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Fit Journey. Wedding Planning. All Around Chaos. Follow Along. 

[followjhay]

Isagenix Failed Me. Or I Failed It.

My biggest concern with Isagenix going in was it’s sustainability. Probably not all that shocking to see me back here claiming that.....it’s not. Sustainable that is. 

So - instead of beating my head against a wall and feeling like a failure (which I’m a BIG proponent of never - EVER - doing) - I’m moving on and trying something else. 

Isagenix always felt a bit like desperation - especially with all the cleanses and what not.  So I noted that. 

For the last month I’ve been working diligently with a trainer who I found/met on Thumbtack. For those of you who have never used or experienced Thumbtack - it’s AWESOME!

I knew I didn’t want to go the gym route again (gym’s scare me) and I knew that I couldn’t afford 99.9% of the trainers that Chicago has to offer so I got creative. I told Thumbtack my budget, my availability, my goals and my timeline - they responded back with the best fits and provided me with the option to get in touch ONLY IF I WANTED TO! 

So - I met La Anne, my fabulous trainer who has been diligently kicking my ass every sunrise Monday-Friday. 

I’m starting to love working out - I never found that on Isagenix. 

She also recommended I give Atkins a shot for quick diet results. So that’s where I’m at. 10 lbs down from where I left Isagenix - but MUCH more toned. My body is really shaping up and I love it. 

On top of that - I’m planning a wedding and just genuinely loosing my mind. 

Follow along!

[followjhay]

IT'S CLEANSE DAY(S)!!!!!!!!!! (It's also Day 14 which is only ONE day away from Day 15 which is MY HALFWAY MARK!!)

How do I feel this time around? MUCH BETTER! My last cleanse set was unbearable. I was miserable. I felt like Gollum, scuttling around trying to catch a sniff of happy people's delicious food. Always shuffling away empty handed and grumbly. This time, not so much of that. A lot less of that actually. I'm feeling good. 

Hungry? Yes.

Ready to eat tomorrow? Yes.

Miserable beyond all comprehension? No.

To be fair. I haven't approached with a SUPER hard-core lens. Last night Don and I went to the movies so I grabbed a bag of grapes, almonds and a La Croix and called it good. I give no shits about it because I still netted under 300 calories for the day, which is a 'cleanse' in my book.

Forgiveness and Balance. That is the key to success.

Let me tell you a little story about forgiveness. Don and I had been planning a Christmas party at our place for about a month (pre-cleanse) and on Sunday I realized that I had asked all my friends to bring all the most delicious food and then I was going to refuse to eat any of it in front of them (despite desperately wanting to). Bullshit. I ate it. I don't regret it. In fact, it was awesome. I learned the following things:

I have to make this plan work for me. I'm in control. The problem from the get-go was that I wasn't in control. I've reclaimed that and it feels incredible.

I didn't lose my shit and UN-do 14 days worth of awesome progress. I was conscious of portions, I logged everything I ate and was accountable for it and guess what....I got back on the wagon the next morning.

Forgiveness and balance. It's an awesome thing.

I recently had a reader PM me a question about Isagenix which made me realize...I need to be opening up the floor more often.

If any of you are curious, would like to learn more please let me know. I'm not going to try to sell you on why it will work for you, I'll only educate you to the best of my ability. If I don't know the answer, we can figure it out together.

<3

[followjhay]

Hey would you recommend isagenix? I really want to try it but no one's been able to really help me with it or told me how i can buy some or been able to tell me about their results. I saw you in the tag and figured I'd ask you :)

Hey! Thanks for reaching out! I'd love to share. There's a lot of different ways you can think through Isagenix. I started with the 30 day cleanse because I really needed the structure to get started on my journey. It's been incredible. I'm down 10 lbs in about 2 weeks and honestly feel great. 

I'd be happy to walk you through the products via skype if you're looking for more information. Just let me know. 

In the meantime... https://www.isagenix.com/en-US/websites

Click on products and get a feel for what you CAN buy. I'm happy to offer suggestions. 

[followjhay]

Lou Malnati's catered lunch at work today. I took one bite and all my dreams did come true.

Note: That one bite cost me 100 Calories.

WTF!?!?!

