Hello Friends!

Hope this finds you having a fabulous day! I did mention that I started a weight loss challenge and so far I have lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks, which is a great start but I have done these challenges before and know I need to tweak my plan so I get a little better result. I did get a stability ball and have really only sat on it at my desk; I can feel it working on my core! Who would have thought just sitting on a stability ball would make your core stronger? I plan to do on exercises on it as well once I get over the fear of rolling off it onto my butt! Now that would not be a pretty picture!  lol

WOW! What an emotional Biggest Loser show this week. I feel for O’Neal losing his brother to cancer. That was very touching. I know you all shed a tear or 2 along with him. My daughter had that experience with her grandfather. My dad passed in the night and my daughter found out the next day after school. She was crushed that she did not get to say good-bye. My dad was my daughter Sue’s life…she did everything and went everywhere with him.  That was 7 years ago. Time sure marches on.

I have been walking a lot and going to the gym. I even have walked over 20K steps in one day which equals 8.5 miles for me. I have realized that no one is going to step up and help me, no one is going to come knocking on my door  to go walking, no one is going to meet me at the gym, no one is going to help me plan menus for the week, no one is going to say I better not eat that… I do not have close friends or family. So I have realized I am on my own with this weight loss and have accepted that fact. Now don’t get me wrong I have a lot of facebook supporters cheering me on, and designer whey friends and fast track to weight loss friends, and neighbor friends but it’s not the same as someone saying come on I will help you and support you, let’s get walking.

It’s also difficult as for me because I do not have a treadmill at home to help track what I am doing. I am waiting to hear if I won a contest to win a treadmill through the Life Fitness brand so send in the lucky vibes for me to win! If I win the weight loss challenge it will be for over 300 bucks that will pay for my Fast Track to Weight Loss with Kim Lyons membership. With the Gold membership you get a personal trainer maybe even Kim who was a Biggest Loser Trainer in the pass! The trainer will help monitor your diet, exercise, give you pep talks, encouragement and suggestions. But as most things in life it is not free.

One thing I am being faithful using is my Designer Whey Weight Control Powders. I love the taste and the energy I get from using this great product. I also carry the 2GO packets in my car so I have no excuse to stop and grab something to eat that probably is not good for me.

Thanks friends for reading this blog entry. I hope it inspires you to continue on your quest to be the healthiest you can be. Life is too short to waste time on unhealthy habits.

Take care, until next time.

Camille

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Hey Friends,

Back from vacation and back to reality. We had a great time. It was cold in Florida; we wore our winter coats to the beach! We took a boat out to watch for dolphins. We were able to spot few dolphins and it was one of the warmest days we had. Kids swam with the dolphins on another adventure but it was only 58 degrees so they were just a bit little cold. My older two kids did indoor sky diving, lots of fun! One thing I noticed on vacation is I do not over eat; nor am I stressed. I feel like having my kids live out of a suit case and only a few toys. I don’t know why but my kids do not trash grandma’s trailer. My conclusion is a few things and that is at home they do not respect our home; they have too many clothes and way too many toys, too much TV and not enough fun. Now to bring the vacation behavior back in our home!

I finally got to watch the Biggest Loser show. I missed the first one because we were in Florida and did not have access to TV. But I did get to watch the 2nd show and am very excited for the new contestants. Their success is my hope. The difference between the contestants and me is they have a support system, they have the education, they have the equipment and the trainers. So I have to figure out how to have such a system.

I did join our local Fitness 19 and I can tell, physically, I am improving every time I go. It feels good to accomplish exercising. Sometimes I wish my family would step aside and make sure I get the time to go more often. It would be even better if I could have a treadmill at home but at this point we can’t afford it so at the gym it has to be. Fitness 19 is only $12.00 a month per person so it’s affordable. I am proud to say I was able to walk on the treadmill for 5 miles at an incline 4.0-4.5 and the rate of 3.0-3.5 and I burned over 1000 calories!

Today, Fox Reality had a Biggest Loser Marathon from Season 4 when Bill Germanakos won. I wonder what ever happened to Kim the trainer.

