On September 18th I started a 30 day shake diet through a system called Isagenix. It feels a bit odd to even admit this because over the years I've become increasingly skeptical about MLMs in general and diet systems in particular. In my mind, good health is simply a product of eating real food, working out, sleeping right, and mitigating stress. While I'm sure that's mostly true, sometimes we just get kind of stuck and need a kickstart to healthy weight loss if for no other reason than flipping our normal eating script. I had gained 15 pounds since March, the result of panic eating at the start of the pandemic, and even after resuming some of my formerly healthy habits, my scale stubbornly stayed at an uncomfortable new plateau. After months of feeling pudgy and exhausted, I figured there was nothing to lose in trying something new. My friend Jessica, who has found great success with Isagenix, coached me with everything I would need to start a 30 day program. To my credit, I was all in and ready to commit.
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| That glorious moment when my box arrived. |
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| Jessica's transformation |
I still had my hesitations though. For one, why now? This pandemic might be going on for a while. It's completely realistic that I may not see anyone outside of my tight inner circle for months or even a year. There won't be holiday parties or fancy dresses in December. I won't be in a bathing suit for months. Robert, bless him, could care less if I gain or lose 15 pounds. What's the point? I love that I can honestly say that this journey is for me. I want to feel great and have energy again. I want to look in the mirror and like what I see. And yes, someday, when we collectively move from pajama pants to regular clothes, I would genuinely like them to fit again one day.
Below you'll find Week 1 of my 30 day Isagenix journal where I catalogue my daily experiences and reflections along the way. I hope you find it relatable, honest, and inspiring to kick off your own journey to better health!
Day 1: 145.8 pounds
I woke up super amped to start Day 1. Ever the eager student, I read all literature and scoured the Isagenix website. I took my measurements, downloaded the Isalife app, and cleared a special little shelf for all my Isagenix goodies. Since you juggle a fair amount of new things in a 30 day challenge (shakes, various supplements, snacks, etc.), I was pleased that the app had a nice checklist to guide me through my day.
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The first day was surprisingly easy. I thought there would be some kind of adjustment period and that at the very least I would be hungry or bored with the whole "shake for breakfast, shake for lunch, sensible dinner" approach. But none of that was true. I added some low calorie add-ins, blueberries and almond milk, to my shakes for some additional volume. I had two under 200 calorie snacks in between meals, and made a white rotisserie chicken chili for dinner. I followed the plan pretty closely and wasn't hungry for even a second.
Day 2: 146 pounds
WTF? I gained .2 pounds? How did that happen? Was it the blueberries? The bread I had with the chili? I thought I had done so well. Oh well, if I've learned one thing on these diets it's that .2 pounds can come and go for any reason, and I just needed to trust the process.
I had two realizations on Day 2. One, Isagenix actually simplifies my life and lightens my mental load. Pretty much all of my food decisions are made except for dinner, which is just supposed to be between 400-600 calories. Two, I can honestly see this system saving me money. A 30 day program varies in cost but it's about $300, and it replaces 2/3 of my meals for the entire month, When you eliminate all the takeout and Starbucks runs I make in a month, at the very least, I bet the cost is a wash.
Dinner: Chicken, vegetables, and whole grain rice in a dutch oven
Day 3: 144.5
Bam! There's the dip I was looking for. At least the scale is moving in the right direction now. In addition to the success I'm having with the shake meals, which are really quite delicious, I'm having fun finding satisfying snacks under 200 calories since I get two of those a day. Today I made No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites, which are only 136 calories per serving and so, so good. My kids are obsessed with them too. I was afraid to say it the first two days in case it was a fluke, but I have felt really, really good the last three days. My energy has been off the charts resulting in multiple living room dance parties, a cleaned out car, a replaced lightbulb that's been out for a week, organized Tupperware, and a rearranged pantry. Robert even took the kids yesterday for an afternoon adventure so I could take a nap, but I just wasn't tired, which is truly remarkable.
Dinner: Guinness Beef Stew. Good Lord this was delicious. It's a little higher on the calorie count so I just tried not to go overboard with portion size.
Day 4: 143.4
Down another pound today, which surprised me after my rich beef stew the night before. I keep waiting and waiting for the hunger or boredom to kick in, and it hasn't. There's no part of me that's aching for this 30 days to be over. Another positive I noticed today is that in an Isagenix challenge, my mindfulness around dinner has raised. Since it's my only prepared meal of the day, I pay more attention to it and enjoy it more than normal. Dinner means a lot to me since it's also the only meal I sit and eat with my family so I'm glad I can still have that experience, and, so far, even a heightened experience. You might wonder why I've been adding links to what I eat for dinner since that's not part of the program, but I want to show that you can have delicious, real food even on the 30 day challenge.
Speaking of dinner, tonight's dinner was not spectacular, but the kids thought it was awesome. Corn dog nuggets and a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Kid food at its finest!
Day 5: 143.2
A small loss but again in the right direction. Progress not perfection. I still can't believe how good I feel on this diet. No cravings, no hunger, no boredom. I've got the consistency in the shakes down to a science and have realized I really don't need to add almond milk. I've also realized the pandemic is the perfect time to try this because I have access to my blender all day, and I really do prefer the shake blended with ice. I tried it once just shook up with water, and it was fine, but not as tasty.
Dinner: Chicken quesadillas and salad. No recipe, just tortillas, cheese, chicken, and jalepenos.
Day 6: 142.8
I'm really impressed with the steady weight loss everyday. It's never enormous, but, except for Day 1, it's gone down a little every day. Getting a little nervous about my cleanse day tomorrow where I may consume less calories in a day than I ever have in my whole life. Pray for me.
Dinner: Dutch Oven Herbed Chicken and BBQ Chicken. Another sensational dinner. To quote Aidan these were “like, the best potatoes I’ve ever made.” In case you can't tell, my Dutch oven is new, and I am using the heck out of it.
Day 7: 140.8
Cleanse Day!!! And I'm down exactly five pounds in one week, which is ridiculously awesome. I honestly did not expect that much success in Week 1. Having done other weight loss journeys, I realize the first week always gives you the most drastic results before your body adjusts to a decreased calorie intake, but this is the start I was hoping for. If I even just lose 1-2 pounds for the next three weeks, I'll hit my 30 day goal of losing 10 pounds this month.
Cleanse Day was not that hard, but I was also a little bit of a cheater. I did my four Cleanse for Life drinks, which were surprisingly delicious, and what you are supposed to do is four Isagenix approved snacks. The only problem is I don't have the Isagenix approved snacks so I ate four tiny snacks of my own throughout the day: an apple, a small salad with balsamic vinagarette, an IsaDelight (okay that's an Isagenix snack), and 3 oz. of leftover chicken from the night before. I wasn't hunger or tired or cranky with my family. The complete and utter lack of crankiness in a week where I lost five pounds might be the most astonishing thing of all.
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| Cleanse Day Tracker |
That's it for my first week! Join my next week where hopefully I'll work my way back to the 130's on the scale. There's always something so satisfying about changing that second digit. Stay well, friends!
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