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Things I believe in. Being proud of yourself. Today I am down 10 Whoppin' LB'S, SO I'm giving myself some Richard Simmons appreciation. <3

That being said, I feel really great and I'm excited to keep this up.  I think I'm officially on day 9/10? I'm going to update all my measurements tomorrow (Isagenix really discourages you from getting on a scale/measuring outside of certain checkpoints. Technically Day 11 is allowed but I do it everyday because I'm a boss/masochist?). I'm just not realizing that I never got my measurements up, so I'll put my PRE-POST measurements up together at the same time, and this, is a promise.

I think I mentioned once to ya'll that one of my reservations about this program (that I've gradually begun to believe in) is sustainability upon completion. OR..

'So I did the 30 days, now the fuck what? Are you dumping me? Are we over? Do I get fat again?'

All fair questions. The answer, I don't know. The good news is that I've grown very  use to the absence of things I don't need and shouldn't have:

-Sugar (think artificial sweeteners etc.)

- Caffeine

-Booze (not saying it will go away completely but I'm ready to table it)

-Excess Carbo Loading

-Excess Fats

The even better news is, I'm not really craving them. Which is both surprising and awesome.

I promise that as my plan develops, you my friends, will be the first to know.

Tonight I plan on eating the absolute shit out of some Protein Bar (GAHHH SO EXCITED).

HAPPY FRIDAY YA'LL!

[followjhay]

Drinking my Isa-Shake and get a chunk of powder. Pure disgust. Bleh.

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How I feel after two back to back cleanse-days finaly being able to drink those delicious ass shakes. Rainbow. 

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Switchin' the post up a bit today.  I think it's day 6/7, I'm loosing count (yikes!). 

I AM SO HAPPY TO NOT BE CLEANSING HOLLLY FUCK! This morning I woke up with a whole new lease on life because...I knew I was going to taste food. The small (huge) things. 

I work in Sales and right now we're doing our big Q4$ push, anyone in sales will know what that means.  My company is catering in the most ridiculously unhealthy food on a daily basis (think pizza, think pasta, think gyros, think all of the WORST-BEST-WORST things) and I've been chaining myself to my cube desperately trying to ignore it. So far so good (unless there are apples, I eat the apples.) TODAY THOUGH, they catered in Protein Bar. Which is amazing if you've never been/had it. The majority of their dishes are quinoa based + protein + veggies. Everything my Isagenix Cleanse allows.

So...I ATE IT! It felt like the angels were singing and the messiah had fallen from heaven directly into my plate of chicken-parm quinoa (the best shit in the world). He didn't, by the way. The coming of Christ has not yet happened. 

You may have also guessed that...I STARTED P90X TODAY. The majority of my time was spent trying to figure out what the hell Tony Horton was doing and how to replicate it in a way that wasn't going to kill me immediately. I ended the workout drenched in sweat and confused. I'm committing to 30 days of it, so here goes. 

<3 

Isagenix Chocolate Shake for dinner, it tastes deeelightful! 

Loves

[followjhay]

Cleanse Days Absolutely Blow. Oh, Day 6.

Let me start with my life before cleanse. 

The hardest part about programs like this are that life happens. There's always an event or a reason that we 'can't' and PLEASE believe me when I say that I am the worst at this methodology & reasoning. 

It was Don (my boyfriend) and I's 3 year anniversary on Saturday and I was really scared because I knew we were going out to eat. Mostly, I was terrified of cheating. I asked him if he could keep my diet in mind when he selected a restaurant (we all know Portillo's doesn't intersect Isagenix in any universe). And he did. We hit up Kai Zan (a.k.a. the most INCREDIBLE sushi in the Ukranian Village). The great part about Kai San is their portions are beyond reasonable and not all of their roles are fried or covered in mayo. Here's what we did:

Pickled Japanese Vegetables (super lean and tasty!)

Salmon Roll (no rice, only seaweed)

Fresh Crab Roll (citrus glazed no rice)

Mussels (a TINY bit of mayo (for Don) which I scraped off)

Green Tea (no alcohol...this is what will get you!)

We pulled it off pretty well and I was super proud of us for sticking to it in such a tricky situation. 

Thus, Saturday ends and I am left with Sunday and now Monday, the most miserable days of my life (that can't possibly be true but let me have it!) Why? CLEANSE DAYS!!!! 

They're honestly not that bad but I am so fucking hungry. I literally have been smelling food just to attempt to taste it. I've also cheated, only a little though, but I owe it to ya'll to be honest. So here goes, a list of my transgressions:  

SUNDAY- To be fair, you're allowed fruit (one piece) on your cleanse day to help with blood sugar if you're feeling low. Now I'm not one to be given an option that I don't take, so whether I was feeling low or not, I ate a pear. Only a quarter of one actually. At 9:00 I tore a piece of left over Thanksgiving turkey out of the fridge and dipped it in Franks Red Hot. Whoops. 

