Isagenix Weight Management Program

[gf4life]

I was turned onto this program by a gluten free friend and have been on it now for 4 days. In the first 3 days I have lost 4lbs already. It is a supplement program that uses a lot of cleansing herbs and vitamins to detox your body. It cleans out your system and helps you start burning the fat. I still have over 40lbs to lose and after 4 years of being gluten free I was getting frustrated. I knew that I had to do something drastic to mix things up. See I had only lost 10lbs since going gluten free. 5lbs of that was almost immediate, and another 5 over the first 6 months on the Gluten-free Casein-free diet. I gained back 5 of it when I went back on dairy and then lost it again when I cut dairy out again. But other than the 5lbs that seems to be dairy related, it doesn't seem to matter if I exercise or not, if I cut other foods or not, if I eat low-carb, or high-carb, if I pig out or only eat 1 meal a day, or even if I eat sweets all day or just meat and veggies! I just wanted to scream.

So I was reading about this Isagenix for the past month or so, and then I read another article that said most people are walking around with about 5-10lbs of toxins built up in their bodies, and that this can make us feel sick and tired all the time. Well after 4 years being gluten-free and cf for most of that time, I should feel pretty darn good, but I didn't. So I figured, why not give it a try. Nearly all of their nutritional supplements are gluten free (only 4 aren't gluten-free out of more than 20 products) and many of them are dairy free. I am doing the 30 day plan and although it takes a great commitment to follow the plan exactly I am willing to make that commitment. I am hoping to see great results with it. I had to alter it a little, since the shakes contain dairy, but I am doing well with an egg protein shake in place of the Isagenix shake.

If anyone wants to check it out you can go here:

Open Original Shared Link

They list their allergens here:

Open Original Shared Link

[gf4life]

Okay, I guess it is just me who is trying this Isagenix thing. I was kinda hoping for at least one other person who might be on it...

Anyhow, I am on my 8th day, and I am getting frustrated because I am still at 4lbs lost. My husband is trying to be encouraging, and says it is because it is that time of the month for me and I have some water retention. Well I certainly hope so. I would like to at least notice a difference. I feel good, and I am sleeping much better than I have in years. I do think it is cleaning the toxins out of my body, but I really want to see the weight loss. I am committed to 30 days. But if I don't see much more than the 4lbs lost, then I don't think I can stick with it for very much more than that.

If anyone is interested, I will continue to post my progress here.

[Mayflowers]

Good luck with your plan. I tend to shy away from supplements because I'm very sensitive to them and I'll get a 2 day migraine if I'm intolerant. I did find an herbal supplement that I take daily. It's called

Estrothin. It's a liquid and you take a dropper full every day up to 2 dropper fulls as needed. It's specially made for us menopausal ladies . It doesn't bother me and I think it helps with my cravings and gives a little energy, and helps my mood swings greatly. They have the list of herbal ingredients including black cohosh that you can read on the website. Even if I don't lose with it, I love it for it's stress calming and energy effects. I really feel the difference when I don't take it. I tried Remifemin and I got my stupid 2 day migraine from it.

So far I lost 5 pounds too with 35 more to go. I'm following low carb since I'm intolerant to grains and beans have been increasing my arthritis pain also. Trying to eat vegetables and fish mostly with fruit and nuts for snacks. (some cheese cheating is going on too)

Are you dairy intolerant like me? You don't mention it, just that you're caseine free. I've been cheating and eating cheese...I love cheese. I just find it difficult to give up everything all at once.

If you keep exercising like walk an hour every day you should start seeing some weight dropping. If you don't. pick up the pace. I personally love my total gym. Now that my ankle is almost healed I can start using it again..

www.Estrothin.com

[gf4life]

I checked on the Estrothin and I don't think it is right for me. First I am not menopausal yet, and also it contains stevia and I've recently tried that and had a very bad reaction to it. Most of the other ingredients are in the stuff I am taking. Thanks for the encouragement though. I was starting to think that I was absolutely alone here. I mean most of us already feel like we are isolated in our own little gluten free world, but now I feel even more isolated. I really severely need to lose weight, but it sure would be nice to have someone else to do it with.

