A Diet Just Doesn't Work!

I have heard...and lived the saying, "Diets don't work."  To be on a diet by definition is special or limited selections of food and drink, chosen or prescribed for health or to gain or lose weight / to eat or cause to eat special or limited food, esp. for losing weight.  (Websters New World Dictionary).  
  
I'm a math teacher so, I am used to breaking things down.  Let's break some of this definition down so we can see how a diet is set up for failure.  Let's start with the word limited.  Okay, my mind is already seeing my food being taken away from me or given to me in very small portions.  Any person who has been on the diet train through the years knows that limited also means getting rid of all the "good stuff."  Limited means I am going to have to give up things I like and want, and crave.

Next word...special.  Now, if we were talking about Christmas or an anniversary and the word special was brought up, I would get a little excited.  However, any dieter worth his or her weight, (yes, that was suppose to be a pun), knows which definition of special we  use when we diet:  not general or regular; specific or limited.  Special means raw and steamed vegetables, (I hate both...well, actually I just hate most vegetables), lots of fruits, low fat cardboard foods, no Hersey Bars or Twinkies, and none of the rolls at O'Charleys with honey butter, or the hot and delicious biscuits at Red Lobster.  Yep, that's what it means!
Special means I eat a lot of food I don't want and give up the food that I do want.

Selection is another negative word.  I would agree it is better than limited or special but, it still conjures up images of only a few choices of food.  I am not fooled by the word.  There will be no choices of foods I want to eat.

Gee...no wonder a diet doesn't work.  We do set ourselves up for failure when we diet.

I enjoyed yesterday's list so much, I have made a 10 signs list again today.  Today the list has to do with poking a little fun at how and why many of us who have tried every diet known to man between us have failed.  Restricting yourself and eating things you don't want and craving other things you can't have is a terrible combination and doesn't work for long.

10 Signs You are on a Diet...and It Doesn't Work!

1.  You keep a secret stash of goodies for when the 

     cravings get too bad.

     Here's mine.  I have kept this basket in a closet for 

     years.  The closet has all my teaching materials in 

     it so, no one but me has any reason to go in there.

I love my sweets!

The basket is layered.  There's more underneath.

The really sad part is, if you look close enough there are 2 different types of diet pills and the little boxes of crystals I used to sprinkle on my food to make me full faster.  Of course, none of these worked. I am not sure why I still have them buried in my goody box.  I just don't think I could bring myself to throw all that money away!

2.  After the first 2-4 pounds of water weight, you 

     become frustrated that you aren't losing any more

     weight and you give up...again.

3.  The willpower you have the first day starts to  

     wane in a few days.

     (I was so excited last Spring...well, I was excited 

      for a few days.  The teachers had a "Biggest 

      Loser" contest.  I was determined to win.  The 

      first week, I starved myself and lost 3 pounds.  

      The next week I gained 2 of the 3 pounds back.  

      By the third week, I had just given up and I 

      dropped out.  I was a "Biggest Loser" dropout).    

4.  You tell yourself that you are ok with your weight

      and that you will just start exercising more.

5.  The humiliating pictures you placed on the  

      refrigerator aren't even enough to motivate you.

6.  You hate that skinny person sitting at her desk

     eating a piece of coconut creme pie and drinking a 

     Coke.

7.  You begin searching for a new and better diet 

     before you have even finished the one you are on.

8.  You don't tell anyone you are on a new diet, "in 

     case it doesn't work."

9.  Your cravings for foods occupy all your waking 

      thoughts.

10.  You begin taking off "unnecessary" items for 

       your weigh-in by about week 3...things like  

       your belt, socks, rings, earrings, hair clips. 

     (Then after your weigh-in, you go "pig out" to 

      celebrate!)

I am 51 years old and I have tried it all!  I am getting too old to mess around with extra weight.  Additionally, since I am getting older, I don't want to put just anything in my body.  Believe me, I used to not care, as long as there was a chance it might work.

