Posts Tagged ‘cwmp’

A free and effective diet trick you can use right now.

By The Refresh You Staff   Category: Gallery , Weight

One of the most effective ways to lose weight, a new study says, isn’t by taking pills or adopting a fad diet. Instead, it’s by drinking water before meals.

Researchers at Virginia Tech found that subjects who drank 16 ounces of water before each of their three daily meals lost 50% more weight than their control subjects.

Here’s what they did: The researchers divided dieters (who ate no more than 1200-1500 calories per day) into two groups. Half the dieters were told to drink a 16-ounce bottle of water before all three meals. The other half drank water, but were not given any advice about drinking it.

After 12 weeks, both groups lost weight, but the dieters who drank before every meal saw a 44 percent boost in weight loss – about 4.5 pounds greater.

Time for school, time for you, time to reset.

By The Refresh You Staff   Category: Face & Body , Refreshing Experts

With the lazy days of summer behind us, you’re probably packing lunches for school, helping with homework and coordinating after-school activities. Things can get a little crazy this time of year, but there are some great ways to handle it.

A common challenge for parents is balancing commitments and responsibilities with quality time and activities for yourself. So as the school rush starts, don’t forget to take some time out for YOU. Taking time to recharge your batteries is rejuvenating, keeping you relaxed and focused on enjoying life!

Follow a few of these tips below and start the school year off right!

Focus on a happy and healthy lifestyle. Find some new, tasty and healthy recipes by frequenting a health-oriented cooking website. (We love Cooking Light.) Start a family fitness challenge. Grab some fresh produce from a farmer’s market and enjoy a picnic with your family. Check out our Comprehensive Weight Management Program if, once and for all, you’d like to lose that extra weight. And don’t forget to soak up the last days of wonderful weather because it ain’t gonna last.

Spend time with yourself. Read a book, take a quick nap, hit some trails for a long walk or find a favorite bike path. Take time out to listen to your body, your mind, and prioritize what’s important. Find some quiet. Remember that thing you’ve always wanted to do, but couldn’t find the time? Carpe diem! Care of the self is an important part of healthy daily life.

Get that glow. When was the last time you treated yourself to a professional facial? (It’s a great way to relax while helping you achieve a clear complexion and glow.) With plenty of options to choose from at our Essentials Skin Care locations, you’ll feel and look refreshed and ready to take on the world–or walk the red carpet! You’ll get some amazing makeup recommendations, too, and maybe even some time-saving application tips.

Get some much-kneaded relief. When your schedule is packed, an hour-long massage can do wonders. There are lots of benefits to massage therapy. From de-stressing to finding out what complete relaxation feels like, mark your busy calendar for a much-needed massage.

Update your look. It’s amazing how one accessory or beauty product can make us look, and feel, like a million bucks. What about those glasses you’ve been eying for a few months? Or that beauty product you’d like to try? Now’s the time to indulge in something just for you.

Even MORE ways to control cravings.

By The Refresh You Staff   Category: Refreshing Experts , Weight

Our last post about not letting food cravings ruin your weight loss progress really struck a nerve. “Give us more!” you said. OK, here’s more.

Let’s recap: It’s 2:00 p.m. and your brain says, “Cheetos time!”

Summoning a bit of willpower, you open your desk drawer only to find some boring granola bars and a box of month-old dried gritty raisins. You know you should probably choose the granola bar, yet you yearn for the salty, crunchy, finger-staining snack.

Resistance is NOT futile.

What do you do?

Four ways to control cravings

By The Refresh You Staff   Category: Gallery , Weight

We’ve all been there. It starts out small. “Ooh, this cookie looks good,” you think. Then, a little while later, after thinking about it non-stop, you have not one, but fourteen cookies.

The culprit? Cravings, with a capital C.

Don’t beat yourself up. Heck, sometimes it’s good to give in to your cravings – in moderation. Here are a few tips to help keep cravings at bay when they come knocking again.

1. Play the waiting game. Since most cravings disappear within 10-15 minutes, try to find an activity to forget your fattening friend. If you find something to occupy your time, chances are you’ll forget about the craving altogether. Clean out your shoe closet (to make room for more, of course), call a friend, take a quick walk, read a good book – you get the idea.

2. Don’t skip meals. Oftentimes, uncontrollable cravings are the result of real hunger. When your body goes for long periods of time without fuel, it’s more difficult to make good eating decisions. That’s when you cave. Instead of choosing a sensible salad for lunch, you’ve binged on vending machine food because you just couldn’t take the hunger for one more second. When you eat three meals a day and drink plenty of water, your cravings will be less likely to surface.

3. Stop dieting. Yep, you just read that. Willpower will only take you so far. Eating mostly nourishing and healthy foods, controlling your portions and doing some real sweat-inducing exercise is the path to lasting weight loss. You don’t have to be 100% perfect all the time. Your goal should be a healthy trend, not adherence to overly strict, no-exception rules. That’s why it’s A-OK to treat yourself once in a while. You deserve it!