As for exercising, I have mostly been doing stretching and ab crunches and such in my living room. I would walk, but not alone. I have a pool and love to swim, but now that the weather is cooling down and the water is cold I need to either get a wet suit or I have to heat up my hot tub and do exercises in there! I'm seriously thinking about the wetsuit...there is no other way I could get into that freezing water. I have an exercise bike and treadmill in my husband's workout room, but I rarely use them. I have bursitis and any repetitive pounding on my joints causes them to become inflamed and it hurts, occasionally I will do short spurts on the bike. I was doing a Yoga/Pilates DVD for a while and enjoying it, but I only do it when I am by myself. I tried it when other people are home, but I couldn't concentrate. I have been telling myself that I will start this week, but haven't. I got a bit down while I've been on my period the last few days, so maybe that is getting in my way. Anyhow, the diet is not low carb, but it is reduced calorie, and I am only supposed to eat very healthy foods, no processed junk, no refined sugar, no caffeine, etc. I am doing well with that part and I am burning more calories than I am consuming, so I can't figure out what the issue is. I am drinking about 10 cups of water a day as my only liquid.

I am intolerant to dairy as well as gluten and also allergic to soy. Right now I am only getting a very tiny amount of dairy in one of the supplements, but it is a between meal appetite suppressant and for now I need them or I don't think I would be able to stick to it. During the cleansing period (which can be as short as 9 days or as long as you feel you need it) you have 2 shakes a day for meals and only one very healthy food meal of 400-600 calories. I do feel better and I am sleeping very well for the first time in over 12 years! I have stopped taking my daily headache medicines, and the headaches I am having are less severe and less often, so I figure it is helping me inside my body, I am just way too impatient to wait for the weight loss.

[Mayflowers]

Hi,

I checked out your plan too. It's very expensive! A 9 day plan is $159.00! In my opinion these kinds of plans don't work in the long run. A person has to find a normal way of eating that works for them that they can stick with.

I understand about the Estrothin. My sister won't try it either. She thinks there's too many things in that would bother her too. I told her just try it. I don't use stevia either just in this formula, it doesn't seem to bother me. I won't say this is a miracle remedy for menopausal weight loss, because I use it more for my mood swings.

I don't use any artificial sweetners anymore on a regular basis. I use Somersweet on occasion. My mother used Nutrasweet a lot, eating sugar free fudge pops every night for years and she ate Breathsavers daily plus I made her cakes with nutrasweet. She died of a brain tumor. I read soon after she passed away that Nutrasweet aka, aspartame, was linked to brain tumors! I was really upset that I hadn't seen this before.

As for exercise, how about the Gazelle by Tony Little? If you don't have any hip arthritis it's very good. I have one and a Suzanne Somers Body Row that I use when it's raining or too cold. I also have some good workout videos from Beachbody, Turbo Jam, Kathy Smith, and Slim n' 6. I also love the Leslie Sansone "Walk away the pounds" series. It's great for older women, like me.. (50) or women who want a low impact work out.

[gf4life]

As for exercise, how about the Gazelle by Tony Little? If you don't have any hip arthritis it's very good. I have one and a Suzanne Somers Body Row that I use when it's raining or too cold. I also have some good workout videos from Beachbody, Turbo Jam, Kathy Smith, and Slim n' 6. I also love the Leslie Sansone "Walk away the pounds" series. It's great for older women, like me.. (50) or women who want a low impact work out.

Machines like the Gazelle are the worst for my joints. It is that repetative motion that causes the swelling and pain. And it is my hip and knee joints that I have problems with. The same with any video that is like aerobics, I am not supposed to do them. I have had joint problems since I was about 4 years old, and was hospitalized for the pain. I was made to quit ballet and gymnastics. I sincerely believe my problems back then were gluten and they didn't know. I think part of why I still have joint problems is the 30 years of gluten damage before I was able to start the diet.

Swimming and yoga are the best exercises for me. No joint stress...

As for the cost of the Isagenix supplements. I realize they are expensive, but if you figure that you are using the supplements in the 9 day plan and the 30 day plan to replace 2/3 of your daily food intake, then it isn't so bad, because you aren't spending it on food, coffee, soda, snacks, etc...Also you can reduce the cost by paying the annual fee to be a distributor and get the wholesale price. That's what I did and it is a savings of about 30%. And if the products work for me, I can continue to get the wholesale price for the full year if I choose to continue with them. But it isn't for everyone. I have tried so many ways of losing weight, including dietary and lifestyle changes and nothing has worked for me except extremely low-carb and after about a month on that I feel horrible and the weight comes back. It is also hard for me to find supplements that work for me. Besides gluten, dairy and soy, I also have allergies to a lot of pollens & plants and seem to react to some different herbs, so finding some that I don't react to is a challenge.

