I’m back from our Vermont camping adventure. All I got to say is if you get a GPS learn to use it before you leave your drive way! FYI-There are settings to avoid non-paved roads… The GPS took us through the mountains alright…on roads where it was one lane, no drive ways, no people, no rest stops, no gas station…Have you ever went off road driving before? Try it with a van full and pulling a camper! Kind of funny now but very nerve racking while it was happening…oh…and you look over the edge of the single lane road on a mountain…it DROPS off! No room for error…no way to turn back either.

Beautiful country, lots of wild life running free, mountains, sun…though when it rains IT RAINS…Its interesting because at the beach when the clouds roll in people desert the beach in droves and when the sun comes back out the people come back to the beach.

Ok I am a tent sleeping baby…We set up our tent I looked at others putting up their tents and most covered their tents with tarps. I wondered why in the world they would do that! Well when the rains came in we found out that no matter how good of a tent you have in those kinds of rains, no tent can stand alone…needless to say our blankets and pillows got drenched! Good thing the camp site has a laundry room. Note to self… when camping and sleeping in a tent, bring a tarp! My hubby and I slept in the tent and kids in the camper. We all can fit in the camper but my husband likes the tent…though we did have a blow up mattress so it was pretty comfy.

I have good news…I guess I should back up about my post before this one…I freaked when I got on the scale and it said I was 278! I cried …What! HOW???? That is why I wrote the way I wrote in my last post. But I am happy to say during our trip I lost 6 of that. The food is not like readily available like at home. There’s no ice-cream in the cooler, limited amounts of food because just no place to put it. Hmmm maybe switch out the full-size frig for a mini one???? I think too I was very much relaxed; we did not have to do anything if we did not want too. We walked to the beach a lot and around town in Burlington. It’s kind of cool people park and walk the streets, there’s all kinds of stores, shops and people playing music on the corners, lots of fun.

I think the time factor plays on that the fact I did not constantly eat… there is no alarm to set. You get up when the birds start chirping and there’s too much noise from people pulling out to go about their business and you go to bed when the birds stop chirping and people come in from their day and quiet down.

I did bring my weight control powders and 2GO packets with me. They are very easy to travel with and with a bottle of water you are good 2GO!

I hope this finds you well. I have to scoot…kids bickering…oh…I miss camping already…back to real life, I guess and back to my weight loss journey.
Camille

I hope this finds you fabulous and well.

 I have exciting news. I stepped on the scale this morning and I was very pleased to read 268.5!!! Finally, below that stinken’ 270 mark. I tell ya, it was difficult to convince my body that under 270 is good, it refused to budge, but with a little encouragement my body took a leap of faith…lol It has been a real struggle and disappointment each week to break that mark and to be honest I have no clue how I did it. I really have not change things that I can think of. I still drink my Weight Control Powders and my 2GO packets go where ever I go. I did drop the cheese so maybe that is it. All I know is I have to keep plugging away and making good choices and keep the scale moving downward no matter how long it takes.
 
Ok Friends, I am trying the new craze and twittering. I can’t believe I even say the word twitter…when I was growing up the word twit did not mean anything good add ‘ter’ to twit and that was over the top of NOT good! So anyway my twitter name is SmallChanges, if you want to follow me I would love it. I still have not figured out how all the tweeting works but at 41 I still can learn new things.
 
When it comes to weight loss keep working at and never give up. If you slip get back up and move forward. One thing for me is kicking myself when I do something stupid and eat way more then I should.  I usually say “screw it” and really fall off the edge then I spend the rest of the week trying to undo the damage. A small change that I have made recently is if I have to do the fast food thing, which in my busy schedule happens, I get the snack pack size meals or kid’s meals with unsweetened ice tea to drink. It saves a ton of calories and surprising is satisfying.
 
Oh, joy… the kids are home. That means trouble. I guess not trouble but keeping young kids entertained is not an easy job for parents. My plan is to do lots of out door things and check out all the different parks all around us, a different adventure every week.
 
Well I will close for now. It feels good to write you again. Have a fun and safe summer. I will write again soon.
Camille
 

AKA SmallChanges

Well it’s Monday and weight in day. Can you guess the number of pounds I lost??? If you guessed 2… nope, higher. If you guessed 4… nope, higher. If you guessed 6… nope, higher. Ok I can’t stand it. You’re taking tooooo long guessing. Drum roll please… da..da..ta..da I lost 8.5 pounds this week!

Ok I will tell you my start weight, which I hate to blog because I am embarrassed. On 4-13-09 AM I weighed 284…YIKES 12 pounds more then when I weighed before Christmas. 2 pounds off, 4 pounds on, has been a pattern of mine for a long time. When I got on my scale this morning I was doing the happy fat loss dance it read 275.5!