Some cool tips I wrote down…

If it had a mother it is protein.
All meals and snacks should have a combination of Carbs, Protein and Fat.
If your body is burning sugar it is not burning fat.
Anything is possible if you put in the work.

Remember to eat, move, then rest. I used to move, eat, then rest. I had it wrong. It’s all about moving forward and working toward our mark. For years I ate next to nothing and now have learned that is not the right way. You have to eat!

Oh! oh! oH! OH! I figured out a cookie recipe using Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder.

Designer Whey Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kid tested!
Makes about 3 dozen

½ cup butter (room temperature)
½ cup Sun Crystals (new stevia/cane mix) or splenda
2 tablespoon regular brown sugar or 1 tablespoon brown sugar splenda
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 ½ cups of Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder
½ teaspoon baking soda (you can add an extra ¼ teaspoon if you like puffy cookies)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milk (2 tablespoons if you like thinner cookies)
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate mini-chips

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and sun crystals or slenda until well blended. Add the egg whites and vanilla; beat well. In a separate bowl mix the Designer Whey Powder, baking soda, salt, slowly add to the butter mix along with the milk until well blended. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Drop by using a teaspoon onto an ungreased non-stick cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes. Remove from pan right away onto a cooling rack, Cool completely. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Version

Add ½ cup peanut butter
Increase baking soda by ¼ teaspoon
Increase milk to 2 tablespoons
Omit the chocolate chips if you want
Smash down with a fork making criss-cross design

When you first take the cookies out of oven they have the consistency similar to cake but let sit over night out and they will be crispy. It is true you can replace flour with Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder in baking! Yey Whey!

Have a great week friends. Watch Biggest Loser Tuesdays!

Camille

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Hello, my name is Nathanael Mulder and I’m here to lose weight.  It really shouldn’t take the new year to give me a reason to decide to lead a healthier lifestyle, but I guess any motivation is better than none at all.  But that’s not my only motivation.  Really it all stems down to just wanting to get back to the shape I used to be in, all those years ago in high school.  Back then I was 5’9″ and around 150lbs, running cross country and 1 & 2 mile races for my high school.  Over the years I’ve managed to gain over 110 pounds, weighing in on New Year’s Day at 262 pounds.  What’s worse is that I’ve tried and succeeded in losing weight in the past, and it felt great.  But my huge appetite took over in the end and all that weight came back, with some friends it turns out.  But now it’s a new decade and a new start on the weight loss, and I’m determined to lose it and keep it off.  With my roommate, who’s a personal trainer and Designer Whey user himself, pushing me and helping me with my workouts, diets, and determination I am truly confident that I’m going to succeed.

So here’s my plan, and here are my goals:
1) I want to reduce my weight down to 175 pounds.  That’s a reduction of 87 pounds.  I know it’s possible, I just have to keep at it, no matter what happens.  This is really all I’m going for.  With the weight reduction will come more energy and a better lifestyle, being able to breathe easier, and fitting into the clothes I own and into newer styles of clothes (with the new trends towards skinny this and skinny that, it’s getting harder and harder to find decent clothes these days).
2) Get into well-enough shape to run a marathon.  I don’t want to run a marathon because I want to run a marathon, I just want to be in shape enough to BE ABLE to run a marathon.  That’s almost 3 hours (or much, much longer if I don’t run very fast) of constant running, and that would hurt.  But to be able to do it, that’s what I want.

–And this is what I’m looking at to help me:
1) Working out several times a week.  At least 3-4 times a week.  A mixture of running and other cardio workouts, weight-lifting, and basic core workouts like sit-ups and push-ups.  Nothing too fancy or over-the-top.  Just basic and focused.  It’s worked for me before, and it’s going to work again.
2) Watching what (and more importantly how much) I eat.  For the last several years I’ve been eating almost exclusively fast food.  And although it’s not too terrible to have a burger once in a while, it’s probably not a great idea to have 3 Ultimate Breakfast Sandwiches for breakfast, 2 Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburgers (with large fries and large soda) for lunch, and likewise for dinner everyday.  If I eat healthier, and smaller portions, and use Designer Whey proteins after a workout and in between meals to curb my appetite, then I’m destined to lose weight and then definitely keep it off.  On top of that, I do love to drink water, so by drinking a lot more water and Designer Whey Protein Water, I think that will help also.