[Mayflowers]

I hear ya girl. I couldn't use the Gazelle either. I was born with congenital hip displasure. By the time I was 45 I had pretty bad arthritis and my quality of life was very bad. Yoga even hurt. It was probably mostly from gluten causing the immune reaction manifesting as arthritis. I had both hips replaced in 2004. I'm now ceramic! Doctor wants me to keep my weight down for obvious reasons, so my hips will last. Now I can use the Gazelle.

I hope your plan works but I know from experience that I got sick of shakes and bars after awhile and I went back to real food. I can't stand bars anymore. I think the best thing for me is low carb, meaning mostly low white refined sugar, since I gave up grains and beans anyway it's a no brainer. I started juicing which really is giving me energy. I use mostly vegetables and a half a apple for taste. I've lost 2 pounds this week which makes it a total of 6 pounds so far. I took the kids out to dinner last night to celebrate my walking again (did I mention I've lost 6 pounds with a broken ankle?) and cheated, but as long as I limit it to one day, not every day, I can still keep losing...

I'll post my progress every so often too. Most people on this site who eat meat are using the Paleo Diet (I think) or something similar to lose weight. That's almost me if I don't cheat and have dairy....cheese rules.

[gf4life]

Well, 10 days in and I have lost 6lbs and overall 4 inches, mostly from my abdomen, hips and chest, with about 1/2 inch off my upper arms. That is not too bad. I also feel much healthier.

Mayflowers, I may eventually get tired of shakes, but for now I am really enjoying it. I was at the point where I hate eating! I just get so tired of having to think about what to cook, and then sitting down to eat would make me nuts. So a shake for breakfast (when I am on the run anyhow) is great. I am now enjoying my food at lunch, and I am okay with a shake for dinner. Later when I move to the maintenance phase, it is only a shake at breakfast, which totally fits my schedule better anyhow. It is more of a change in eating and that is helping me a lot. My goal is 15lbs lost in the first 30 days. If I keep at the pace of about 1/2lb a day, teh I will certainly meet that goal. Thanks for the encouragement. You don't know how much it has helped me. Last Thursday was the worst day so far and you really helped me through it. Thank you so much. I'mm off to go do some water aerobics in my hot tub. Sure am glad my husband went for the deluxe 8 foot circle when we built our pool. It is nearly 4 feet deep and plenty big enough for me to do my exercises in, although it isn't the same as a couple hours of good swiiming and treading waterin the deep end, but I am a wimp and can't do the 60 degree water!

[gf4life]

Just letting everyone know how I am doing on this weight management plan. It is now 17 days and I've lost 8lbs, but also I've lost 8.5 inches overall! I am so excited about that. Many of my pants are getting loose and I keep tugging them up, and I wore a sweater to church yesterday than my MIL gave me 2 christmases ago and I've never worn because it was always too tight. Yeah! I still have 34lbs to go, but it feels like an attainable goal now. I have way more energy and I feel healthier everyday.

[Mayflowers]

Great to hear you're doing well. That shake plan sounds like slim fast. I, who has a healthy appetite, starves on shakes. That's why I love low carb. I'm not so hungry all the time. The trick is to eat enoug carbs to keep from getting tired, and depressed.

I've been sick with a sinus infection the last week and my weight flucutated up a couple of pounds I ate some beef and pork and that's what happens. I'm almost down to last week's weight. My diet is simple, semi-vegetarian. Vegetables, fruit, nuts eggs and fish. If I deviate, I gain weight. I can cheat and have a slice or two of gluten-free bread on weekends but NO MORE than that. Now If I can just get over being sick. I went back to the doctor last night and got a different antibiotic.

Keep up the good work! You're doing great on that plan. You should be in Jersey with me, it's a little colder than centeral CA...LOL..We swim indoors this time of year....

I like a shake for a snack, not a meal

[gf4life]

Yeah, I can see how shakes aren't enough for some people. I can fill up on water alone if I am not careful! So the shakes are very filling to me. For me the problem is to not burn too many calories in a day or else I get very tired. I average about 1000 calories eaten and 1300-1400 calories burned per day. And I am doing very well with that. Today I spent 3 hours lifting rocks that varied in size from 1-30lbs (most were about 10-15lbs) and moving them across the yard, so I have already burned more calories than I have eaten and I get to relax for most of the rest of the day and just do my regular house maintenance and family stuff. So that is good.

I tried low carb for a while. I did lose weight, but I had to be so strick with it, and if I deviated even slightly above 15 carbs a DAY I would stop losing. And when I added more than that I would gain it all back. After a bout a month of that I started to feel sick and after 2 months I felt like I was dying everyday. So I quit and even though I was careful not to eat junk, or over eat I still gained all the weight right back. So low-carb is definetly not for me.