I contribute the weight loss to Designer Whey’s great free diet plan. It was so easy to follow because I created it for me; my schedule and my life! The plan can only fail if I let it. I was not hungry; I had good energy and was able to stick to it. In my plan I use the weight control powders and the lite and lean powders. All the flavors are great!

Remember this regime. Fuel, Move, Rest. The fuel part is the eating plan that you create, get moving simply means get your heart rate up higher then your sitting rate, rest…put your feet up for 10-15 min, go to bed at a reasonable time, get 8 hours of sleep each night. It worked friends and if it works for me it can work for you!

Take care, friends. Hope to see less of you soon. Don’t forget to watch “The Biggest Loser” this week. Let’s see who can be the biggest loser among those reading this. Post your results in the forum or comment here! Share each others success!

Camille

I know you cried…don’t lie…lol. This week, “Biggest Loser” touched my heart. Mike’s brother crying because of his weight. I sure can relate. I am amazed at the weight these people have lost in 15 weeks, just awesome. Like Tara said they are lucky and blessed to have this opportunity. It is really neat that we get to witness their success and see that it is possible. I know I have lost weight this week but I am not going to tell you until Monday hehehehe… but it is good friends, very good.

If you are new to this site…please take advantage of Designer Whey’s Free Healthy Diet Program. It is worth it! I can personally attest to that. Part of my eating plan I include the weight control powders along with the lite and lean powders. I love seeing my progress and seeing how many calories I ate for the day then comparing to the movement I made. If you don’t know, one pound equals 3500 calories so if you burn that amount per day you could potentially lose a pound a day! The Biggest Losers burn 7000 calories a day (not recommended with out a trainer and your doctor) that is why they can lose 10 or more pounds a week.

I am fired up again friends, determined to keep on this path to a lighter me. I hope you are too. Keep moving forward, keep making healthy choices for yourself…you are so worth it.

Take care,

Camille

Well the detox is over. My daughter and I did not lose as much as we wanted. I lost 3 pounds and she lost 4. I am glad we did it. Due to life situations we could not follow this exact. A lesson my daughter learned that diets like this are very difficult because they do not accommodate life situations, such as funerals and track meets, after school activities, jobs etc… We did learn good things for example the more fruit we ate the less sugar cravings we had. Veggies can be filling when you eat enough. When you eat healthy you do not have acid reflux.

The lesson I am trying to teach my daughter that it is best to eat a healthy balance diet every day. A friend gave a good suggestion that our diets on a daily bases should be 80/20 ratio. Meaning 80% of our diets need to be healthy the other 20% is for healthy fats and one small treat. Making good choices every day is necessary. For example, at a funeral I attended they had a luncheon, a huge variety of unhealthy goodies to eat. I stuck to loading up on fruit and veggies, 1 turkey roll and the smallest slice of carrot cake which is good for me because normally I would have grabbed the biggest slice I could find!

I wanted to share one of my favorite dishes.

Healthy Asian Salad- Delicious and full of nutrients and antioxidants

1 bag of Broccoli slaw

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon pine nuts

3 tablespoon cranraisins

½ cup chunked cucumber

¼ cup grapes cut in half

¼ cup grape tomatoes cut in half

Serves 5 or more if you add more veggies and fruit.

You can add chicken (oh grilled chicken is awesome) and have a complete meal that is healthy, full of flavors and good for you. Did you know that sesame oil lowers blood pressure and is full of antioxidants? It does it’s a good oil for you. Broccoli, cucumber and tomatoes are low in calories high in nutrients. Cranraisins are sweet and give this salad some chewiness. Rice vinegar gives this salad a little tartness. Pine nut gives some crunch and flavor. You can use raw cashews or sesame seeds as an alternative. Grapes also give a sweetness you can use strawberry, raspberry or any fruit you like. You can add red peppers that would give it a little kick. This salad can be made anyway you like it add items, omit items…be creative and colorful. Everyone I have made this for loves it…well, not my kids because their taste buds have yet to mature…lol. I make a batch and munch on it for a few days. It’s great for when you have those craving days.

Hope this find you well. Back to my healthy plan that includes my weight control powders and lite and lean drinks because I know they help me obtain my goals and they will help you as well.

Camille

Hello Friends,

Well we all know the holidays are coming and we all know what that means…FOOD and lots of it. Being less then a week from Thanksgiving, start giving your self a pep talk about enjoying ALL the food in taste test samples. Ummm… did Miss Camille say enjoy all the food? Yes I did, but let’s be apart of the abnormal and NOT gain the average 5 pounds during the holidays at the same time not to be left out or feeling bummed because we can’t have something just because it is not our “diet”.

