Healthy Aging: Body, Mind & Spirit

The secret to weight loss? Delicious Thermo-snacks!

Two weeks into my weight loss journey, and I feel healthier, more energetic, and lighter than I have in years.  I constantly remind myself this is not some sort of short-term, quick fix, but a total lifestyle transformation.  I’m doing what I have been told to do and it is definitely (and surprisingly!) working.  I am finally on a high protein, low fat diet with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, and very low levels of starch (as in rice, bread, potatoes, etc.)

The most surprising part to me is how reinforcing and delicious the thermo-snacks are.   As you know, when you are restricting calorie intake, you really need something to look forward to during the day.   In my case that is the required two Thermo-snacks per day.   These are full of protein from soy isolate (15 grams of protein!), and help to rev up my metabolism a couple times a day.   Best of all they taste GREAT!   Who knew they could make a healthy snack that tastes like sour cream potato chips or a chocolate bar?

I later found the exact same snacks for a lot less over at Nutmeg State Nutrition. My favorites are those with peanuts or peanut butter and the Chocolate Fudge Cake with fruit is a staple in my diet now.  In fact, I’m sure I eat more chocolate now than before I started my diet, and after eight months I’ve lost 45 pounds!  If you should decide to buy from Jim over at Nutmeg State, please tell him I sent you in the “comments” section!

This all makes me think I could get addicted to the snacks, which means I might also get addicted to losing weight, and that’s got to be a good thing!

Important new information about DHA and stroke recovery

Did you know researchers have found that by taking large doses of DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) found in fish oil, you can protect yourself from stroke and disability and also aid in a speedier recovery?

Learn more here.

I LOVE how Slimgenics is changing my life!

When I decided to start on Slimgenics a week and a half ago, the counselor told me that most of their clients lose 3-5 pounds/week, and I thought, “Yeah, sure.”

Turns out they are right!  I’ve been following the program religiously since June 15th, and I am now 7 pounds lighter!  And the best part is I feel NO deprivation!

The foods I’m allowed and the amounts are very similar to Weight Watchers, but the extra supplements and “Thermo-snacks” are what make a big difference.   Who knew someone could make chocolate bars and “Potato zippers” (salty, crunchy snacks) that taste just like potato chips, but are GOOD FOR YOU!   In fact on my individualized program, two snacks are required everyday!   They apparently help with the “thermogenic process” of speeding up your metabolism.

More importantly, this program is really changing my attitude about myself.  I feel so much more optimistic and positive!   I’m finding more fun things to do, stretching more, and walking more.   I just feel healthier, happier and lighter.   The required supplements do contain lots of Omega 3 and 6 plus many vitamins.   Overall I’m sure my diet is so much more healthy than I’ve consumed in ages, and I have finally found some true sense of portion control.

When I started out I certainly didn’t trust all of their claims, but I’m slowly learning to go with the program and it seems to be working for me!

The emotional experience of weight loss

After my first week on Slimgenics, I see why so many of us avoid this experience.   Fear is not the first emotion that manifests, but an important underlying feeling for a dramatic change in lifestyle like this.

First I worried about the large chunk of change involved in choosing Slimgenics.   That quickly turned into the realization that only spending money would fully motivate me to change.   I didn’t want to waste all of that money!   But first I feared that I had been ripped off, a feeling none of us enjoy!

My next fear was that their system simply wouldn’t work for me because of menopause or some other reason, but the real anger set in when I realized how truly restrictive my diet would be for the next 27 weeks.   All of my lovely starches were GONE!   OK, not gone, but do you know what a 45 calorie piece of bread looks like?  Do I only get 2 a day?   Pathetic!

Next fear: Will I ever eat like a “normal person” again?   What does my future hold?   My husband Mike’s well-considered response: “Don’t even think about that now.”   In other words, be here now.

I realized yesterday that I seem to be going through the normal emotional response to the death of a loved one: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

The good news?   I feel good about taking responsibility for my own overeating habits.   I’m finally getting control of my water retention problem.   I feel reassured that I am on a plan that has worked for thousands.   I’m losing weight slowly and sensibly.   And I’m confronting directly those fears and worries I have everyday, instead of distracting myself with large, unhealthy amounts of carbohydrates.

I find I am now seeking out different forms of comfort, escape and contentment, returning to activities that have always given me pleasure, but I have not done in a long time.   I’m listening to music more, stretching, gardening, and other forms of creativity.   The loss of vast quantities of carbohydrates has forced me to consider further how I spend my free time, and my perpetual dilemma with the need to feel “productive” all of the time.

I KNOW this new stage of my life is a healthy adventure for me, and well worth the temporary discomfort.   I know I’m going to be old, but I don’t have to be fat too!

What I’ve learned so far about losing weight with Slimgenics

First of all, this program only has centers in Colorado, California and Minnesota right now.   The rest of their clients must use the “Home Program.”

I’m really glad we have it nearby because I NEED all of my questions answered and the daily pep talks from the counselors.   I can’t imagine paying that much money without a  full explanation from an actual person.   Even then I felt mildly ripped off when I left the center on my first day.   Why?   Because I didn’t fully understand that I would be required to buy 54 boxes of “Thermo-snacks” (for my individual program), on top of the hefty program fee I had just given them.   The entrance fee is determined by how much weight you and your counselor decide to shot for.   More weight, more money.   In my case, take your weight loss goal times 10 for your dollar amount.   Use the $50 coupon online if you can!

