I don’t believe that dropping weight for an event is necessarily the healthiest thing you can do.  It *can* be, if done for the right reasons – and if your goals are also reasonable.  But I believe crash dieting to (for example) fit into a wedding dress creates WAY more stress and detriment than any possible benefit.

That being said, I have been approached by a few potential customers who want to do just that: lose weight for a wedding, a reunion, some type of event coming up in their lives.  I am moving forward in working with most of them, but a couple were not a good fit for me personally.

Here’s a few tips and questions for you (or someone you know) that is thinking about losing weight for an event.

1)  Are you ready for a true lifestyle change or is this just a quick fix and you’re going to go back to “normal” immediately after said event?

2)  How far out is the event?  I promote a 90 Day Challenge.  Now, some people have amazing results, hitting their goal the first month, losing 10 lbs the first week, etc., but again – being reasonable with your goals creates a much higher chance of success. (under-promising and over-delivering, and all that)

3)  Are you able to have some semblance of a schedule with your eating?  The people that are able to: a) eat within an hour of waking, b) have healthy snacks in between main meals, c) drink a fair amount of water, and d) get SOME physical activity in will tend to have the best results.

4)  What do you have for support / how good is your willpower?  Do you have friends or family members that would be willing to work towards a goal at the same time as you?  (We call them Challenge buddies).  Do you have a vehicle for overcoming cravings if they happen?  Especially as something like a wedding gets closer, the stress level usually goes up, which can make “stress eating” a little easier to succumb to.

I have seen the 90 Day Challenge absolutely CRUSH all of these issues for hundreds of people – it provides the plan, the craving domination, the support, and just enough structure to create a true path to success – but only if you are ready to work it!

What can YOU accomplish in the next 90 days?

Check out these amazing photos for inspiration!

Here is why you REALLY should be paying attention, though.  I went to pick up a tub of Philly cream cheese.  The small tub was ~$1.50 and the large one was $2.99.  Double the price – so I checked the sizes.  The small tub was 8 ounces and the large one was only 12!  So instead of the larger tub being the same or better price, it was actually MORE expensive!  You would get 4 oz more cream cheese if you bought 2 of the small ones for the same price as one of the large ones.

Moral of the story?  Take at least a cursory glance at those price per unit stickers on the shelves and make sure you’re really getting the best deal!

Since starting my 90 Day Challenge, I’ve had a few… well, let’s say “health nuts” come at me with “Why would you do this?  Just (for example) eliminate all processed sugar from your diet, and you’ll lose all the weight you want.”

Okay. Here’s the first issue I have with this: I’m not *just* looking to lose weight.  I have horrible eating habits, and so a big part of this challenge for me is just getting some great nutrition into my system that I wouldn’t be getting otherwise.  For me right now, if I eliminated processed sugar, I probably would just waste away to nothing because I wouldn’t be eating anything.

Second: really?  Just make a decision one day to eliminate all processed sugar from your diet?  While noble, and I understand that some can do it – most that do are REQUIRED to for medical reasons… Why would I start on my health journey with a step that would almost definitely result in failure, or at least falling seriously off the wagon a lot.  And I would definitely not feel right about coaching people to do the same.  And besides, one person who recommended this to me did so within 24 hours of complaining about having too much extra “padding” and looking into the challenge.  So, the idea that all the weight I want to lose just fall off rings a little false.

And third: People are more likely to lose weight on a 2 meal a day meal replacement shake then by simply reducing caloric intake alone.  They lose weight quicker than people who simply try to count calories.  They also are more likely to maintain their weight by continuing on a 1 shake per day maintenance plan.  People who didn’t have a maintenance plan were shown to gain an average of 25 lbs back.

It’s not that I think removing processed sugar from your diet is a bad thing – I agree, it’s pretty much poison and doesn’t do anything good for your system.  I have just been a fan of the idea of “all things in moderation” for a very long time and tend to see that a lot of people at the extremes of an ideal find it a very tenuous place to be – I think of it like a pendulum (or those gondola rides at amusement parks)… if you are constantly trying to cling to that point in the pendulum swing *just before* it starts to go in the other direction, you’re dealing with a lot of weight, force and gravity all.the.time.  Commendable and more power to you if you can manage it, it’s definitely not easy.  I like easy.  Starting with easy means you can build to things that are more difficult should you choose to.  But easy works just fine in the meantime.

One other thing I’ve noted from the jogging?  Make sure your toenails are cut well, and not left at all jagged – or one can get kinda homicidal on its neighbor. 

