing weight late in a diet can be harder.  That is just because you are really kicking off the real body fat.  I know we can do it.

I'd love to hear your comments or questions. Just leave message for me and I'll respond.

Joe and Flo

Self Awareness

Self awareness is a big part of weight loss.  There are several steps I have discovered in my weight loss journey.  It is important to discover what works and try to duplicate it every day.

1.  You have to know what you are eating.  At first that means get a program like Lose it or My Fitness Pal for your smart phone or just get a little notebook or diary and write it down.  You have to also know what is in what you are eating. You have to look up calories. You need to know not guess the portion sizes.  So a scale helps or buys  individually portioned foods.

2.  You have to eat the right kinds of foods.  For me that means not under-eating or over-eating.  I need lean protein.  I need to be aware of my calories.  I need to be aware of my salt content.  I need to eat vegetables and fruits that provide fiber.  Also bananas seem to help me lose weight.

3. Drink lots of water.  This week I have only lost a pound so far.  Now a pound is a pound but I have been losing around 3 pounds a week. This is what I feel like I have been missing this week.  I have been drinking my shakes. This week I drank some coffee in the mornings, something I haven't been doing a lot lately.  Coffee actually dehydrates you.  Although it is supposed to boost your metabolism, it also creates additional hunger pains because of the dehydration.   I feel like I have sabotaged myself by not drinking the water they way I had been.

Today I am trying to correct this.  I'll let you know the results tomorrow.

Joe and Flo