So, this is where I’m sitting in my life.  I’m overweight and out of shape, and its difficult to tie my shoes.  Here’s to a new decade and a new me.  Hope to see you along the Whey.

Posted in Nathanael Mulder | 2 Comments

If your training with a trainer…

LET THEM KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED!
A few months ago I bloged about me getting a personal trainer to help me with my figure competitions. I was so excited about letting someone else figure out my training schedule and what I needed to be doing. I thought it would be fun for me and a really neat experience. Here is my story.

When I compete for these things my main goal is to learn something new about myself and of course do well. But my training failed me badly and I should have said something but didn’t. Lesson learned. I want everyone to know some signs of a bad trainer. Yes, this is what I experienced and it was very stressful for me. And my contest did not go well.

1. When your trainer can’t remember if it’s an arm or leg day.
2. When your trainer can’t remember your last name or how to spell it.
3. When your trainer is at least 7-10 minutes late EVERY SESSION.
4. When you pay for private training lesson and your trainer brings another girl without asking you and you end up paying for her to workout with you when you wanted a one on one.
5. When after working with your trainer for a month they can’t remember what weight you need for a 12 rep bicep curl.
6. When you want to workout with your trainer one week before contest and he/she doesn’t want to come in at 8am because it’s too early. Then you miss 4 workouts that you really needed the support on.
7. When your trainer tells you not to do cardio. (Weird one)
8. When your trainer makes fun of everybody in the gym and doesn’t pay attention to you.

I should of stopped training with this guy as soon as he said that he thought Designer Whey protein drinks would make me bloated… RED FLAG RIGHT THERE!!!!! I think the only thing that kept me sane during this time was my Designer Whey drinks and protein powders!!! Yes… that’s pretty sad but my drinks got me through.
I think I was just trying to be nice but ended up losing in the long run.
So as a trainer I learned a lot with this horrible experience by making sure I’m smart with my clients!

So be aware of these trainer downfalls and if you experience any of these… RUN!!!!!!!!!!

Trainer Becs

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Trainer Becs reporting in on my training for the Tournament of Champions Figure Competition  coming up on Sept. 12th! I finally got up the nerve to send a photo of me what I looked like a few weeks ago. I’m really self concious and just haven’t sent a photo of myself but I thought it would be good to show what Designer Whey has done for me and how it has helped me to transform my body. I took it by myself so it’s kind of a funny pic…oh well. This photo is of me 5 weeks before contest time. I’ll be sending a 3 week photo and then a final one as well. Nothing has helped me more to train for this and I can’t believe it’s almost time for me to compete. I have used every Designer Whey product to help me through these past 12 weeks I have been training.

I use the powder in the jug, orange mango , with water.
Before my workout I will drink a whole Protein Water   or half of the Protein Blitz  . Then drink either or after my workouts and sometimes during. I love all the flavors and use them all.
  

When I’m craving something sweet I use the Desginer Whey Biggest Loser Protein To Go Packs  ( raspberry  and blueberry ) and mix it with one cup of soy milk. The milk helps me to fill up so I’m not hungry.

When I want to go out with friends to dinner or any kind of function I take my To Go Packs of the Orange Mango  and Pomegranate . I recently went to Hawaii and took a whole bunch of these with me and it helped me the entire week not to cheat!!! 
 
This amazing company has helped me these past 9 weeks with muscle building, hunger control and energy! Thank you Designer Whey ! I will have photos coming next week to show me at 3 weeks out!
 
Trainer Becs

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Eating Out Without Piling on Pounds

I love to eat at restaurants. But being a nutrition writer, I know that what typically makes restaurant food taste so good is lots of fat (and bloat-inducing salt). Even that healthy-looking grilled fish is likely topped with a good-sized smear of butter. But who wants to cook every night? We all deserve to dine out once in a while. I’m at a healthy weight even though my family eats out a lot — so here are my tips for dining out without gaining weight.

