A Recap of My Story

In January of 2012 I weighed close to 240lbs, I was anemic and had been for about 3 years, I had female issues (which caused the anemia) and I had honestly given up hope of ever being the vibrant, healthy woman I had once been. In January, I finally found a doctor who agreed that my female issues were probably the cause of my anemia. On February 29th I had a hysterectomy after about 6 weeks of recovery, I felt MUCH better than I had in years. My iron levels were back to normal after about 2 months and I was deemed no longer anemic by my doctor.

The beginning of May I started exercising for the first time in years, because I was no longer always tired from being anemic. On May 24th I saw a post online about Shaklee Cinch looking for 50 female bloggers to be a part of a 6th month weight loss program. I researched the Cinch products and felt that this would be a program I could commit to so I applied. The deadline for applications was May 25th, my 48th birthday!

On June 2nd I signed on to Twitter and saw a tweet from a friend of mine congratulating me for being chosen, along with her, as a Team Cinchspiration blogger! Sure enough, my life was about to change for the better. My first box of Cinch products arrived the day before I flew to Charlotte, NC for Type-A Parent Conference. It was a bit of a stressful start but it was great to meet our teams faithful leader Sommer Poquette at Type-A.

During the first 3 weeks of the program, I was awesome! I was eating well and exercising daily. I totally felt like a new woman. Then on July 11th I was involved in a freak accident. A 100+ pound television fell off its cabinet and hit me on the head. Due to that injury I wan’t allowed to exercise at all for a week and then only walking, no lifting or strength training. My doctor told me this week I can finally add some resistance training back into my workouts, 5 months after my injury! I know that this lack of weight/resistance training has hindered my weight loss and inch loss efforts but I know it has been much more important for my neck and shoulders to heal properly than it was to disobey doctor’s orders and possibly do permanent damage.

Six months later I still LOVE my Cinch Shakes, Meal replacement Bars and Snack Bars. I’m in the process of re-working my food budget so that I can continue to have my favorite Cinch products as a part of my daily routine. Six months later and I actually enjoy exercising! It is a great stress relief and energy booster. For Christmas I actually have an exercise DVD and a Wii game on my wish list so I can change up my exercise routine in the new year.

If you are new to my Cinchspiration Story you can click the link and read all the details!

What I’ve Lost

When I started the Cinch program my goals for this 6 months were to lose 30 pounds and complete my first 5k. I have lost 17 pounds and I have completed my first 5k and I am doing another one this week! Slow and steady wins the race has been my mantra through this part of my weight loss journey. I haven’t lost as much weight as I wanted but my accident seriously help up my exercise goals. I have gone from a size 22 to a size 18…almost 16!

What I’ve Gained

I have gained a self-respect that disappeared when I hit 200lbs many years ago. I have gained a love of exercise, something I never thought would happen. I have gained a love of new foods, my palate has changed a lot in the last six months. Several unhealthy foods that I used to love now don’t even taste good! I have gained control over my eating. I have gained new friends. The other ladies who have been part of the Cinchspiration Bloggers have become friends in a way that can only happen when you share a life changing experience. I have gained health. My cholesterol levels are better, I don’t have the exact numbers though.  I have gained energy and stamina. This has been most evident on our frequent trips to Walt Disney World. My family no longer has to slow down or wait for me as we walk through the parks. I can now keep up the pace with my teenagers throughout marathon Disney days! I don’t feel like I have failed in any way. I have stayed on program, I will continue on program and I will continue reaching towards my goals in the new year.

Cinch

No weight loss program is a quick fix. I have tried several, some multiple times. No matter which “program” you choose you need to be committed to changing your life. For me, Cinch meant making shakes for breakfast and sometimes lunch, switching form 2% milk to vanilla almond milk, eating a meal replacement bar for lunch and a snack bar when I got the evening munchies. It meant continuing to drink water and lots of it and changing what and how much I eat at dinner. It also meant rearranging my schedule so that I can add exercise. Cinch is easy to do and the products are delicious so that is the easy part. After six months on the program I am a believer, if you need to get healthier I would love for you to join me on the Cinch journey.

Thanks

Thank you to Sommer Poquette and Shaklee for choosing me for this opportunity. Thanks to my husband for his unwavering support and always greeting me outside when I come home from a jog. Thanks to my kids who have supported me and cheered me on. Thanks to my church friends and family who tell me how great I look each week :-). Thanks to my online family who has left me comments on my blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube cheering me on. To each of you I am forever grateful for the role you have had in literally giving me my life back. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel in my heart.