MONDAY- I ate another pear (which I don't feel like is a complete cheat since it's technically allowed) but I followed it up with another drag off that beautiful Thanksgiving bird. To be completely fair, I logged it all and accounted for it and still came in under 150 cals for the day...I'd call that a relative cleanse success. 

Tomorrow, I can eat again. I'm thrilled. I'm planning on making Turkey Meatballs + Sweet Potato Hash + Peppers + Franks Red Hot (I wont give that up no matter how much you ask me to). 

I also start P90x so I plan on being HUNGRY! 

I only have to back to back cleanse one more time during the program and from there I'll just sprinkle them in every other week or so. It's mostly mental and I'm sure I'll get over it, but going from Beer/Pizza/Mozz Sticks to Health Food and Cleanse Days is whacking my shit out. 

That's all I got! <3 

Seriously, to anyone reading this, thanks for following along. 

[followjhay]

Day 3: WAY BETTER

Day 3 - Improvement.

Yesterday, I woke up wanting to throw myself down a flight of stairs. This morning, I woke up WAY better than that, not sure where that puts me on a scale, but it's positive change.

I have no idea why today is so much better than yesterday because I'm certainly not an expert. However, I can imagine it being one or a combined few of the following options:

-My body is finally adjusting to the 'un-caffeinated' life. - My body finally understands what we're doing here and is getting the hell on board. - Shiz is leaving my body leaving it feeling awesome. -It's FRIDAY and everything feels better on Friday.

Dinner last night was: 5oz Chix Breast|Avo Slices|Tomato Slices|1 cup Wild Rice

And a HUGE glass of Ice Water, which is beginning to taste like Steak or something to me because I'm LOVING IT (for any and all who know me this is a radical development).

My boyfriend, who is not cleansing with me, thought it looked so good that he asked me to fix him a plate. Proof that eating  healthy can actually be delicious.

Measurement Update: I took my measurements/before/after pics last night and was horrified as I expected. I'll get them posted on here over the weekend. There's a long road ahead (27 days of which will be spent cleansing) but, it's worth it, I hope.

[followjhay]

Day 2: This Sucks.

Hey Boo. Day Two.

Yesterday was good...until 4:00-ish when I was hungry as FUCK! Surprisingly, the shakes are filling and carry you nicely through the day (at least FOR a day, that's all the experience I have to speak on.) However, I was SO ready for food.  That being said, I'm absolutely dreading CLEANSE days...I won't even think about it yet. I can't.

Dinner last night:

Turkey Burger|Avocado Slices|Tomato Slices|Steamed Broccoli|1 Cup Cooked Pasta.

It was delicious. Maybe the most delicious meal I've ever tasted in my life.

TODAY:

While I'm not all the way through it yet, today blows. Let me tell you why I think it blows...

I was a caffeine ADDICT. Straight Up. I would start my day with a Large Dunkin' Iced Coffee...religiously. I would down the whole thing and then snag a Diet Coke for lunch. Then, I'd get another Diet Coke for dinner. There was never a time in my day when I wasn't riding the caffeinated wave. I certainly didn't know what water was and to be honest, it's not great.  So...today sucks.

That's okay for now. Part of the reason I agreed to do this was to live in a body removed from those dependencies. I can't say I like it a whole lot right now, but I'm sure it will feel good when I've de-toxed.

WORKOUTS:

First and foremost, I've been off the 'work-out wagon' for some time.  I was pretty great about two months ago but my Grandpa's illness and a new apartment got in the way of my consistency (I realize I got in my own way, but let me have this!). I didn't work out yesterday and I don't plan on working out today and here's why:

-I feel like shit.

Yup. That's it. I'm not apologizing and I'm not feeling guilty. In a couple of days when my body is getting the hang of this, I'll hop back ON the work-out wagon and ride that shit into the six-pack sunset. Right now, I'm not beating myself up. I'm adjusting and that's okay. So there.

I still owe ya'll (assuming anyone reads this) measurements so I'll get those up tonight!

I know the general mood of this post was more negative than it probably should be, but that's what comes with honest commentary. I'm still focused and I'm still dedicated and, most importantly, I'M NOT CHEATING! So I'm going to take a swig of a delicious (mostly) Chocolate Isagenix Shake to that!

<3's!