I am now at 10lbs lost and very happy with that. 3 more lbs and I will be down to 159, which will be a big deal for me. I have been at 172 for soooooooo long....

[jerseyangel]

Mariann--

Congrats on the progress!! That's great

[gf4life]

Thank you. I am very happy about it myself!

[Mayflowers]

That's great you lost so much! I can't wait to get down there.

Man, even Atkins doesn't recommend going under 20 grams of carb a day in the induction. Were you eating a lot of meat and cheese? Calories do count. People can't stuff themselves with low carb and expect to lose. Even low carb has limits.

I'm more a semi-vegetarian lower carb meaning I mostly limit grains, beans and sugar. I avoid red meat. I have a slice or two of gluten-free bread on weekends as a treat. I also noticed even on low carb, eating nuts makes me gain weight! Must be an intolerance peeking through...

[gf4life]

I was mainly eating chicken, fish, or occasionally beef (I don't eat beef often as I have trouble digesting it, I ate it today and I'm still having a rumbly tummy since lunch) and lots of salad, and the lower carb veggies all day long. Eggs for breakfast, some fats, but the healthier ones, but if I ate very many carbs at all, the weight wouldn't budge. I was eating healthy choices and almost no junk. Very little dairy as I am intolerant to that too. I was eating a lot of soy, and it was not long after going off that diet that I found out I was allergic to soy. It's a wonder I didn't go into shock. After going Gluten-free Casein-free 4 years ago I tried some soy cheese and had trouble breathing...I only did that once.

Anyhow, right now I can eat whatever I want as long as it doesn't contain caffeine, refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, or bad fats. I know that cuts out a lot when I already cut gluten, dairy and soy, but really I have a lot of choices to eat. Just very simple healthy foods. I just have to calculate my calories and stay between 400-600 calories for lunch.

I am enjoying eating again. I was at the point where I HATED food and only ate to survive, but I didn't like to eat. Unless it was angel food cake! I could sit and eat a whole cake by myself, gluten-free of course. I didn't have any of the cookies I made for my son's class party, and I won't miss the chocolate cake at his party on Friday, but if I made an angel food cake right now it would bre absolute torture not to be able to see it. Good thing I'm not on the Biggest Loser show, my "fridge" in the elimination room would be filled with angel food cake.

[gf4life]

Okay, I've been weighing myself almost daily and charting my daily food intake like clockwork, but I only take my measurements about every 3-5 days. Well on the Isagenix plan they have you take your pre-diet measurements, then 2 times during the 9day or 30 day duration and then at the end of your 9 or 30 day plan. So this is my third time recording my measurements in my program guide and I was really surprised. I've lost 10lbs, but I've also lost a total of 16.25 inches over my body! Yeah! I'm going through my closet today and getting rid of the clothes that are getting way too loose. Pretty soon I will have to go shopping for clothes because nothing will fit. Now THAT is a good feeling!

[gf4life]

24 days in and I've lost 12 pounds! Yeah. It was fun going through my closet. I plan to get rid of more clothes every 10 pounds. Eventually I will have to go shopping, but for now it is fun wearing clothes people have given me that I have never been able to wear before. My daughter thought I HAD gone shopping!

[gf4life]

Update on my progress:

On day 30 of my program I had lost 14 pounds and a whopping 24.5 inches over my body. Here is the breakdown of where the inches were lost:

Neck- 1 inch

Upper Arm (Left)- 1 1/2 inch

Upper Arm (Right)- 1 1/2 inch

Chest (bust)- 4 inches

Diaphragm (rib cage)- 2 inches

Waist- 3 inches

Abdomen (6" below waist)- 4 1/2 inches

Buttocks (9" below waist)- 1 1/2 inch

Upper thigh (Left)- 1 inch

Upper thigh (Right)- 1 inch

Calf (Left)- 3/4 inch

Calf (Right)- 3/4 inch

Upper knee (Left)- 1 inch

Upper knee (Right)- 1 inch

I noticed the most dramatic change around my stomach area! My pants were literally falling off of me and i had to go buy new ones. I hadn't told very many people that I was on a weight management program, but it was so noticable that people started asking me what I was doing to lose weight.

Now one week later and I have lost another 2 pounds and another 6 inches overall. And that is despite the fact that I had my period the second day into the next 30 day program. I don't weigh and measure during that time, since they are inaccurate due to water retention, but I noticed that when I measure afterwards that I have continued to lose inches and the pounds come off again immediately following that time of each month.