This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation’s Team #Cinchspiration Campaign. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own.  “Results and experiences are unique for each person, so results may vary. People following the weight loss portion of Shaklee 180 can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week.”

The post Cinchspiration-My Journey to a Healthier Me appeared first on The Mom Maven.

My Thanksgiving hurdle is my mom’s stuffing. In my opinion, she makes the best stuffing in the world and since she only makes it twice a year, I will be eating some. My goal for surviving Thanksgiving will be portion control and only eating what I truly desire. It is a special day and I won’t deprive myself of a few treats but I won’t go crazy either. How do you navigate the holidays without gaining weight? Leave your tips in the comments.

June-November Comparison

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation’s Team #Cinchspiration Campaign. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. Results and experiences are unique for each person, so results may vary. People following the weight loss portion of Shaklee 180 can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

The post Cinchspiration Month 5 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Week 3 Cinchspiration Results

I told you it was a good week and it showed on the scale and on the measuring tape! I am now down 6 pounds and 4.25″ in just 3 weeks.

Week 3 Measurements

I would LOVE for you to join me on my Cinch Inch Loss journey and there are 4 ways you can do that.

1. Start your own weight loss adventure with the Cinch Inch Loss program and get 15% off your initial order!
2. Support me on Twitter, please tweet Congrats @MomMaven on losing 6lbs in 3 weeks! #cinchspiration http://bit.ly/3cinch. Any time you want to check in with me on Twitter and keep me accountable on my exercise, water intake or eating habits please do so, just make sure you include @MomMaven and #cinchspiration to your tweet.
3. Leave me a supportive comment on this blog post.
4. Share this post on your social media channels.

This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation’s Team #Cinchspiration Campaign. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. This blog uses affiliate links. Results and experiences are unique for each person, so results may vary. People following the weight loss portion of Shaklee 180 can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

The post Cinchspiration Week 3-Banana Split Shake Recipe appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Each morning I went down to breakfast, got myself a large glass of mil and brought it back to my room to make my shake. Then I went back down to breakfast to drink my shake and network with my bloggy friends. For lunch I pulled out a meal replacement bar and enjoyed it while my friends ate their lunch. At snack time I had a snack bar. I drank lots and lots of water 64-96oz each day. In the evenings I went out to dinner and made the healthiest choices I could.

I even exercised on my trip! Thursday I walked almost 4 miles through airports and around the City Center area of Charlotte. Friday morning I went to the YMCA before breakfast and did strength training and 2 miles on the bike. Friday night I danced in the Just Dance, Just Sweat competition. Saturday I met up with 2 other Cinch bloggers and we walked 2.66 miles through Charlotte and Saturday night I scored another 2000+ steps dancing at the Life’s DHA party. Sunday’s I don’t normally exercise but I got 4000+ steps in while dancing at the Save A Lot party! Monday I didn’t get any “official” exercise in (but my heart rate sure was elevated flying home to Florida through Tropical Storm Debby!). Tuesday I walked 2 miles with my Leslie Sansone walking DVD.

While the scale shows no change this week I have lost a half inch in each arm and an inch in my hips for a total of a 2 inch loss!! I’d love for the scale to move, and it will but I am very happy with a 2″ loss on a week where I was traveling!

As I said in my Ready, Set, Here I Go #cinchspiration post, I need your help. I need your tweets of support, as often as you can tweet them. This week I’d love them to say I’m following @MomMaven on her journey to health http://themommaven.com/?p=8542   #cinchspiration just copy and paste the bold words into Twitter as often as you can, I really appreciate it! (also if you follow the #cinchspiration hashtag on Twitter, it would help me if you retweeted anything I tweet there). If you would like to join me in my journey you can get 15% off your first Shaklee Cinch Inch Loss purchase! Please leave me comments of inspiration and to let me know you are tweeting, or joining the Cinch family!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation’s Team #Cinchspiration Campaign. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. This blog uses affiliate links. Results and experiences are unique for each person, so results may vary. People following the weight loss portion of Shaklee 180 can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

The post Cinch Inch Loss Program Week 1 #cinchspiration appeared first on The Mom Maven.