Begin losing here: Visalus Challenge Info

Yes!! I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this week’s result on my 90 Day Challenge. It was good. Another 3 lbs. I am now at 189 lbs, down from 206. I was a bit surprised because I spent the least time walking or hiking. Busyness and a bruised knee cap has curtailed my activity.

And I worried that eating a bit more on some delicious carb rich foods this week wasn’t good. But proof is, with moderation and the majority of meals eating fresh, I continued to lose. The Vi-Shape shakes continue to replace at least one meal a day. I continue to save an average of $12 a day with the $1.50 shake.

Here’s something funny. I am hearing more comments like, “Phil, are you losing weight?” The best one came from a co-worker this week. I was wearing a pair of jeans I had bought over a year ago and worn ONCE because the 38 waist was too tight fitting. I swore they were mis-labeled. I claimed clothes just weren’t being made like they were in the old days. Those old days, of course, were the days when I was 180-185 lbs.

Well, I looked at her and said, yes, as a matter of fact, they were new! But truth is, I had bought them over a year ago and had worn them just once, because they didn’t fit. But with the recent weight loss, I could wear them again.

Yup, here are two pairs of my jeans. This past year, I had bought a pair of jeans with a 40 inch waist. Unreal. Today, I am wearing a pair of jean shorts with a 36 inch waist. There is more to go.

I recommend without reservation the Visalus shakes and vitamins. I challenge you to take the 90 Day Challenge. Join me here: Begin the Challenge = http://beginthechallenge.myvi.net/index.html

When you begin, please drop me a line or comment! I have a special gift for ya to celebrate your decision.

Really feeling great and have worn clothes I was thinking I would never wear again.

Highlights from Week 4:

• Actually hearing comments about my noticeably shrinking waistline
• Continuing to confirm that the Visalus Challenge is really a focus on eating right … forever
• Being asked WHAT am I doing?
• Discovered a great salad at Paradise Bakery! (Chopped Chicken Cobb, half bowl for under $7.
• Savings now total $228 with replacing my $12 and 1k calorie average lunches with a 160 calorie Visalus Vi-Shape shake at $1.70 – a – day (that includes the shipping cost and milk I use in the shake).

Something else very significant has happened as well. I have all but quit needing and thus taking the Prilosec antacids! This was a huge concern as over the last few YEARS I was having acid reflux. I was taking a pill a day, almost every day. Since the day I began the Visalus shakes and eating fresh, I have literally taken just 2 doses and those more out of habit as I thought I might need them.

I am now hitting the scale at 192 vs 206. It was great to see and even better to feel.

I challenge you to take the challenge. Feel free to email or call with any questions about Visalus and their products. I’ve never recommended anything as highly as I now do with this company’s 90 Day Challenge using the Vi-Shape Shake. It’s less than $2 a day!

I was really surprised on the weight loss I had in the first week. And it felt good. I noticed 4 days into replacing my lunch with the Vi-Shape shake that my pants were fitting a lot more comfortable in the waist. That was encouraging. It was buying a pair of 40W jeans that motivated me to do something about the ever expanding waistline! (As well as the health risks of being overweight).

So what did I do this past week? First, let me tell you what I didn’t do. I didn’t go hungry. I didn’t exercise at my target heart rate. I didn’t deny myself food.  I didn’t count calories. I didn’t track points. And I didn’t weigh myself everyday.

Here is what I did:

• I replaced my typical high carbohydrate, $12 dollar lunches with the $1.50 Visalus shakes. The $49 a month total for the shakes are saving me almost $200.
• I have eaten vegetables and fruit when I want to snack. Normally, I would grab a candy bar or a donut. Or I’d eat popcorn or a sandwich. Instead, I’ve eaten celery, apples, tangelos, radishes, cucumber, bananas, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, nuts … and I eat something like this every time I was hungry or even bored!
• Increased drinking water. Pretty much eliminated sodas. I think I drank one. I did drink some beer on Friday night and at the pool on Saturday. I also ate some pizza on Saturday for dinner … just not the whole pizza like I would often do.
• My dinner typically was a grilled steak with a salad or chicken.
• I did exercise. One bike ride on my beach cruiser at a very leisurely pace – 7 miles per hour. Two hikes that were short but pretty good workouts in that they had steep inclines. (Squaw Peak [1.2 miles] and Lookout Mountain [.6 mile]).  And each day on my two 15 minute breaks, I walk around the building (.49 mile each), again very slowly as I don’t want to work up a sweat!
• I said NO. You have to say no to the things that are not healthy. This week, I’ve said NO to MacDonalds, donuts, candy bars, Taco Bell burritos, ice cream, having a SECOND bagel, and cake! Every day I feel I say NO to something, I take another step forward. I’m thinking of using Twitter to notate the times and things I am saying NO from eating.

So, I started the challenge at 206+ lbs. Yesterday I weighed in at 202.3 lbs. I am feeling good. There is no doubt being heavier than one should is not good for you. Even though I am not obese, I weigh way over what I should. I hope I can get to 185.

I must mention that I have struggled with cravings for foods that had been a part of my routines. Things like sugery desserts! Or pasta and Mexican food dishes! I found that chewing some gum after eating lunch was a perfect dessert craving buster. And eating some crunchy veggies with some kind of meat helped me in my mid-day craving. Even with these additional foods, the cost was nominal with not significance on my weight.