I also have to say that I do not really formally have an exercise routine. I do more walking now, and I try to do some stretching and resistance exercises with the occasional few minutes at a time on our exercise bike, and some crunches when I get around to tthem, but it is certainly not every day.

I do continue to eat plenty of protein to keep the muscles that I already have and I try to stay at a ratio of about 40% protein-40% carbs-20% healthy fats (mostly olive oil, evening primrose oil, almonds, and occasionally avocado). I eat a lot of lean meats and fresh veggies and fruits. the carbs I tend to get are brown rice, corn tortillas, and occasionally some brown rice pasta. I eat around 1200 calories a day, but am getting more food that I normally would eat, due to the fact that I am cutting out all of the refined sugars, processed foods, fried foods, sodas, and other high calorie-low nutrient foods.

I feel so much healthier and have a lot more energy.

[good4u]

I am so glad to hear that you are doing well with isagenix.

I have been on it for almost 1 year and feel great.

I never really had alot of weith to lose but did lose alot of inches. I love the shakes in the morning and so do my kids, it's our daily routine.

It is very important to be getting all the nutrients in our bodies that isagenix offers, we cannot produce them or get them from the foods we eat.

I have been to one conference that isagenix offered and learnt so much.

I am only 29 and already had arthritis setting in, but since isagenix my pain is gone.

Hope you are sticking with it, it is the best you can do for yourself.

[kmatzke]

Hi Mariann,

I just started the 9 day Isagenix cleanse a couple days ago. I have lost 6 inches and 6 pounds in 3 days, but more importantly than that, I have so much energy and feel great. I hate running, but my husband is a runner, and I actually asked him on the 2nd day if he would train me to run a 5k. The past 2 nights we have gone out running. The first night I ran 1.5 miles, the 2nd night I ran 2.25 miles. I never ran more than half a mile at once in my life and even then it was pure torture.

Did you continue to order the Isagenix products after your 30 day cleanse was complete? I am going to place an order for the 30 day to follow up to the 9 day cleanse.

Kristen

[gf4life]

Hi Kristen, I am do glad to see that you are having fabulous results too! Good for you for taking up running!

I am on my 48th day (50 if you count the 2 pre-cleanse days) and have lost a total of 17 pounds as of today and also a total of 32 inches over my body! I am so happy.

Yes, I have continued to purchase the products, but I am not doing a cleanse day once a week (like the regular 30 day program), but I am essentially doing the maintenance program format with a cleanse day every other week, but still using the same supplements for the regular program.

I also don't use the shakes, since they contain a lot of dairy. I use Jay Robb egg white protein and mix it with almond milk. Most often I take an oil supplement or add almond butter or sunflower seed butter for added healthy fats.

I stopped losing for about 10 days while I was sick, but once I got on antibiotics for the sinus infection that I ended up having then the weight started coming of again. I dropped 2 pounds within 3 days of the antibiotics. I think my body was just too busy fighting the infection to bother with burning the fat, and once it got help from the antibiotics the fat burning started up again with a vengeance!

I also chart my food intake at an online food journal, and that helps keep me on track. I am hitting the 2 month period here really soon and feeling great. I really feel more energetic than I ever have since I was a teenager!

[gf4life]

For anyone interested in trying these products, here is a list of the weight management/nutrition products that are gluten free (items marked with and asterisk* are also dairy free):

Cleanse for Life-Berry and Tropical*

Natural Accelerator Capsules*

IsaLean Shakes-Chocolate and Vanilla

Isagenix Snacks-Chocolate and Vanilla

IsaLean Soup- Creamy Chicken and Creamy Tomato

IsaFlush!*

IsaPro Supplemental Protein

IsaLean Bars

Ionix Supreme*

Isagenix Antioxidants*

IsaFruits*

Want More Energy?-Citrus, Grape and Orange*

Omega 3.6.9 Gelcaps*

IsaFuel*

IsaCal

Isamune

C-Lyte Vitamin Electrolyte Formula*

Items that are NOT gluten free are:

SlimCakes (contains wheat flour, barley malt, and oats)

Essentials for Women (contains Barley, Wheat Grass)

Essentials for Men (contains Barley, Wheat Grass)

NEW in 2007 Healthy Greens (contains Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, and Barley malt)

[Mayflowers]

Sorry, too expensive for me. I'm Oxycising...

[gf4life]

What is Oxycising? Sorry, I'm clueless...

[Mayflowers]

What is Oxycising? Sorry, I'm clueless...

It's using oxygen to speed up the metabolism to lose weight.

check out www.oxycise.com

I feel real good when I do my 15 mins.