I have been about to burst for 30 days to share something with you all!!!

Keeping a secret like this has been difficult to say the least!

Several years ago I lost 60 pounds easily by cutting out all processed foods.  It worked GREAT for me and I kept the weight off for a couple of years.  But then came sickness and death.  The health of my parents declined rapidly.  During the last year of their lives I truly felt stretched from one place to the next.  I felt responsible for them and the stress it added to my life was more than I could ever explain.  I began to grab whatever food I could between hospital visits, rehab, and my parent’s home.  That started my downhill spiral.  I began to eat the “bad” foods again and BOOM … I blew up like a balloon over night it seems.  It wasn’t anyone’s fault other than mine.   Sigh, a series of bad choices.

So, with that said — I found myself looking like this:

BA-BAM!

After all of my hard work, I had gained back way too much weight!  Not all of the weight I had lost, but way too much!

How did I let this happen? 

Anyway, it was around this time that I started avoiding pictures again — even of just my face.   My face looked puffed up — full of air — and I was not comfortable in my skin OR in my clothes.

It was during this time I had started paying attention to my friend who was having great success with some products from a company called Isagenix.   She continued to post on FB about how great she felt and how she was losing weight.  The inches melted off of her, but what caught my attention was how she referred to these products as HEALTHY.

For the first time in my life, with all of the stress from my parents — I noticed that my blood pressure had started to rise a little.  Also, most people didn’t hear about it, but early in 2013 I even had shingles!  It was in my hair of all places and only lasted a couple of days.  I nipped it in the bud and attacked it with prayer and meds.  It was gone in no time, but that was proof of the stress my body was under.  During that doctor’s visit my blood pressure was borderline “high” but they chalked it off to “white coat” syndrome.   I felt in my heart that it was more than that.  I knew how I was eating …

ISAGENIX …

I decided to give Isagenix a try on August 5th.  I began to see the inches melt off — even more than the pounds.  It wasn’t long before my husband could tell a difference when he hugged me.  He could tell I was shrinking.   I could tell that my jeans were getting loose (which is ALWAYS a good feeling!).   Even though I need to lose weight, the most important part of this system is that I am FILLING MY BODY FULL OF NUTRIENTS THAT OUR FOOD IS LACKING.

So what is Isagenix?  It is a wonderful cleanse where you replace two of your meals each day with nutrient-filled shakes or bars.  Before you even think about comparing this to other well-known “shake” plans — STOP.  There is no comparison.  It isn’t just shakes, but an entire system of products that supply my body with all of the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that I lacked in my regular diet.  Food today is absolutely bankrupt of the nutrients our bodies need to thrive!  Even when we buy organic, there is a percentage of pesticides/toxins that the FDA allows.  Did you know that?

Before I tried Isagenix and heard the word “cleanse” I just assumed it was something horrible that made you stay in the bathroom all day.  (Sorry … but I didn’t know how else to say it.)  BUT that isn’t the case at all.

Isagenix isn’t necessarily a weight loss program.  Weight loss can be an added benefit, but it is a lifestyle of cleansing.   The products allow your body to naturally detoxify by pumping it full of all of the nutrients it needs.  Our bodies were designed by God to naturally rid itself of toxins — when we place good things in it.   There are many people (even athletes) who don’t need to lose weight, but want to improve their health by taking Isagenix products regularly.

There is just too much to tell you in this one post.  But the great news is — I JUST hit my 30 day mark and this is what I can share.

1.  I am sleeping SO WELL!  Before, I would awaken all through the night!
2.  My skin looks better!  It is amazing how the toxins in our body even show in our skin.
3.  I have lost 44 total inches in 30 days!  The first day I measured from my neck all the way down to my calves and did it again yesterday.  Yes, I lost that many inches!
4.  I lost a total of 16 pounds.
5.  I have plenty of energy and feel GREAT.
6.  Ohhhh and most important!  When I saw my doctor for an annual appointment in August, my blood pressure was 120/80!  Yes it was!!!  I know it will go down even more!  I am thankful for Isagenix products!

I am about to do the 30 day program again.  I can hardly wait to see the results after 60 days of great food in my body.

I’ll be happy to do another post comparing Isagenix to other programs if you’re interested.    Isagenix doesn’t use soy (which is bad for women’s estrogen levels), no artificial sweeteners, no GMO’s, no gluten … the list goes on.   I’ll share this on another post.

Anyway … with all of that said … here is a face shot I did a couple of weeks ago:

You can tell my face is much thinner in this close-up (plus great photo effects to hide wrinkles and make my hair look darker – ha):

Here is my 30 day shot.   I still have a long ways to go, but I’m just grateful to be back on the right track!  It is time for me to care for myself again!  No filters … no editing.   (I placed my hand on the small of my back so that you wouldn’t think my ruffly shirt was my flesh sticking out.)  Just a snapshot from my phone:

You guys, this isn’t about losing weight, though that is something I HAVE NEEDED TO DO!  This is about supplying the proper nutrients to my body so that it can function as God intended.   My friend Jill posted in our Isagenix group on FB and I thought I’d share her wisdom with you:

Jill shared:  was a vegan, ate raw, etc. None of them healed my body. I was still depleted of many trace minerals, etc. Being a vegan for so long actually hurt my body. I have the blood tests to prove the damage it did to me. Being vegan/raw while dealing with so much stress in our lives really caused damage to my nervous system, endocrine system, etc. I share tons of healing information on my blog and have for the last 6+ years. I wrote a book that has been read by over 3K people on living a raw/vegan life. Which we obviously don’t do anymore. However, the information in my book is all still true – we need healthy fats, water, and salt in our diets. We need whole foods and loads of veggies and fruit. Which is next to impossible to eat enough of or find in this country, because our soil is depleted and now the majority are GMO!!!! GMO’s are killing us. Gluten is NOT healthy for anyone. Read Wheat Belly. I have never stopped searching for the missing piece to our diet and lifestyle. I truly have hope that adding in this program in will be the missing link for me and our family. I don’t need to lose weight. I fought even starting this program because I all I heard about was people losing weight and still eating unhealthy. That is so hard for me as a person who has coached hundreds of people through cancer and diabetes to find healing. Losing weight should be the benefit of getting healthy – not losing weight and hoping to get healthy. If you only do this for weight loss you are missing out on being the best you, you can be! Your weight is keeping you alive from how toxic your body is. Lose the toxins gain health and lose weight. Now that is a program I am excited to promote.

This is a before and after of Jill Birth (not the Jill I quoted above).  She lost 1/2 of her body weight and has a precious testimony.  I will post it below her picture if you would like to view it:

So many of us can relate.  Get your tissues ready!   You can also visit Jill by clicking HERE.

If you are interested in learning more about Isagenix or would like to try some of the products, please let me know!

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