Lastly, I am mixing the shake with WHOLE milk. I really am not worrying about the 6 – 10 ounces I drink a day. The Vi-Shape shake is even more delicious than advertised. It is good.

If you need to lose 15, 20, 30 or more pounds, why don’t you join the challenge with me here: Begin your challenge!

I need to lose weight. And so do so many others. I was invited to join the Visalus 90 Day Challenge and after looking into the company, the Vi-Shake, and the focus on lifestyle changes, I was very impressed.

Here is my goals I am focusing on for the next 90 days:

• 1. Replace one meal a day with the Vi-Shake. I’ve been spending an average of $10+ a day on lunches. And that is everyday. The cost of the shake is about $1.70.
• Lose 15+ lbs. I’m at 206 lbs.
• Increase my intake of raw foods. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. I’ve talked for some time how processed foods just don’t make sense. If I have the urge to eat more with the shake, I will eat fruits and vegetables I like.
• Drink MORE water!
• Increase my activity/exercise. Even with the summer on its way with triple digits, I am committed to more bike rides, hikes, and walks.
• Just say NO. You have to say no to the cravings. There is just no getting around this. Today I actually had urges for a donut at lunch and McDonald’s. And I haven’t even eaten either is many weeks! So the temptation was there.

I will commit to weekly updates as to how it is going. I really respect those of you I know that have struggled with weight and are winning the battle. Even more so, I respect those who continue to fight it even after falling short or failing. Without your health, everything in life is affected.

The Visalus Challenge is helping me not only focus on a number of things I’ve lacked motivation with, but is giving me an opportunity to take action.

I’m taking action. I need to lose at least 15 lbs.! Even tho I am in the best shape of my life, round (blame it on 5 decades of living), I have accepted an invite to the 90 Day ViSalus weight Challenge.

For those that know me, you know that I’ve always been one to talk about the importance of eating right, exercising, and using supplements. You also know I am very inconsistent with this over the years … and most recently at Friday’s lunch where we dined at California Pizza Kitchen on a 1500 calorie and 23 dollar lunch.

One of these days soon has been my mantra. So it goes … decades have passed and I find myself at the most I’ve ever weighed, 206 lbs. I should be about 185.

A friend told me about this 90 day challenge. I’m not a huge fan of a meal replacement shake, the fact is I need something simple and easy. So I looked at it. It tastes like CAKE BATTER! Good. Costs are just$1.50 a day … I will be saving almost $10 a day I’ve been averaging for eating lunches out.

The science behind it is backed by some very impressive researchers, Michael Deidman, M.D. and Steven Witherly, M.D. They have developed the most optimized nutritional supplement: proteins for longer lasting hunger control, LOW carbs and sodium, pre-biotics, 23 vitamns and minerals, diabetic friendly and a Kosher product.

Anyway, ViSalus Sciences has put together a cool marketing challenge. Anyone referring just 3 others to take the challenge receive their product for free. It’s a great example of a company that “gets” the viral power of digital technologies.

Here’s my goal. 15 lbs within the next 90 days. I’ll do a shake each day and munch on veggies or fruit instead of candy etc. I don’t have the guts to share pictures, but I will report my progress. And of course, if you wish to join the challenge, I would be pleased if you joined my team. I have some cool stuff planned for those that do. C’mon, this is easy, will save you money, and we’ll all look and feel better.

NOTE: 20,000 people joined the challenge last month … indicative of its appeal and the HUGE market there is for a program such as this.

I have perfected the recipe for popping the perfect bag of popcorn. Seriously.

Call me crazy. Go ahead and laugh uncontrollably. The proof will be in the results you get from the following instructions for popping a Jolly Time bag a microwavable popcorn perfectly, every time.

Materials and ingredients as follows:

ONE bag of Jolly Time microwave popcorn. (I usually buy it at work in the vending machine for 75 cents. Any amount more is a rip-off.) Make sure it has the Good Housekeeping seal of approval on it. That covers your rights for “replacement or refund if defective” — although who you would contact is not clear. To be honest, I have never had a bad bag of Jolly Time! (Unless you I count the one I BURNED up and filled the workplace with that smell of burnt corn.)

ONE microwave oven. I use the one at work. It is a Panasonic which I believe is a commercial model as there is no model reference on the thing.

ONE Napkin

Cooking Instructions: This is where the secrets are found. The setting for popcorn on this particular Panasonic microwave is selection number 8, which when started provides 2.5 minutes of zap time. Before placing the bag proper side up, knead the kernels so that they loosen up. Shake the bag up a few times before laying it out flat in the microwave.

Begin cooking. Listen as the popping of the kernels slow to where the popping frequency reaches about 2-3 seconds between pops.

Now here is the most important part. Stop the microwave by stopping the remaining time left. This is usually 10-15 seconds of what remains of the original 150 seconds of time we started with. (This could also vary depending on the power of the machine you are using.) DO NOT open the bag. Let it simmer in the microwave for an additional minute. Remove bag and again, do not open it for another 2 minutes. I believe this helps create a larger number of half-popped kernels! The best kind. They have the best crunch and flavor. The popped corn is also perfectly cooked.

There you have it. A perfect Jolly Time bag of popcorn.

So I challenge you to try it. Share your results in my comment section. If there is enough collaboration on this, I will publish our results.

All kidding aside, these steps result in the best bags of microwave popcorn! And I recommend the popcorn I’ve been eating since the 60s, Jolly Time!