Jess

[followjhay]

Day One - 30 Day Cleanse

My blog has had very little direction the past couple of years. Probably a prophetic indication of the life that controls it. While that may be SOMEWHAT harsh, the sentiment stands, I need to pull my shit together - in the health department that is.

My grandfather passed away in November, which was incredibly difficult to watch and experience. I couldn't help thinking, though, what if our family had just worked to be healthier. Eaten healthier food, stayed active and just...generally, practiced healthier habits. I'm not sure that one way or another it would have made much of a difference, but I do know that I certainly don't want to risk it for my life, my future and most importantly, my future family.

I have a great friend named Alyssa Ericson (she also has an isagenix blog that you should check out www.ajourneyofchange.wordpress.com) who saw some incredible results. Alyssa and I had always been partiers, drinkers and eat-whatever-the-hell-we-feel-likers. So when she got engaged, decided to make a change, and told me about 'Isagenix' I was honestly having none of it.

That being said, I STILL have my doubts. I'm not sure it's sustainable, I'm not sure it WORKS and it seems really hard and I already miss pizza. I'm also slightly embarrassed to be eating my words so hard and doing it. I guess I felt like I needed a kick-starter and 30 days of rigorous structure seemed to fit the bill. So here I am.

Things I can promise you this blog won't be:

A Sales Pitch

A Lie about How Easy It is

A Giant Brag About My Progress (although I reserve the right to if this works!)

Things I can promise you this blog will be:

Unbiased

Honest

Useful

So follow along if you've ever thought about trying Isagenix, are stuck in a rut researching the best program for you or any variable combination of the two.

Beyond that...It's my first day. I have no comment yet except the shakes are pretty decent and I'm not hungry yet. So, in short, I think I feel good!

I'll follow up with a BEFORE post shortly so you can see where I'm starting from measurement/weight wise!

All the best :)

J

[followjhay]

Don and I recently moved to our new abode in the Ukranian Village.  I haven't yet been able to find the proper combination of letters and spaces to convey the love I feel for our new space and neighborhood.

I'm embarking on a series of DIY/Apartment Renovations that I will, of course, be blog/bragging about (assuming they go well). However, I promise not to hide the failures from me as they're equally as awesome in a different way.

Thus far Don has managed to survive a rather extensive trip to Ikea. More impressive yet, our relationship has managed to survive the assembly of Ikea.

We're blessed with flexible landlords that are allowing home-improvement as we know we'll be here long enough to warrant the investment. To anyone currently renting/going through the rental process right now, those are definitely questions I'd ask prospective landlords up front. Those little changes are definitely the difference between 'house' and 'home'. 

The top picture is a snapshot of our Bay Window area, which I absolutely adore.  Finding such an affordable sunny slice of the city is very rare and that makes me one very thankful tenant. I've yet to decide how I want to tackle window treatments. Knowing what a focal piece this window is  makes me a little nervous, so I'm sitting on it for now.  I'm also planning on 'greening' it up since we have one of the BEST greenhouses in the city within walking distance. If you haven't heard of Sprout in Chicago, do yourself a favor!

The Couch pictured above is a near replica of a recent Craigslist find that I'm picking up soon! I've really fallen in love with Mid-Century Modern and will be channeling that vibe as we go.  We were able to snag an Adrian Pearsall Platform Sofa for $200 sans cushions, so I'm working on getting them custom made. It's been a bit of a process, but I'm excited for the ownership that comes with a custom piece.

More pictures and updates to follow but I wanted to share the news!

Love <3

J

[followjhay]

HalfNoise - Hurricane Love (Official Music Video)

VOLCANO CROWE // A V A I L A B L E SEPTEMBER 30, 2014. All footage shot and performed in New Zealand. Halfnoisemusic.com Facebook.com/halfnoisemusic Instagra...

Really could not be more obsessed with this inventive new sound from Zac Farro (ex-Paramore drummer). 

A lot of 'loyal since the beginning' Para fans have been disappointed in the pop sound that has replaced the Farro rock vibe. If you're wondering where it went, look no further. Given full creative reign, Zac's throwing out some REALLY impressive shit.

I, for one, am really looking forward to the album release. In the meantime, join me in Youtube stalking them

[followjhay]

3 <3 Can't get enough of this vibe right now. Happy Tuesday.

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Happy Tuesday from Bobby Dylan and J.Cash. <3

[followjhay]

If you're not listening to this song right now you're not ready for the weekend. #roxette #shesgotthelook #noshame