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/

Weight Loss Tips

I wanted to share a few of my tips for losing weight. This doesn't mean I am expert.  These are just things that are working for me and that I want to remind myself to keep doing.

1.  Be Accountable - Now I did that by writing this blog, but you can't do it however you like.   Failing to be accountable often leads to failure.

2.  Have a Buddy - It is great to have a weight loss buddy on the plan with you. Flo and I have been able to support each other on the journey.  We are accountable to each other be we are also  doing this together and to be encouragers.

3.  Drink lots of Water - I love a product made a Visulus called Neuro which I add to my water.  I also try to drink green tea.  Water helps you feel full.  It helps your body get rid of fat.  Often times we think we are hungry when we are really thirst.  Don't forget that coffee can actually dehydrate you.

4. Don't get Hungry - Now that doesn't mean give into every craving.  Cravings and hunger are different.  We sometimes eat because we are bored, sleepy, or depressed.  So be aware of the many things that you may associate with hunger that are not related to your body needing food.  I encourage you to start your day with a Body by Vi shake and mid morning have a handful of nuts and a big glass of water or green tea.  I usually eat a lite lunch like a salad with protein and a light dressing.  Have a shake mid afternoon and a light dinner.    Don't be afraid to eat the right foods often. Eating can actually help you lose weight.

5. Track your Food - I recommend a food diary especially if you are having trouble losing weight.  A diary will help you identify how many calories you are eating.  What food combinations are working for you. It will help you identify what is going on when you diet plateaus.  It will help you recognize that you are eating more than you think.  It will make you acknowledge those small amounts of food you put in your mouth that you may not be counting. On average people who track their food lose twice the weight of those who don't.

6.  Have an exit strategy - As I have mentioned I have been on some crazy eating plans and have always  Yo-Yoed when I got off the eating plan.  So what are you going to do, when you stop doing what you are doing?  The best exit strategy is one that phases out naturally but not completely. I don't plan to ever stop Body by Vi.  I will continue to use the shakes because they taste good, they are healthy, and they will help me maintain my weight.

Joe and Flo

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

Sign up here

Join Joe and Flo on the Challenge

All you got to lose is weight.

Excuses

I just wanted to share one quick thought this morning.  I made lots of excuses before I started "Body by Vi."

1. I wasn't sure if it would work?
2. It was too expensive.
3. I had a trip... an event.... something else coming up and I'd start after that

Excuses are a dime a dozen and one is as good as another.

7 weeks ago I took the plunge and today I am 27 pounds lighter.

Joe and Flo

Work is Exercise

WORK IS EXERCISE

Exercise is work some claim, but work can be exercise.  I decided the last couple of days to make my daily exercise work.  I got out in the yard and mowed and cleaned up the yard.

It feels great to me to be accomplishing two tasks at the same time. I do this a lot. I am ADD so I tell my wife I can't multi-task but I can double-task.  So I am a double-tasker.  Here are some other ways I double task.

• Listening to an audio book while cleaning the house.
• Listening to my Bible MP3 while walking.
• Going out on my pontoon boat with someone from church that needs encouragement.
• Exercising with a friend or family member so you can have quality time.
• Spending time praying while I drive or walk.

Using work as exercise is a great way to use time efficiently.  So fire that lawn guy and get out there and mow that yard with a push mower.   Get out the rake and get those arms moving.  Get out the mop and get those floor a little extra TLC.  Trim those hedges and give your biceps a work out.  Wash and wax your car. "Wax on / Wax off.  (Do you remember that line?)  Who can forget "Paint the fence" and "Sand the floor."  

Day 29

I gained a little today and I don't really know about Flo but I had a great day and getting all that work done has sure made me feel more energetic, productive, and happy.   Now I just need to go buy a pressure washer.  

See you tomorrow.

My life on a Diet - Day Day 24

MY LIFE ON A DIET

Today I took my son to get on a plane to go live in Korea.  I got up at 2:30 and left at 3:00.  I am really sleepy.  I have shared a lot on making this diet fit into my lifestyle.  I think that is the challenge for any diet.   I'd like to share a little about some of the diets I have been on.

The most extreme diet I have been on was the one called the "Miracle Cleanse."   On this diet you drink Grade B Maple Syrup, Lemon, and Cayenne Pepper. Nothing else can be consumed.  I did it for a couple weeks.  I lost a lot and much faster than I have now but I gained it all back.  This diet doesn't fit into your lifestyle at all.  I would literally go out to eat with people and sit and watch them eat.

FASTING - I have fasted.  I was doing this partly due to my faith.  I found it an effective way to lose weight.  The advantage was that fasting for a day or two lowered my appetite. I would drink broths and juices but leave off hard foods.  This diet is hard to fit into your lifestyle.  I have not yet tried going on a Body By Vi fast yet, but I may do this in the future.

CARB REDUCTION -  Whatever you call it Atkins, or South Beach or Sugar Busters, I have done a low carb diet. This was never very successful for me.  I lost some weight but stalled out and gained it back. It was also so limiting I was hard to fit into my lifestyle.

MYFITNESSPAL - If you have a smart phone or a computer you can find an application that helps you count calories.  This was a great deal of help. I think this is a good addition to using the Body by VI shakes. I contend that with Body By Vi if you aren't changing your eating habits you are wasting your time and money because the weight gain will be insignificant and return quickly.

BALANCED DIET - I have tried just cutting back and eating a balanced diet but sometimes that is difficult because you have a hard time finding good food choices if you don't prepare them ahead of time. I really did great on a diet like this for a few months once when my daughter was cooking every night and preparing lunch for us too.

By far for me the combination of a balanced diet, Body By Vi shakes and exercise is the best plan I have ever been on. I love being able to pick and choose when to drink a shake and when to eat a meal. This week I went out to eat and had company over and went to someone else's house and yet I am still losing weight.

I know there are many other diets.  I have also tried other shakes.  But these taste the best, and I believe are the best on the market. 

PLEASE SHARE YOUR DIET TIPS AND REVIEWS BELOW. I'd love to hear from some of the other uses of Body By Vi and what has worked and not worked for you.  

Joe Palmer


JOE & FLO REPORT

Due to the early hour I left we didn't weigh in.

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