So, how am I doing on the challenge all around?  My results are not as shockingly amazing as some other people doing the challenge, but there’s a few reasons for that – I am happy with my results and I truly believe that becoming healthy is a journey, not an event.

I have lost 2.8 lbs and about 2 inches in 8 days.   This does not seem like a lot to most people, but I’ll tell you why it’s great for me:

1)  A lot of people go up and down in their weight up to 5 lbs over the span of a week… I do not.  I’ve been pretty much the exact same weight for the past 6 months.  So almost 3 lbs down in just over a week is solid for me.

2)  I’ve cheated – while it touches on the realm of TMI (too much information), I was dealing with PMS this past weekend.  In addition to water weight and wanting to devour anything with a high salt content, I also struggle with what has been described to me as “cyclical depression” – I tend to get *very* mopey once a month.  My water consumption is up from before I started the challenge, but I was coming from, well… not drinking water at all.  I still have a little more work to do.  I did work on keeping myself in check more than I would normally have, which I’m counting as a win.  I ate Sabra Greek Style Dip (only 35 or 40 calories per 2T depending on the variety – and is it DELICIOUS) with veggies, and only sometimes pita chips.  I also ate a cheeseburger that the hubby made and a hot dog and chips at a cookout yesterday.  So, again – down almost 3 lbs means I didn’t go overboard, and I’m cool with that.

3)  My BMI at 150.2 was 26.7 (at 147.4 it’s 26.2 – half a point down).  In order for me to hit the “healthy” benchmark from “overweight”, I only have to get down to 140.  This will land me at a 24.9 BMI – which is the high end of “healthy” – look at those numbers again.  While my goal is to lose 20 lbs and get down to more the midrange of healthy, I only had a total of 10.2 lbs to get into that healthy range, and my body knows it.  My friend Rachel is 5’11″ tall and started off around 150 lbs – her goal was to lose only 10 lbs, and it took her most of her 90 day challenge to reach it – she was already pretty healthy!  The more weight you have to lose, or the further out of shape you are, the quicker (usually) the weight comes off in the beginning.  This is how another challenger, Dave, lost 77 lbs in 90 days…

So, when I talk to people about the challenge and they say “I want to see your results before I commit”, I admit: it frustrates me.  I totally understand why people say it – a lot of times they’re nervous about committing to something and not having it work for them.  Especially those with a lot of weight to lose or who have “failed” at diets.  But honestly – half of my goal is getting in shape, which you’re not going to “see” from my results…  I’ve got some more before and after photos up on my FB fan page that show a wider variety of results, if you’re interested in taking a look.

In my next post, I’m going to get back to my “becoming healthy is a journey, not an event” comment – make sure to stay tuned!

Have a helpful tip (like the make sure your toenails don’t try to kill you one above) for a newbie to running like myself?  I’d love to hear it!

Not today's run, but a cute picture nonetheless

So far, so good!  This morning I did Week 1 Day 2 of the Couch to 5k program (they suggest you train 3 days per week, so day 1 was Sunday)  I put Born this Way by Lady Gaga on repeat on my phone (not to self: download more slammin’ workout music from amazon before my next run), threw my baby in his jogging stroller and we just went back and forth around the block!  I was going to say it went well, but I’ll temper the thought with: It sucked less than the 1st time.

I was done by 9:30am, and this was a HUGE feat for me – I have always struggled with procrastination, and I have to say – now that it’s 6:30pm I am in LOVE with the fact that I’m already done my workout for the day!

I’ve also been shaking the cake faithfully and am happy about that.  I need to pick up some healthy snacks, but so far I’ve even been able to contain myself having Sour Cream & Onion chips (CRACK!) in the house and making Monkey Bread for a play group today.  I have had a total of 4 chips in the past two days, and had 4 or 5 little chunks of the monkey bread today.

My theory is that when I’m craving something like that, it’s obviously not for nutritional reasons… so if I let myself have a taste, so far that’s all I’ve needed to put the craving to bed.  If I just had to stare longingly at the bag of chips on my counter thinking “I can never eat those again”… well, half the bag would probably already be gone and I’d feel horrible and discouraged.

Do you have a favorite workout song or playlist?  I’m in need of some ideas!  Please leave a comment below!

Oh the things I’m learning on my journey towards being healthy and losing weight… I figured fruit = good, end of story.

Apparently there’s this thing called the Glycemic Index (I know, who knew??)

