IsaBody Challenge #2 - Completed - and Updates

I finished challenge #2 on May 14. The second challenge wasn’t quite as successful as the first, but I think that’s to be expected. (I think the less weight you have to lose, the more slowly it comes off.) I lost 20 lbs. in 16 weeks, so just over 1 lb. per week, which is a little slower than I’d prefer. It doesn’t help that the challenge end date was the day after I returned from a week-long vacation; I did pretty well all things considered, but I did splurge on a few meals and my schedule was pretty out of whack so I didn’t really follow the plan as closely as I should have. I am still losing, though!

More importantly, I still feel better. I can’t remember the last time I had heartburn or gastric reflux. My husband says I snore less and my sleep apnea is pretty much gone. I can do all the “bouncing” exercises in my Interval Training class (I used to have to do the low-impact alternate). I can’t say I have the extreme energy some people find with the system, but I no longer stumble through my mornings half-asleep – when I wake up, I’m awake, regardless of how much (or how little) sleep I had the night before. I haven’t fallen asleep at work in months, and that used to be a daily occurrence, and I made it through both 4.5-hour drives for my vacation without danger of nodding off and without any energy drinks. (Last year even with a 5-hour Energy, I was struggling to stay awake.) I no longer feel like I have a stomach full of food all the time, and somehow my over-active gag reflex has gone back to normal (I used to dry heave just because I had a hair in my mouth – and with Boxers, that happens a lot!).

I am signing up for Challenge #3 today, of course. This time I want to get back on plan more, although May is always a bad month with my vacation, Mother’s Day, my anniversary, my birthday, and Memorial Day. My family, like most in the US, has a habit of making every holiday about food; I’m purposely making my birthday a non-food event, whatever we end up doing, but I’ll admit that I’m not going to give up our traditional high-scale steakhouse anniversary dinner. As I noted last time, it’s a lifestyle, not a life sentence!

Meanwhile I did receive my $200 coupon for Challenge #1, which I spent on 6 months' worth of IsaDelight chocolates since they cost more to ship from May - October. (They need special packaging so they don't melt in transit.) 

BBB

I did a "Bedtime Belly Buster" challenge for two weeks; it's a whey protein shake (IsaPro) you have at night, 1/2 an hour before bed. I ordered the French Vanilla flavor, based on my experience with the texture of the chocolate IsaLean, and it was OK but had an aftertaste that I don't love. It also gets *really* foamy; I had to let it sit a few minutes before I could drink it (and that's just with shaking, not using a blender). Fortunately once the foam settled it was fairly thin and smooth, not thick and slimy-ish like the chocolate IsaLean. You're supposed to add IsaFruits or IsaGreens to the shake; I got the IsaFruits, because even though I don't eat a ton of veggies, I eat even fewer fruits. I really didn't like the taste of the Fruits, though, at least not combined with the IsaPro. I might try them alone or with the IsaLean vanilla (or maybe strawberry) if I get brave one day. Fortunately, I had also purchased some orange-flavored AMPED Hydrate (a Gatorade-type drink, to use when I start running in earnest), and you can use that in the BBB instead of the Fruits or Greens. Orange Hydrate combined with vanilla IsaPro tastes like an orange creamsicle, and the aftertaste isn't as noticeable. So I managed to struggle through the two weeks. 

Looking at before and after photos, I don't see a huge difference; I suspect the biggest problem, for me, is that I don't have a set bedtime and so "1/2 an hour before bed" is a nebulous concept. Plus I took the after pictures at the end of the day shortly after I'd had a meal, so maybe wasn't seeing the whole change. You're also supposed to take some brain booster supplements and multivitamins, which were just way out of my budget, and there's a Sleep Spray you're supposed to use to help with sleeping. I did buy the Sleep Spray and tried it, but the three mornings after I used it were the only three mornings since starting this program that I had trouble waking up. I even took it earlier in the evening than recommended and used only one spray instead of three, and had the same results. So I gave the Spray to my mom and she seems to be having better luck with it.

New Wardrobe

Now that I've lost this weight, a lot of my clothes no longer fit. My sister came over and helped me go through them (she has a better eye for that sort of thing, there were a lot of items I would have kept wearing but they really were just too big). I now have a large pile of clothes to donate, and another pile to take to the consignment store. (Most of those I've rarely worn, some never.)  Which left me fairly limited in wardrobe choices, especially for work, and reluctant to spend money on clothes that won't fit me as I keep losing. I dug out a couple of tubs of too-small clothes I'd packed away and happily, many of them now fit me. It's like I have a whole new wardrobe, and these should last at least another 20-30 lbs. Some of the clothes were still a little too small, so they should get me through the next 20-30 lbs, and then I'll be near or at my goal and can justify buying new clothes! (I did buy some jeans that were on sale/clearance, because none of my current jeans fit anymore and I only had one pair of Levi's packed away. (Real jeans, they're so thick and sturdy! - but they're almost too big already and baggy in the wrong places, so they're my "non-fashionable" jeans that I'll wear when I'm traveling or driving or going to a dog show or training or whatever.)