For the “Center Program” you start out on a three day Slim-start Prep.   The purpose of this is “to prepare your body for rapid weight loss” by stimulating a thermogenic response in your body and get it in the right chemical balance so that when your program begins you will lose weight the safest and fastest way possible.   This is kind of tough because, besides the supplements, you can only eat 2 eggs, plus unlimited protein and RAW veggies for 3 days.

The thermo-boost drink felt like caffeine on steroids to me.   Sure made my morning walks and exercise class a lot easier to get through, but it felt like a lot to me.   In addition, raw vegetables and NO STARCHES is a tough one for me, but I made it through.

These three days are partially a colon detox, and also helped with my water retention problem (adema). What didn’t help was that I decided to try out the “cleansing tea” I received in my starter kit.   BAD IDEA!   This stuff tastes GREAT, but come to find out it has a powerful laxative effect!

The most interesting new information I have received through this program is how important water is in weight loss.   Did you know that water is possible the most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off?   Not only is a great appetite suppressant, it also helps the body metabolize stored fat.   Less water intake may cause an increase in fat deposits!  Who knew?   Low water intake taxes your liver so it cannot work as efficiently to metabolize stored fat into energy.

I’m just on my second day of my actual program today.   I get some fruit and small amounts of starch now, but the list of foods is limited and pretty specific.   Yesterday I never really felt hungry, but you do have to pre-plan every meal very carefully at first.   I just got a new ounce scale over at Harbor Freight to weigh my meat portions.   Those two thermo-snacks help a lot.   The Peanut Butter Crunch bars are delish!

I know overall, this doesn’t sound like much fun, but feeling lighter and more confident and proud of myself will make this all worth it!   Being on a plan also adds new motivation to exercise more than normal, that and the lovely cool weather we’ve been having lately!

Unfortunately this is really impacting my moods.   Mike would say I’ve been acting a bit manic-depressive lately, but he loves the fact that I’m on a plan and I’m on my way to a healthier me!

How will I lose this extra midlife weight?

Talk about a midlife crisis, check out how many of us are overweight or worse in our 40s and 50s!

According to Dr. Oz, women over age 50 burn 200 calories less per day because of estrogen loss.   But when fat builds up in places like our belly or upper arms, which is common after 50, extra estrogen is also stored, which can lead to even more cravings for fat and carbohydrates.   Also, we may tend to exercise less as we age, maybe because we feel hopeless about ever being in good shape again, or because our arthritis is getting out of hand.

Granted every restaurant in the world is literally plotting to get you further addicted to salt, sugar and fat!   If you don’t believe me, read The End of Overeating by David S. Kessler, former commissioner of the FDA.   The food industry knows that these substances are like heroin to our brains and they need to keep us coming back for more, like a pig to the trough.

If you are reading this post, you know personally the ins and outs of feeling fat and disgusting, but also hopeless at ever changing this fact on your own.   “So, what’s a boy or girl to do?”

A few months ago I ran into an elder co-worker from my previous life as an academic librarian.   She said “Hi”, but I simply did not recognize her.   She was half the size I remembered her! I felt amazed, totally impressed and mildly depressed! She said she had been working with Slimgenics for a year or so, and then she warned me:  It’s EXPENSIVE, but very effective.

Flash forward to last Wednesday.   I heard on the radio about some talk show host who had lost over 100 pounds through Slimgenics and kept it off, so I decided to go in and check it out.   I had tried Weight Watchers twice and felt certain that wouldn’t really  work for me.   Why?   Because I need a lot of individual attention (as in counseling), and I’m a natural cheater when it comes to measuring all my foods, etc.   In other words, discipline is a problem!

Come to find out, Slimgenics is VERY EXPENSIVE, but I think that’s one of the reasons it works!   Try plunking down over a $1000 up front for the program and some of the required “Thermo-snacks” and then challenge yourself to cheat.   No way!   You have already spent the money, so now you NEED TO SEE SOME SERIOUS RESULTS!!!   And long-term results too!

Lucky you!   You get to join me in this emotional journey of confronting all of my own cheap excuses and bad moods as I FINALLY change my life by changing my food intake.   I’ll let you know all of the thrills and spills involved in serious midlife weight loss!   I’m shooting for a 50 pound weight loss!

“Do at least one thing every day that scares you.”   – Eleanor Roosevelt

The lost art of listening

Don’t miss this great post on the lost art of listening well!

Midlife and Meaning

Do you ever wonder what’s it all about?   What gives your life meaning?

Here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately.

New treatment for nonsmall-cell lung cancer

A new targeted agent has shown benefit in a subgroup of patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In a phase 2 clinical trial reported in a plenary session here at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2010 Annual Meeting, the investigational drug crizotinib (under development by Pfizer), which is a specific ALK inhibitor, showed an objective response rate of 57% and a disease control rate of 87% in NSCLC patients whose tumors had a rearrangement of the ALK gene.

“This is stellar, compared with what we see in nonselected NSCLC patients treated with chemotherapy,” said principal investigator Alice Shaw, MD, PhD, a thoracic oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston.

Read more about it here.

Advanced melanoma treatments

Patients with advanced skin cancer could benefit from two new treatments that extend life.   Scientists say a pill called Vemurafenib appears to give patients a greater chance of surviving longer than chemotherapy.   It was tested on a group of 675 patients with advanced melanoma.   Another drug, taken intravenously, called Ipilimumab, is said to give patients extra years of life.

The results were presented at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.