The quick version is: Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the bloodstream are high on the glycemic index scale; carbohydrates that break down more slowly, releasing glucose more gradually into the bloodstream, are low, and fruits come in on varying levels.

In terms of losing weight, low Glycemic index foods = good, High = not so much.  While on the grand scale of all foods, fruits and vegetables trend towards low on the scale, some are better than others.

Also, I’m not abbreviating Glycemic Index to GI because that either means “general infantry” or “gastro-intestinal” in my brain, and I didn’t feel the need mess with that

Thanks to Sarah Murphy of getfitwithsarah.com, here’s a handy list of which fruits are better for you as you as far as weight loss goes.

Low Glycemic Index
- Berries (blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, elderberries, gooseberries, loganberries, raspberries, strawberries)

Moderate Glycemic Index
- Cherries
- Pear
- Fresh apricots
- Melons
- Orange
- Peaches
- Plum
- Grapefruit
- Pitted Prunes
- Apples
- Avocados
- Kiwi fruit
- Lemons
- Limes
- Nectarines
- Tangerines
- Passion Fruit
- Persimmons
- Plums
- Pomegranates

High Glycemic Index – eat sparingly, or after a workout
- Banana
- Pineapple
- Grapes
- Watermelon
- Mango
- Papaya

Today is day 1 of my 90 Day Challenge and my goals are to lose 20 lbs, 10 inches and complete the Couch to 5k running program.  So far day 1 has been a success, I’ve stuck to my meal plan of 2 shakes per day and 1 sensible meal.  My hubby, baby, dog and I went for a 3-4 mile walk (I’ll have to map it out to find out how far we actually went) and in another half hour or so, I’ll be heading out to start Week 1, Day 1 of the Cto5k training program.

When I started talking about needing to lose 20 lbs, a lot of people looked at my like I was nuts.  I admit, I wear my weight well in clothes… I have very good posture, and don’t wear crazy tight shirts – people are SHOCKED that I currently weigh 150.2 lbs. (at 5’3″ this = overweight) So, here’s my “before” pic to show everyone exactly where my extra weight is!

Yeah, it’s not a pretty sight.    My current stats are: 150.2 lbs, 41″ hips, 36″ waist, 40.5″ chest and my left thigh is 24″ in circumference.  My BMI is 26.7.

So, I’m taking action!  And in case you were wondering, or haven’t met him yet, let me introduce you to my “why”.

So, that’s where I am and what my goals are, and I look forward to posting my progress!  If you have any questions, or would like to know more about the 90 Day Challenge, leave a comment below!

I’ve had a few conversations lately with people who have said something like:

“Well, I didn’t want to post that on my fan page because I was scared that it would offend someone”

A new friend of mine actually took down a beautiful poem he had posted (it had a swear word or two in it) because he noticed that he lost two fans – and was scared that it was related.

Now, granted – even if you swear like a sailor (*guilty*), you probably don’t want your marketing strategies to be centered around words that you wouldn’t want to hear your grandmother say (unless she’s a wartime Marine Corps veteran like mine and hearing her swear is one of the funniest things ever).  Being professional is important.

You may have heard about Attraction Marketing or the idea that “like breeds like”.  If you want to draw the right people to you and to your business, you need them to honestly know who you are and STILL want to do business with you because of it.  If you’re hiding too much of your personality or pretending to be something you’re not you will come off as fake, plastic, untrustworthy, or just that there’s something “off” about you.

Now, I’m not saying you have to air all of your secrets.  There’s something to be said for privacy and a little mystery about a person.  But, to some extent – you have to be willing to show your passions and let your freak flag fly.

Do you have an unnatural obsession with Nutella?  Do your dogs have their own Facebook pages?  Are you GooGoo for Lady Gaga?   These are some of the more interesting marketing strategies I’ve seen recently.  What about causes?  Do you spend all your spare time raising money & awareness for Breast Cancer research or gay rights?  Let people know!  This is a huge part of being yourself – and if people disagree with what you’re into so much that they de-friend, de-fan or don’t want to work with you, did you really want to work with them anyway?  You will draw people to you that have something legitimate in common with you.  Or people that disagree and enjoy a healthy debate.  And if you’re into Attraction Marketing and the idea that you should be creating RELATIONSHIPS first and foremost, what a great way to start real conversations!