Progress Noticed

The last few weeks have been good for my self-esteem and motivation, because a lot of people are noticing how much weight I've lost. (A lot of that I think is due to the change in wardrobe.) Several people in my Monday night exercise class have commented, which is gratifying, and at ABC of course, with people who haven't seen me for a year. (My hair is longer and lighter, too, so a few people said they didn't even recognize me at first.) It's a strange thing; I really, really appreciate that they've noticed and took the time to tell me, but it makes me want to cry, too. Mostly because I'm a goofy sap with no self-confidence, but also because I'm embarrassed I let myself get to where I got. (There's no excuse for it, either; I haven't had a baby, or had medical issues, or anything like that. I just was lazy and ate whatever I wanted and drank way too much Pepsi and ate way too much chocolate!) Still, it's nice that people have noticed, and it does motivate me to keep going, because if they think I look good now, just wait until I'm done! :) 

Latest Stats

One question I get a lot now is how much weight I've lost. I'm hovering around 60 lbs. gone -- it varies, of course, with the days and weeks, and again, being on vacation last week didn't help with the loss (but I didn't gain any, either). I've also lost about 75 inches. (I weigh/measure tomorrow, so it's a little imprecise right now.)

My weight loss, as I mentioned, has slowed down quite a bit. I have strayed from the program somewhat, I'll admit. My biggest issue is that I often forget to take my second Natural Accelerator, although I'm not entirely sure how much of a difference that makes. I increased my daily calories with my first plateau -- I did a lot of reading on Basal Metabolic Rate and Resting Metabolic Rate and Daily Energy Expenditure and found that my body would expend about 1500 calories if I was lying in a coma. So eating 1400 calories a day is a little too little, and could be hurting my efforts rather than helping them. I upped by snacks by 50 calories each and it did seem to help move the needle again. I've also gotten off in my timing, and have missed my second shake a lot of days lately. Which is a problem because then I'm 240 calories short again. I do need to re-evaluate my BMR because I've lost weight since I did that, and then I need to start paying more attention to my schedule and logging my food, so I can keep better track of my calories and macros. I find myself getting discouraged at not losing more than a pound or two in a couple of weeks, but if I'm not getting the right calories and nutrition is it really that surprising?

Other Challenges

I mentioned before I'd made a HealthyWager. I need to get moving on that; I've got 21 weeks left and about 40 lbs. to lose, which is cutting it pretty close! Once May is over I'll be able to be a lot more strict and dedicated. (Well, I'll be in Tennessee for 10 days in June so that will be a definite challenge -- Southern cooking and all -- but it's early in the month and hopefully I'll have time to get some good long walks/runs in.) I do need to start exercising more, not only for the weight loss and to train for the 5K, but also to tone my muscles and hopefully prevent having a lot of sagging skin. (I'm noticing a little bit of 'flapping' in my upper arms, and a lot of people on the system say that losing more slowly, which I'm doing now, and strength training/toning help to prevent loose skin.)

I also started a StepBet. That was a huge mistake. Supposedly they take your average steps for the past two weeks, increase by 25% for your 'active' days and then by another 25% or so for your 'stretch' days. Well, I had two "high step" days in the past two weeks, from being at a dog show and then trying on my entire wardrobe. It shouldn't have affected my average that much, and I should have paid attention to my goals before I submitted the fee, but now I'm stuck with my 'active' days requiring about 250% as many steps as I normally take, and my 'stretch' days requiring 325% as many. It's crazy, especially when I'm stuck at work 8 hours a day with limited ability to get up and move around. (Last week was an easy one, though, because I always walk a lot at ABC. This week is more difficult.) Even with my exercise class, even on days I walk/run for 1/2 an hour, I still struggle to meet my goals. I'm on week four of six so will stick it out, but I won't be repeating a StepBet anytime soon. (Especially since it looks like I'll just be getting my $40 back, with no additional 'earnings' on it.)

TL;DR

Still on the plan, still losing (although more slowly), people are noticing, and I feel a lot better. Have been straying a bit so need to get back on track, and need to start exercising. Overall still an Isafan!