Share. There’s a dessert at Longhorn that’s delicious — but it consists of two full-sized pieces of chocolate cake surrounded by several scoops of vanilla ice cream. (Oh yes, and whipped cream.) While we rarely order dessert, if we do we always split it among three or even four people. Another way to use this tactic: Order one fewer dishes than there are people at the table and share. For example, if there are four of you at a Chinese restaurant, you can order three (healthy!) dishes so you each get to taste everything without going overboard.

Watch out for watch words. No matter what the cuisine, words like crispy, smothered, fried and golden brown signal lots of fat and should make you head the other way.

Order sides. At one restaurant we frequent, I used to order the salmon — which included a salmon fillet and a salad anda baked potato and rice. I would eat until I was stuffed, and there would still be food left over. Then, one day, a friend said to me, “Why don’t you just order side dishes?” So now I typically order a salad and a baked potato and that’s plenty to fill me up. (When I’m feeling especially virtuous, I get the baked potato dry instead of with sour cream.)

Instead of sides, you could also order two appetizers; many restaurants now offer boiled pot-stickers with a dipping sauce, shrimp skewers, or other healthier apps.

By the way, this tip is perfect for vegetarians who go out to eat with non-veg friends. So many restaurants have a sorry selection of meat-free meals, but you can almost always put together a nice meal out of sides and appetizers.

Box it up. I mentioned this tip in my post Sneaking Health Into Your Day : When you order a meal, ask the server to box up half of it before bringing it to you. That way you’re not tempted by the mounds of food on your overflowing plate even after you feel full. Bring home the other half and you’ll have dinner tomorrow too!

Skip the soda. There are 155 calories in one 12-ounce serving of Coke, and something like 12 teaspoons of sugar. If you’re eating out, why not treat yourself to some wine, which has heart-healthy benefits, plus fewer calories and less sugar than soda? One serving of Sauvignon Blanc has 119 calories .

Just ask. I once went out to a restaurant with a fitness model-slash-personal trainer. Even though it wasn’t on the menu, she asked the server for grilled chicken breast with no added fat, plain steamed broccoli, and a dry baked potato. The chef was happy to oblige. You’ll never know if you can get healthy options unless you ask — and if enough people ask, more restaurants will start to offer them. Try asking for meats cooked without added fats, salads served with dressing on the side, crudité plates with fresh veggies, smaller servings (even if you have to pay full price), and veggies that are steamed instead of fried.

Okay, now you have the tools to get a healthy restaurant meal that won’t wreck your weight-loss efforts. Try them the next time you go out!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Phase Five of “appropriate behavior at the gym: the do’s and don’ts, according to a guy with an opinion about anything and everything”

 Don’t: Grunt or yell while lifting

    I know, I know, I don’t know what it is like to lift 350 pounds, so I should not be commenting on the subject of grunting. And you are absolutely right, but I certainly know what it is like to max out and in doing so I refrain from the huge grunt or the loud yell. Maxing at any level whether you are maxing out with light weights because that is your strength level or you are maxing out with ginormous weights, exerts the same amount of concentrated, maximized energy. Therefore there should really be no excuse for grunting or yelling out while working out. I have seen a dude three times my size max out with out making a peep and you want to know why, because he did not feel the need to initiate the inner barbarian at that moment. Now I am fully aware that when you lift you need to pump yourself up mentally and get into that savage mode of thought, but it doesn’t mean you need to act it out. Realize when you let this inner barbarian take control you are really only making a spectacle of yourself. You are drawing attention to yourself which in most cases is bad. I say this because most of the cases I have seen where people are grunting or yelling, have been because they were not properly executing the exercise they were attempting. I see guys doing curls with weights they have no business lifting – wobbling unevenly, rocking the weight instead of lifting it, using there back to lift in an improper way and all the while (yes you guessed it) they were grunting or yelling while everyone around them either shakes their head or chuckles to themselves. Not only are you a spectacle but now you are at risk of ruining your muscle tissue all together because you improperly lifting. According to personal trainer for a very popular gym (both of which need to remain nameless) “chances are if you let out that rebel yell or that exhausted grunt, you are most likely doing something wrong…and while you may see immediate results doing it the wrong way, in the long run your muscles will suffer. Not to mention that you sound funky man.” Even if you are lifting correctly, there is still no reason to yell or grunt: curb yourself, you are not in the wild you are at a communal gym where others don’t want to hear you.

