Isagenix and Me

“If you don’t like where you are, move. You’re not a tree.” –Unknown

Are you living your best life physically? Happy about what you’re choosing to eat? Cravings? Want a lifestyle and not a diet? No, No, Yes and Yes for me. Do you have health challenges that could be helped by proper diet and superior nutrition? How about people you know? Read on, dear friends. I’m on my way to my best physical self and wanted to share what I’ve found (hint….it’s Isagenix).

Isagenix to the Rescue

A month ago I hit my lowest point in how I felt about myself. I’d gained more weight than ever, had no energy and really didn’t know what to do. In the last year I tried Paleo, Whole 30, Keto and more. They were lots of work for me as I would now be fixing at least 2 different dinners and lunches a day – plus all the time planning and shopping. I’d been seeing a Facebook friend post about her health and nutrition — she also was posting inspiring before and after photos of other folks who were following the same plan as she was. I largely ignored these posts (because when you feel like crap and like you’ve failed it can be painful to look at happy healthy people), but saw one before and after that made me pause. She looks like me, I thought, the happier healthier and thinner me of 15 years ago. I think God tapped me on the shoulder that night as I messaged her and asked what she and the others were doing. She then told me about Isagenix.

Isa-what? I’d never heard of it. Isagenix has been around since 2002 – It’s a company that develops and sells premium nutritional and self-care products. All those before and afters I saw were folks who had hopped on the Isagenix bus and were feeling and looking the best they ever had. They were feeding their bodies awesome nutrition without having to take up residence at Whole Foods or sell the child to shop there…My friend Suzanne and I had a great talk about my goals, which were two fold, health and weight loss. She listened and then recommended a set of products that would support my goals. The program consists of a nutrient and protein dense shake for breakfast, one for lunch, snacks in between (sorry, no potato chips if I was serious about changing – but there were scads of other “real food” options), and a reasonable dinner (try to keep it around 600 calories for me).

In addition to the “shake” days, the program included a “cleanse” day each week (or two days back to back every other week). Cleanse?! Are you kidding me? I originally thought that would break me. Relax, she said, just give it a try for 30 days and if you’re hating things at day 29, you can get all your money back. She explained more about the cleanse days (has nothing to do with cleansing like for a colonoscopy, or drinking hot water with maple syrup, cayenne pepper and whatever else I’ve read for all day.

I had looked at the Isagenix website earlier and freaked out about the cost. She put me at ease again — I could become a wholesale member (like Costco or Sam’s Club) for $29 a year and pay far less than what I’d seen on the website for what I wanted. Ok, I was ready. Or I would be ready the following week after I went through a week full of “last meals.”

The Beginning

My box came and I was ready (my “last meal” was on Superbowl Sunday – snack food heaven day!). I chose Mango/Peach, Chocolate Mint and Vanilla as my shake options and Lemon for my bar option — also in the box were all the supplies for my cleanse days (including Chocolate with Sea Salt and Sour Cream and Onion ‘chips’), a spiffy mini blender, cups and a sample of other things to try.

It’s now 3 weeks later and I’m down 10 pounds….no starving, a little craving in the beginning, but that left pretty quickly. I also haven’t been a saint . (I’ve had a super stressful day or two and did have some wine and I also ate two pieces of the homemade bread I made for the family (with butter).

How does this feel different that the multitude of things I’ve done? First, it really does feel more like a lifestyle and I didn’t freak after I ate the bread and drank the wine. I just drank the shakes, snacked like I was supposed to and had a great dinner the next day. I am also surrounded by a tribe of the most supportive people around. Suzanne is my coach and she’s been a font of knowledge and support. Know what else? There is literally something for everybody! Dairy free? No prob. Vegan? No prob. Need to gain weight? No prob. Need to help your body through some health challenges? No prob. Even the “scary” cleanse — it was totally do-able and I didn’t die. LOL!

As I’m now fully in the “second act” of my life, health and wellness takes on more urgency. I want to have energy, to feel good, to not dread stairs…. Come on the journey with me. I’d love to talk to you about your goals and answer any questions you have. Drop me a line here. There’s also a fantastic Facebook group I can invite you to if you’d like to hang out there and see what many others have to say. It’s worth it for the inspirational photos alone!