Here’s what I am going to do… I hope you try it too!

Drink a Designer Whey Shake before going to a party.

Use the smaller plates during the festive meals.

NO before meal picking.

NO testing foods while cooking it.

Load your small plate with sample size pieces of the foods you love during the holidays.

Limit drinks to 2 then only drink water.

Carry my Designer Whey 2GO Packets and bottled water in my car so not to run to fast food while shopping.

Park far away from the store entrances to get more walking in.

Limit the candy intake but enjoy a piece.

Load up on fruit and veggie dishes first, then add the rest of the meal.

Take time for myself to unwind from the stress that comes with the holidays.

Enjoy my family.

Have a great weekend!

Camille from Michigan

The other thing I need to do is wear my pedometer it helps me realize the lack of exercise I get and it’s exciting to see it roll over with each step, helping remind me how good life is. If you reach the 10,000 step mark, that is 5 miles a day. There have been several days that I would get about ¼ of that…no wonder I am struggling to lose this weight for as long as I have carried it! It is not rocket science on how to lose weight…the bottom line is you have to burn more calories then what you eat…there is no getting around that. There is no magic pill because I have tried them all. It is disciple and self worth that will help you become the healthiest

Check it out! Use the system.

Plan a program that works for you. The only diets that fail are those designed for everyone… we are made unique, we like different tastes, flavors and cooking styles. It just makes sense to create your own diet that works for you. We know what helps us lose weight; we all have lost hundreds of pounds. Use your knowledge. One plan says get back to the basics, fresh fruits, veggies, and good quality protein. Stay away from processed foods and sugar. Use natural sweeteners if you need them. Drink plenty of water, at the very least 64 ounces.

Can we lose weight and keep it off? YES WE CAN!

Ps. It is snowing here today…wake me up for summer.

I feel so guilty as my oldest daughter is struggling too…and the fact it that she is practicing what I have taught her…that is hard to take in…yet, I can’t figure out why that does not motivate me…my goodness, its my girl and I am responsible for her health. I make the food, I buy it. I have no right to not teach her a healthy way to live. Hard to do when I myself have never accomplished that. All I can do is to keep trying.

I am still working at it. Never give up. Can we lose this weight?…YES WE CAN!

Hope this finds you well. Have a blessed day.

Camille from Michigan

Hello Friends,

I know it seem like I fell off the face of the earth but I am here. My computer had been disconnected as we remodel one room and moved me to my own area that way no one has to look at my piles… DON’T TOUCH my piles is my motto. That involves also moving the cables and cords; it’s not a simple task of just moving the computer.

We ripped out carpet thinking we had beautiful wood floors under the carpet until we got half way across the room… so now instead of an easy job we are going to have to strip and sand the oak floors… but it will be worth it! I should have warned you all I would be off line but when hubby decided to move my desk it was a take it down now thing.

Good news. I have finally made my 30 pound goal. It sure seemed like moving a ton of bricks, one at time…but my persistence paid off. I like to make goals of 10 pounds at a time so towards the 40 pound mark I am off! I also took a vegan cooking class which is very interesting. I am not vegan but it was fun to explore different taste and most of the food was really great tasting so that helps make it fun to try.

I just love my 2GO packets, I tell ya, you should carry them in your car… then the decision to grab some fast food is all ready made. The 2GO packets are very fast indeed, open a bottle of water then a packet of your favorite 2GO flavor (I like the orange or berry flavors), pour it in and shake… though I will warn you… don’t pour the powder if your window is down and the wind is blowing! You will have powder all over you and the car. 

My kids love trick or treating but it really makes it difficult for those of us trying to lose weight and here comes our kids a huge bag of treats. My kids are generous. They know I love Snickers and Reeses, though this year they only shared a few since “…you’re on a diet, Mom”, “…you only get 3″. Which I was kind of glad because when they are gone they are gone. Ya right, I did find my self sneaking an extra treat…shame on me! It seems Halloween starts the seasons of gaining weight. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year then Valentine’s, all holidays where candy and food are involved… UGH…good thing we have our Designer Whey Products to keep us in line with NOT gaining all the weight we usually would.

I sure hope this finds you well,

Camille from Michigan

Have you ever tried almond milk? I did and to my surprise I like it better then milk! Great in cereal. It taste really close to milk, same color, but not as thick nor does it cause phlegm. Nothing like soy milk…to me YUCK…well, the chocolate soy is ok.