 Do’s: lift properly and just breathe man

    Proper breathing is an essential part of working out correctly and it allows for you not to be the village idiot when you lift. But before the breathing even comes into play make sure you are lifting correctly…first and foremost every time. When you lift, literally just breathe. “While lifting, you are supposed to inhale the resistance and exhale the release. But when you hear someone grunting,” our personal trainer informs us “it is usually when they begin the resistance…when they are putting the weight up.” You hear that, breathe in when you put the weights up don’t let a yelp out. “When you come down with the weight, you normally just hear a sigh even if you are one who grunts or yells.” I have never seen anyone get dirty looks or attract attention for letting out a sigh. Breathing the proper way allows better air circulation within the blood stream, and there for helps to better circulate the blood flow while you are lifting. It seems silly but breathing correctly while lifting makes a world of difference and it elevates the need for barbaric noises escaping your vocal chords. While I may not be a grunter, I have been breathing incorrectly while lifting for sometime now. After I was shown how to properly breathe while lifting it took a long while to really get it down, because chances are if you were doing it wrong, you were doing it wrong for quite a while- which in most cases wears a condition in your body that knows no other way but the incorrect one. So although it might be tricky and seem tedious and mundane, focus on your breathing. If not for yourself, at least for everyone else around you, that has to endure your god awful noises. Once again this is just my opinion, take it or leave it.

Posted in Lucas Hart, Real People | 2 Comments

   Being afraid comes natural and sometimes unexpected and unwanted. As a fitness professional I have come to the conclusion that we all get afraid no matter what your fitness level is. I’m in training right now for the Tournament of Champions Figure Competition  coming up September 12th and the Border State Classics Figure Competition  coming in Oct. I’ll go on stage and be judged and critized on my body and presentation…but that’s not what is bothering me at this point. It’s swallowing my pride and getting some help on my workouts. I know what I’m doing but I just need a little spotting and extra support.

    I’m wondering if everyone feels like this… afraid or even embarassed I must say. But I know even Lance Armstrong has a coach so why can’t I or why can’t anybody?

   I went through my very first personal training session and it was so hard for me not to control what I was going to be doing. I had to give it all to my trainer and just focus on building my muscles and connecting my mind and body into the workout. Much harder than I thought but nice to not have to think about it.  I must say though I worked really hard and have been hungry all day and I mean ALL DAY! I searched all day for that comfort food because I’ve had nerves going all day about this sessions and start drinking on my Designer Whey drinks. Talk about a new comfort food… who would have thought a protein drink to comfort me AND to fuel my body for tomorrows TWO A DAY workout? I know I can’t do it without my drinks and I just want to say that having all these emotions going through me today my protein has relieved some of my tension and anxiety. It’s strange how this protein has helped me in so many ways. It’s multifunctional!!!!!!!

Trainer Becs

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Push Yourself!

I’m in New York City, and tonight I’ll be participating in an especially rigorous martial arts class with a woman I’m profiling for a business magazine. I’ve stepped up my weight training and cardio in the last month and a half, doing weights four to five times per week and interval training on the treadmill three times per week. Hopefully I can make it through this class, but I’m not confident…my endurance is still low.

I’ve realized that I have a lot of trouble pushing myself when I work out. A couple of days last week, I just did a moderate walk on the treadmill instead of interval training, and I didn’t weight train as much as I had been due to scheduling conflicts between my trainer and me. Of course, I could have picked up my handy dumbbells at home, but with no one pushing me, I dissed that idea.