This is why I am using Plexus Slim.  Nothing in it is harmful.  I don't have to crave food because if I want it I can have it.  

I still get hungry during the day.  But, as I stated in my earlier posts, it doesn't take much to fill me up and make me feel satisfied.  I enjoy the pink drink.  Just as much, I enjoy the simplicity of drinking the drink in the morning and being done for the day.

Well...I hope everyone is safe and warm today.   I am waiting on the last 2 of my 3 children to make it home from college today.   There is even a bit of snow in the forecast for Georgia for tonight.  That means, I am not going to the store today, because the rumors are true...the mention of snowflakes causes us southerns to raid the stores for milk and bread! :)

Have a good day! :)

Click on the image below if you would like to begin your Plexus Slim adventure with me!

10 Signs That Pointed Me to Plexus Slim

I can't speak for anyone else, I only know that on a daily basis I feel bad about myself and how I look.  Sometimes, I stop and look at myself in the mirror...so depressing.  However, sometimes it's the not big things but, the little things that make me stop and think about my weight. When I decided to begin my Plexus Slim journey, I made a list of all the daily signs that make me miserable with my weight.  I thought I would share these with you today.

10 Signs of Being Over-weight that Make Me Miserable on a Daily Basis:
(Yes, this is an awesome, catchy title!) :)

  1. Several facebook friends are puzzled about why I  

      do not appear in many family photos.  (I will  

      literally crop myself out of a picture. I hate    

      looking at myself in photos.  I guess I think that

      if my friends, relatives, and former classmates don't 

      see me in a photo, they can just remember me the  

      way I used to look.

  2. Shirts, including t-shirts, are never dried in the  

      dryer.  Instead, they are stretched and laid or hung  

      out to dry.  

  3. I spend more money on cover-ups for the beach 

      than I do on swimsuits.

  4. I practice how to “smile for the camera” without  

      my double chin taking over the photo, for those  

      unfortunate times I have to have my picture made.  

      (For me, since I am a teacher, it is the dreaded  

      yearly picture day).

  5. I have perfected asking my family members to pick    

      up another roll or a brownie for me on their way to 

      the food bar at the all-you-can-eat restaurant 

      because I am so self-conscious of what others will 

      think. 

      (When I reach my target weight, I am going to

       strut my stuff to the food and/or dessert bar as  

       many times as I please). :)

   6. If I don't think I will hurt anyone's feelings, I untag 

       pictures of myself that others put of me on  

       facebook.

   7. I have never given up on buying that cute little 

       dress that is 2 sizes too small to inspire me to lose 

       weight.  (If you are like me, you too have a closet  

       full of clothes that still have the tags on them). 

   8. I still become appalled each time I see a mirror 

       image of myself in a store front window when I am 

       out shopping.  It literally disgusts me.  I can be 

       feeling fairly good about myself and my cute new 

       scarf, then reality sets in when I catch a glance of  

       what I actually look like wearing it.

   9. I have actually strained a muscle trying to put on a  

       spankx body shaper to get rid of the muffin top and 

       back fat.  I hate those things...so uncomfortable! 

  10. Even though I am a summer type of person, I look 

        forward to fall and winter only so I can wear a  

        sweater or coat over my regular clothing.  I have 

        at least one of every color in the rainbow of  

        cardigans .   

       

    One of my goals: I can't wait to see an image of myself in a store front window and smile at the sight!  That sounds like a silly goal but, I have felt bad about myself too many times after seeing the image staring back at me.

   I am well on my way to reaching that goal.  I have lost over 6 pounds in a little over 2 weeks.  If you would like to begin your weight loss adventure with me, I sure wouldn't mind the company! :) 

 Just click on the image below to get started!

By Golly...I Believe Plexus Works!

Yay me!  I've lost another pound.  Not too shabby...6 lbs. in a little over 2 weeks, while eating all the foods I like and absolutely no exercise.  I'm loving it!

