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.

Cinch® Snack Bars serve up hard-to-believe snacking pleasure with hunger-fighting protein. Powered by Leucine, they help preserve muscle. 120–130 calories per bar.

The Cinch Starter kit comes with an assortment box of 10 bars to get you started. Don’t forget I’m giving away a Cinch Starter kit, please go enter if you haven’t already!

I haven’t measured this week and I didn’t lose any weight this week but I am not losing heart for several reasons…

1. Sunday morning at church several people told me how great I looked and asked how much weight I had lost.
2. Today a friend asked me if I needed a size 14 swimsuit and I laughed and told her I was a 20/22. She then proceeded to laugh because she is a 22/24 and sees me as MUCH thinner than she is.
3. I was re-reading the information in the Cinch packet that I received when I was accepted into this program and in clinical studies over 12 weeks people lost an average of 15.4 pounds. I have lost 11 pounds in 10 weeks so I feel like I am right on track with the average.

This week I plan to exercise more (4-5 days) and take my Boost, I’m really bad at remembering that! What are your healthy goals this week? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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 Week 10 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The boys started their college classes this week, they go to State College of Florida here in our town. I’m working on figuring out my new schedule to get my workouts in as well as working and playing taxi driver to get Jordan to and from his classes.

The excitement this week is that I get to give away a Cinch Starter Kit valued at $228! One of you gets to join me on my weight loss journey and try some of the delicious shake recipes I’ve been sharing.

The Cinch Starter Kit includes:

• Vanilla shake mix canister (15 servings)
• Assorted Cinch shake packets (14 packets)
• 3-in-1 boost(42 count)
• Assortment pack snack bars (10 count)
• Energy tea mix (28 sticks)
• Daily journals (2)
• Cinch program guide
• Cinch logo shaker cup
• Cinch pedometer
• Cinch tape measure

This is a great opportunity for you to jump start your own weight loss journey.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 Week 9 and a Cinch Starter Kit Giveaway appeared first on The Mom Maven.

I know these aren’t the prettiest pictures to look at but I can see the changes!

I am still loving the shakes and the bars but I’ll be honest, I only accomplished one of my weekly goals. Oh well, it is a new week and I am starting fresh! Yesterday I took a huge step forward and registered for Mickey’s Jungle Jungle 5k at Walt Disney World in November and I have begun training with the Couch to 5k program to help me get ready!

I am down 10 pounds!! I was hoping to be at 15-20 by 2 months but 10 is pretty good. The biggest change in me has been in my attitude towards both food and exercise. I don’t eat out of boredom anymore because I am full most of the time. I actually enjoy exercising now, I wish I had more time to exercise more. That is something I NEVER thought I would say! I have 4 more months on this part of my weight loss journey and I’m going to make the most of the opportunity that I have been given.

What are your healthy goals for this week? Mine is to exercise at least 5 days this week.

Stay tuned because I have an awesome Cinch giveaway coming up very soon!

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 Two Month #Cinchspiration Recap appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Goal 1 reached!!

In the video I told you I reached goal #1 and that goal was to say goodbye to the 220s!!! I was very happy when my scale said 219! My next goal is to lose 10% of my starting body weight so I will reach that goal when I get to 205lbs so I have 14 more pounds to go. Also in the video i shared my favorite new shake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana.

My goals for week 8 are to walk 10 miles, eat healthier dinners and take my 3-in-1 Boost after every meal. What are your healthy goals for this week? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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 Week 7 Goal 1 Reached appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Shaklee Cinch products are clinically tested and specially formulated to help you break the diet cycle so you:

• Keep muscle you have.
• Burn fat you don’t need.
• Lose inches you don’t want.

Makes sense right? One of the components of the Cinch program is the Blueberry Almond Meal-in-a-Bar. In all honesty, when I saw this bar on the list of foods we would be receiving I was not happy. You see, I don’t like blueberries or almonds, so a combination of the two had me concerned before my first box arrived. I am pleased to let you know that, though it isn’t my favorite product, it isn’t that bad either!

The bars are great for when I am on the go and can’t stop and make a shake. I just pop a bar in my purse and it is there when I need it.

I did not measure myself this week but I did weigh in and…I am down one pound for a total of 7lbs! Would I like it to be more? Of course! I am a firm believer that in weigh loss slow and steady wins the race but I am going to work harder to lose 2 pounds this week that would get me out of the 220s for good!! What is your get healthy goal for this week?

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 Week 5 #Cinchspiration appeared first on The Mom Maven.

On 7/11/12 I was involved in a freak accident where a 100+ pound old 36″ tube television fell on my head! I have had X-rays and I’ve been undergoing therapy and chiropractic care all week. Tomorrow I am having an MRI to make sure there aren’t any injuries that didn’t show up on the X-rays. So I have head and neck injuries and I can barely turn my head or lift more than 10 pounds. So exercising, other than walking my puppy has been out of the question. I am now allowed to go back to power walking on Friday just no strenuous lifting until my neck is more stable.

This week I maintained my weight at 222lbs which is a total of a 6 pound loss in month one. I did lose another inch this week for a total of 5.25″ in one month! That breaks down to 1″ in my chest, 1.75″ in my waist, 1″ in my hips and .75″ in each arm!
I can see some changes, can you??

In month two I want to remember to take my Cinch 3-in-1 Boost tablet after every meal, work out as much as my injury will allow me to and to make even healthier choices at dinner. My goal is to lose 10 more pounds in month 2 and the only way I can do it is with your support. I need your comments, tweets and Facebook posts of encouragement, using the #Cinchspiration hashtag. It really does help me keep moving forward knowing I have cheerleaders pushing me forward. If you really want to get involved, join me on my journey! Start your own weight loss adventure with the Cinch Inch Loss program and get 15% off your initial order! Let me know you are on this journey with me and I promise to support you along the way too!

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 Month 1 Cinch Inch Loss Program Recap 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.

My neatly packed box!

Two weeks ago I shared with you the exciting news that I was chosen to be a #Cinchspiration blogger by the Shaklee corporation. Our six month officially started on Monday but my beautiful orange box didn’t arrive until 6:02pm on Tuesday! I’m rather stressed about starting late because I leave early Thursday morning to head to Charlotte, NC for Type-A Con. So I am going to be learning a new eating program while I am at a blogging conference. In all honesty, I am going to do my best while I am gone and then kick it into high gear when I get home.

I need you, my loyal readers, to become my cheerleaders, accountability partners, pinners and re-tweeters. This isn’t just a 6 month product review, it is a competition and I need to prove my reach and influence so I can win cool prizes so please comment, pin and retweet my tweets with the #cinchspiration hashtag.

If I am going to be accountable to you, I need to share all the gory details with you. I’m warning you, these photos are scary but I need to post my before pics, again I’m sorry…

My height is 5’4″
My weight is 228 lbs
My BMI is 39.1
Chest 47″
Waist 43″
Hips 55″
Arms 16″
Thighs 28.5″

Those numbers disgust me. My goal for the 6 month program is to lose at least 30 pounds end to jog my first 5k this fall. I’ll be posting every Wednesday with an update and I really appreciate your support and positive comments as I move forward.

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.

The post Ready, Set, Here I Go! #cinchspiration appeared first on The Mom Maven.