I think that in order to lose weight and get fit, we need to push ourselves more than we think. Many magazine articles tell you that being active just a half-hour per day is fine, and you can even split up your activity into three 10-minute sessions, such as walks after meals. But when you read the profiles of people who have lost weight and kept it off — and who look great — they don’t just meander around for half an hour every day. They work hard! For example, some of them do an hour of cardio every day, and weight training three to five times per week on top of that. They watch their calories. They’re dedicated to being healthy.

I have a friend who would like to lose a lot of weight. But when he tells me about his workout, I realize that he’s just walking slowly on a treadmill at 0% incline for half an hour, then lifting weights that even I, who am in no way a trainer, can tell are way too light. He can go on forever without reaching failure! Then he gets demotivated because he isn’t losing any weight.

In contrast, the person I’m profiling has a fit body. She does vigorous martial arts for one to two hours a day, weight trains with heavy weights, and runs. And when we went out to lunch, I noticed that she ate only a half slice of bread from her open-faced tuna sandwich. (I ate all my bread.)

Me, I’m somewhere in the middle — I usually push myself, especially with weights (I lift heavy enough that I can do only eight to 12 reps), and I take care not to eat a crazy amount of food. And my results are…well, middling. I’m not overweight, but I’d like to look and feel fitter, and to fit into the jeans I wore in graduate school. The woman I’m profiling has inspired me: I think when I get back to New Hampshire, I’ll feel a renewed commitment to push myself harder during exercise.

How about you? Do you push it, or are you a slacker? What kinds of results are you seeing? I’d love to know…please post your experiences in the Comments section below.

Stay healthy,

Linda

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DW Weight Control French Vanilla

Hey Friends,

I am so sorry to have disappeared on you all. I know I had some of you wondering. All is well, Friends. I have had the busiest 3 weeks ever! I could not even find the time and energy to blog and that is NOT like me. It has been one thing after another. End of the year school things, party after party it seems, death in the family bomb…bomb…but things are looking better and I am finally feeling less stressed. I thought I would gain everything back! But I am glad to say under all the pressure and stress I stayed the same weight since I last posted. The good thing is my biggest size pant (28 Plus Size) now can be slip off with out being unbuttoned. YAY!

I could have not made it with my weight control powders.  I start every day with a glass of milk, 1 scoop of vanilla flavored weight control and 1 scoop of chocolate flavored weight control powder. Grab some fruit and coffee and I am good to go for the morning. I still carry in my car the 2GO packets. Every where I go the 2GOs go too!

I have to admit it has been hard. I am working by cleaning houses, kids school events, even selling some stuff on the worlds largest E auction site, trying to keep it all together and organized has put a lot of stress on my plate. I have to get back to my free diet plan exactly like I had it the first time I lost 8 pounds. I tweaked it too much! I was trying to be perfect and am finding I just need to stick to the plan that was working and not try to have everything perfect.

Oh geez, today I mixed up my morning breakfast and forgot it on the counter so I stopped at a gas station and they had those be slim so fast drinks…I used to love those OMG YUCK! It coated my tongue, extremely sweet, slimy in my throat and I felt sick after drinking it. I used to buy the ready made cans by the case…no wonder they never helped me.

Designer Whey Powders are pure tasting, they never leave a film on your tongue and all the powders are great tasting as well. I will never go back to anything else. I would be better off skipping the meal then drinking those awful ready made in the can get you slim very fast garbage!

Cool thing, my husband said I am looking good! I am like, huh?, I was not good looking before?? You know us girls can be touchy about that stuff! But it felt good that he commented.

I am not even sure if I posted a comment about the “Biggest Loser” Finale. I thought for sure Mike was going to win but Helen, the little turkey, pulled it off! Good for her, my fellow Michigander! I saw Helen and Tara on the cover of a magazine showing off! I would too. Oh, did you know that Jillian the trainer was ‘The Fat Kid’ in school? My daughter is reading one of her new books about hormones and metabolism. I would have never known that.

Well friends I will try not to be so few and far in-between posting! It’s not fair to you and it’s not good for me. I need my friends cheering me on.

Drink your whey it’s the only way! 

Blessings to you,

Camille

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