Take some time to really look at your About Me section on your Facebook page, website or blog – make sure it’s authentic and really about you – the person- and not just about your business.  Infuse your posts with information that speaks to your passions.  You might lose a couple of fans or followers but those that remain will be MORE loyal and willing to share your information with their friends.

Got a legit About Me page or posts that show off your passions?  Leave a comment with a link below!  I’d love to see them.

…Kacy.

It’s a little long (4:39) but actually really funny.   And worth the viewing.  If you are in an MLM, you should watch it, and then pass this along to your team.  If you have ever said, “This sounds like a Pyramid Scheme” you should watch it.  If you have friends or family that are in a Network Marketing company – you should watch it.

I generally work with two types of clients.

Individuals, who,  upon obtaining an account with my greeting card service say something like, “This is so great!  Now I can send birthday cards and holiday cards and unexpected cards, and keep in touch with my family and friends!” *

The other type of client is a Small Business Owner/Entrepreneur/Sales Person who, upon obtaining an account, says something like, “This is so great!  Now I have another way to advertise and market myself/my product/my service/my company.  I hope I make tons more money from using this service to send greeting cards!” *

Now, I’d be telling a big, fat lie if I said that I didn’t believe you should use greeting cards to market and advertise.  But what I am saying is: There is a way to do it and still be… you know, a human being about it.  Wouldn’t you rather have your customers EXCITED to hear from you instead of dreading what you’re going to be pitching them now?

Tip # 1: Sentiment and Sales Pitch are forevermore Mutually Exclusive

If you are going to send a thoughtful or unexpected card – do not… I repeat, DO NOT combine the sentiment with any kind of a sales pitch!  Not even anything that comes close to resembling a sales pitch!  It comes off kind of slimy, and the recipient will see right through it.  Let them know you are thinking about them** without any regard for your own business and this will do more to endear yourself to them than any advertising.

Tip # 2: LISTEN when your clients are talking to you!

People love to talk about themselves.  Their ups, their downs, what is going on in their lives.  With very little prodding from you, they will give you SOMETHING almost every time you talk to them that they should be getting a card for.  Did his wife just have a baby?  Did her mother-in-law just pass away?  Son graduate college?  Did they land a huge new account?  Get a promotion?  Colonize Mars? No? Wait.  Scratch that last one, but you get my point.  We all know the standard reasons to send a card: Birthday, Holiday, Thanks for your Business, Thanks for the Referral.  These other “little” reasons are when your clients really start to feel appreciated, start to feel that you’re truly listening to them and thinking of them** when they’re not around.

Tip # 3: Keep it Simple, Sweetheart!

“But what if I don’t know what to write???”  I get this a lot.  Trust me.  It really is the thought that counts.  Your customers want to know that you’re thinking of them**.  The fact that you took the time to send the card in the first place gets you 99% there.  If you’re at a loss for what to write in the card, keep it short and sweet.  ”You crossed my mind today, and I just wanted to check in and say hello.  Hope all is going well.”  Or, “Happy birthday!  Hope you have a great day”

In addition, make sure you are in the habit of sending cards regularly.  At least one per day.  If you’re at a loss, pick the person you first think of in the morning and just say hello.  This selfless gesture will mean a lot to the recipients.

Tip # 4: When it comes to Greeting Cards, don’t treat them like they’re Bulk Mail

Cards are more expensive to send, first of all, and you really want to make sure they don’t end up in the trash on first glance.  You’re in luck, greeting cards and other personal mail are statistically proven to be opened first, and they also hang around a while.  Getting a card mixed in among the junk mail and bills says “Someone is thinking about me!”** Using a photo in the card makes them even harder to throw away.  Feel free to tell the recipient about a new product or service offering, or that you have a sale or promotion coming up.  Just make it conversational, and most importantly make it personalized.

Tip # 5: Better Late than Never

Sometimes an important event is looming on the horizon and we know that we should send a card.  But sometimes life gets in the way or we simply forget and then we feel like it’s too late.  Let me say this clearly: It is NEVER too late.  Send the card as soon as you think of it, with a sentiment something like, “I’m sorry for just getting to this now, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking of you and wanted to…” (enter the sentiment here: “wish you a belated happy birthday”, “offer you my condolences”, or “send along my congratulations”

* Not exactly those words, but you get my drift.

** Are you seeing the trend here?  Make it about THEM!  Truly appreciate the people in your life and you will be amazed at what comes back to you.

Have a question, a comment or a tip of your own?  Leave a message below.  Don’t forget to connect with me at http://facebook.kacyelyzabeth.com