We did it!!

The 30 day cleanse is complete for all of us and the success has been nothing short of remarkable. I know what you naysayers are probably thinking: Yeah...now lets see you keep the weight and extra bloating off longterm."

Well, we're happy to say that with the life coaching aspect of the program, our patients have made serious commitments, to keep their bodies free from offending substances. We arm them with a plan before old habits come back to haunt.

All of them have said how much they now pay attention to how they feel immediately after eating a not-so-good-for-them meal. They've used words like: "yucky", "lethargic",
"no energy", "bloated", etc. That is a terrific observation, as we often forget when we're in the midst of culinary bliss and the food has only hit our tongues and not our tummies, that we are eating something that is going to TAKE from us in the form of energy, lucidity, sleep, you name it.

One way our patients are going to manage their weight for the long term is to substitute 1 meal/day with a shake. The weight will continue to come off and nutrients and enzymes will keep coming in. Our patient Lori, (who lost over 10 pounds and her husband went down from a 44 to 40 in pant size - congrats!) said that she and her husband are going to drink a shake for dinner if they haven't eaten before 6 p.m.

Our patient, Ashlee, who lost around 7 pounds, after not having success on any other program, has made a commitment to introduce swimming into our life as exercising in the water is a welcome treat, instead of a dreaded chore.

I'll end this post by telling you that I, Angela Beth Tompkins, will now be embarking on the cleanse journey. I haven't had the privilege to do this because I was either pregnant or nursing. Now, that I can, I will. My goals: to curb cravings for sweets, to gain clear thinking, to cut down on coffee, and just to better my overall health. Keep following...

Here it is: week 4!

We're on the final countdown cleansers! We have to remember why we did this thing to begin with and what are we saying 'yes' to that we were saying 'no' to a month ago. Were we saying yes to a bigger belt size, a bloated feeling, achy joints, restless nights, and foggy thinking? If you've experienced what I have, you're feeling juiced to keep feeling good. (minus the unpleasant effects that go along with any detox program) Please don't go to Dairy Queen the day it's all finished! Celebrate your success with something you've wanted. For the ladies, maybe it's a new outfit you've been dying to get but couldn't fit into! For the men it might be a visit to Lowe's or Home Depot. (But watch out...it can be hard on the pocketbook) :) It doesn't have to be major...but celebrate the occasion with something other than food. This is a rite of passage...and one worth marking.

By now you may be ready for a little different taste in your shake. If you chose the vanilla shake, here's a great recipe for you. If you have a heavy duty blender, you can put this all in without chopping, otherwise you'll need to help out your blender. (I'm convinced the Blendtec offered on our website will chop up small tree roots!) Here's the recipe:

2 scoops Isagenix vanilla shake
8 oz H2O
1/2 cucumber
1 stalk of celery
1 pear
1 T grape juice concentrate
1/2 C apple juice
1 t natural vanilla
2 t plain yogurt
1 leaf of kale

(If you're being extremely disciplined on the cleanse, leave off the yogurt)

Tell me if you never knew kale, cucumbers and celery could taste so good!