I still get nervous when I eat though.  Years of useless dieting has ruined my ability to trust. :) It just doesn't feel right eating normal and losing weight.  For example, yesterday's lunch consisted of macaroni and cheese with ham.  I decided to only dish out a medium bowl full.  I was full when I finished eating it, even though I didn't think I would be when I first began the meal.  Last night I had Zaxby's chicken.  (If you have never had Zaxby's, you are truly missing out.  It is delicious!)  For some reason, I ended up with 4 chicken strips instead of the 3 that usually comes with the meal.  Now, in the past I would have been gluttonly appreciative of that...happy, happy, happy!  Last night though, I had a mini-panic attack.  4 pieces of chicken!  Can I do it?  Will I have the willpower to pull back and not eat this whole meal of french fries, delicious buttered bread, and chicken?  I get that feeling each time I sit down to a meal.  After spending years having to exert willpower and losing most of those willpower battles, I am fearful out of habit.

Long story short, I ate 2 chicken strips, half my fries, and most of the texas style bread.  I saved the other half for another time.  It wasn't hard to stop.  I didn't feel deprived!  I felt satisfied, almost too full, and content to leave the rest on my plate.  Wow, what a feeling!   Like I said in my last post, I think you have to be willing to heed the signs that you are full, and that you are satisfied...then put the fork down and stop!  (I wasn't even tempted to eat anything else on my plate once I decided to stop eating).  You can still keep eating with anything that you take for weight control, but, Plexus Slim allows you to stop and be just fine with it.  

If you want to get started on Plexus Slim yourself, just click my "now" picture below.  

I am confident!  We can do it!

Me:  @ my beginning weight of 148 lbs. 
and not quite 5 foot tall.

Plexus Slim - Let's Get This Party Started!

Hello Everyone!  My name is Lisa and I'm a 51 year old school teacher and mother of 3  from Georgia.  I have been dieting since I was in junior high...a.k.a. middle school.  I did a fairly decent job of it throughout my teenage and college years while I was active and my metabolism had not yet packed up and left the country...nowhere to be found.  I, like so many people who struggle with weight loss, became a  yo-yo dieter after the pregnancy of my first child in 1991.  Since then, it has been a real struggle fighting the good fight with my weight.  Yes, I have tried everything that has come out in the last 20+ years.  I have become hardened and cynical of weight loss products but, that hasn't stopped the small glimmer of hope deep inside from whispering that I might one day be thin.

A few weeks ago, during a dieting hiatus, I took my daughter who was home visiting from college out to eat.  (I have 3 kids in college...any donations to the college fund would be greatly appreciated...lol).  During our lunch conversation she told me about a girl in her sorority that had lost weight drinking a pink drink called Plexus Slim.  I was interested but, hesitant at the same time.  I didn't want to be pulled in on taking yet another useless "diet" product.  My daughter continued talking and the more she talked, and the more pictures of this girl's family (they all took the pink drink) that I saw, my ears perked up a little more. 

 I spent the rest of the week-end researching the Plexus Slim drink and the company which sold it. The more I looked, the better I liked my chances of losing weight on it.  By Sunday night, I decided to take the plunge once again and see if this drink did any better than the other multitudes of things I had tried in the past.  Hey, you are reading a blog from a woman who didn't just try normal things like gym memberships, Weight Watchers, 2 treadmills, packaged diet foods, various weight loss prescription drugs, Sweatin' with the Oldies and numerous other exercise videos, 2 weight gyms, palates chair, and every other piece of exercise equipment that came along. No, I became so desperate throughout the years that I even tried the unconventional things.  I have a DVD from where I tried hypnosis...an embarrassing fact my family will never let me live down.  I wasted 2 months of my life carrying around a product that I sprinkled on my food each time before I ate anything.  I had a slick pad and a pair of booties, (the type similar to what surgeons wear), to "ice skate" the weight away...another humiliating memory.  I believe the ice skating equipment ended up in my kids' playroom in a toy box. 

I decided to order Plexus Slim, along with the Accelerator pills that you have the option of purchasing with the Plexus Slim.  The Plexus Slim is a pink powder in a small packet, similar to Crystal Light powder packets.  These type of packets remind me of the Pixie Sticks I used to love as a child...hence the blog name Pixie Pink.  You simply add the powder to a bottle or glass of water...and you're done for the day. :)  After researching the Plexus Slim drink, I feel very confident in taking it.  It has nothing harmful in it and even children take it.  The drink originally began as a way to help people control diabetes.  The side effect was weight loss.  

Weight Information

I am not quite 5 foot tall and weigh 148 pounds.  To some people, 148 pounds might not seem too awful.  But, when you are short, those pounds are noticeable!  I need to lose at the very least, 40 pounds to be in the healthy range for my height.  I am most comfortable in a size 14, but, can wear a 12 from some stores.  I do understand that some brand name sizes run larger, but, to a person needing to lose weight, it can make your day to fit into a smaller size, even if it is just a fluke.  

How's It Working?

Well...I have been on Plexus Slim for 2 weeks.  The first week I lost 3 pounds.  The second week I have lost 2 pounds.  I have gone from 148 pounds to 143 pounds.  I'm really excited.  No, I did not lose 7 pounds in water weight the first week, but, I did not deprive myself of anything, nor did I want to fight someone.  At this point in my life, I understand that a good, effective weight loss is a slower weight loss.  Don't get me wrong, I am truly excited about losing 5 pounds.  It's been a long time since I have done that! Plus, knowing that I am going to lose more makes me all giddy!

I have high blood pressure.  So, even though I took the Accelerator pills the first 4 days, I did quit taking them.  It clearly says on the pill bottle if you have high blood pressure, do not take the pills!  I am generally a rule follower but, I was so excited about speedy weight loss that I took them anyway.  Common sense finally took hold and I stopped using them.  I have read that weight loss on Plexus Slim without the Accelerator pills will be slower.  I'm ok with that.  5 pounds is nothing to sneeze at!

The Plexus Slim drink tastes great.  The flavor is cherry/pomegranate.  I drink my Plexus Slim in the morning and do not have to do anything else the rest of the day.  That's what I call simple.

I still eat what I want, which is the really, really cool part.  I just don't eat as much.  It's strange because I still want to eat but when I sit down for a meal I just don't want as much, even though I am thinking how hungry I am when I first start eating.  I love chocolate and all things sweet.  I have noticed a reduction in my cravings for these items.    

I compare how I feel on Plexus Slim to when I took the prescription medicine Redux.  It was the sister pill to Phen-Phen and was quite popular in the 1990's while it lasted.  Redux made me feel I was not dieting.  It made me less hungry and curved my cravings.  I was losing weight without even trying and eating what I wanted. I was in awe of it!   Unfortunately, Redux was labeled extremely "Dangerous" and taken off the market forever.  I cried...literally...for days...never really getting over it.  Redux was the ONLY thing that had EVER worked for me. It was so simple.  It was so easy. It worked so well.  Then it was gone!   So, if I had to compare the Plexus Slim drink to anything, I would say it worked like Redux for me, except Plexus Slim has only healthy ingredients, which makes it a much more logical choice. It works subtly, but, effectively.  You start feeling full faster than normal.  Now, some words of advice.  If you do get satisfied and full, STOP EATING!  If you do not crave something, DO NOT EAT IT!  You have to be willing to heed the signs, or nothing will ever work for you!

I will keep you posted on my pink drink adventure.  I feel it has started out with a bang already!  I am excited about the weeks and months to come!   Below is a "now" picture of me at 148 pounds.  If you would like to begin this new adventure with me, just click on the "now" picture below and lets get started together!

Me:  Starting my adventure @ 148 pounds. 

Thanksgiving is this week, so, this should be interesting! :) 
 I can do it!