4. No more eating in front of the TV. Sometimes it’s hard to stop and have a meal at the table, but if you eat in front of the television, chances are you’ll get so caught up in the next catfight, sports highlight or news story that you’ll lose track of how much food you’ve actually consumed. Make your eating mindful and pleasurable, not a background activity.

The bottom line? Cravings will never disappear, but with these tips you can keep them manageable.

A big pile of quotes from Comprehensive Weight Management Program participants.

By The Refresh You Staff   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

What are people saying about the Comprehensive Weight Management program? Check out these 17 testimonials. Pretty cool, huh?

Who’s that on the cover of Modern Bliss magazine?

By The Refresh You Staff   Category: Refreshing Experts , Weight

Why, that’s our very own JoDeen Hettenbach from the Comprehensive Weight Management Program.

Courtesy of Modern Bliss

Courtesy of Modern Bliss

Stephanie’s blog, part 8: Fifty pounds lost and counting. But maybe counting backward.

By Stephanie   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Stephanie was one of our winners in the Refresh You $5,000 Makeover for You and a Friend Contest. After starting the Very Low Calorie Diet Program and making it through the transition phases, she’s done very well. In fact, we changed her photo because the original one just doesn’t cut it anymore. Now she’s back to real food and ready to report more progress. Stephanie’s blog is 99.9% unedited. You’ll read it all, as it really is — the triumphs, the setbacks and the results. To read all of Stephanie’s blog entries, just use the word “Stephanie” in the search box in the upper right.

So it’s been a while since I wrote a post. Life certainly has a way of taking over and things have been a bit out of control for me. Work has been busy, I’m taking two classes right now, and let’s just throw a few holidays in for good measure. But that’s just real life.

At least part of the appeal of the weight management program was that it removed me from real life for a while. And while we all hope we can gain the skills to continue the journey in our every day world, we don’t actually know until we get there.

When I left you last, I was looking forward to starting back on real food. And when I did,  it was just as great as I had hoped.

It wasn’t overwhelming, and it was very freeing to be making my own food choices again. I had lots of fun finding new ways to cook veggies and slowly, but surely, I added in other food groups.

Then, after three and a half weeks on real food, I had my first real test–a meeting and weigh-in with Toni the Nutritionist. And again, it was great. I hit 51.3 pounds lost! I have lost weight before, but I have never hit 50 pounds. I was proud of what I had done and determined to keep working towards my goals.

And then it happened. The first big derailment.

I’m not talking about a few extra calories. I’m talking about nearly two weeks of veering off the plan. It started the weekend before Thanksgiving with a night out with friends. You know, dinner and drinks. And while it should have ended there, it continued the next day. And the next. And then I thought, “Well, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I’ll get back on my eating plan and start exercising again.”

It is truly terrifying how quickly old thought patterns can creep back into your life. And so here I am. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, promising myself that tomorrow is a new day and the perfect day to get back on track.

I know mistakes and bad decisions will happen. After all, being healthy will be something I need to work on every day for the rest of my life. The real test is how I handle these mistakes. Will I let myself spiral out of control until I’ve gained back that 50 pounds and then some? Or will I forgive myself, stay with it, and permanently change my life? (And hopefully next time, not wait two weeks to get back on track!)

Stay tuned to find out.

Oh and one more thing…I haven’t weighed myself since I met with Toni, and I don’t think I’m going to for a while. I meet with her again in two weeks, hopefully enough time to undo any damage I did. I need to keep pushing and continue to lose weight, but if I can maintain over the holidays, I will be in good shape. Wish me luck!

Stephanie’s blog, part 8. My goal: Run a 5k. My motivation: Beer tents. (Hey, you wanted honesty, you’re getting honesty.)

By Stephanie   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Stephanie was one of our winners in the Refresh You $5,000 Makeover for You and a Friend Contest. She’s in the midst of the Very Low Calorie Diet Program and doing remarkably well. In fact, she’s doing so well that we changed her photo — the original one just doesn’t cut it anymore. Stephanie’s blog is 99.9% unedited. You’ll read it all, as it really is — the triumphs, the setbacks and the results.

As I said in my last entry, my husband and I started a Couch to 5K program. It is basically a very slow and conservative program that helps you build up to running a 5K. (Do a Google search on C25K and you’ll find dozens of customizable programs. Actually, just click here and I’ll Google it for you in a new window. )

As well as I’ve been doing on my calorie intake, my calorie burning has been off to a slower start. Since I’m only on straight VLCD for another few weeks, I’m starting to panic about my lack of activity. Some of you might say that running a 5K is pretty ambitious. Why not start with a walking program?

So I am going to divulge the real reason. And stay with me, because I promise I have a point.

Summer in Wisconsin, in certain circles, is also known as beer tent season. Now I don’t plan my entire summer around which beer tent is hosted in which town. (Some of you do – you know who you are). But there are two or three that I like to attend with friends.

I was wondering… How can I justify spending an entire evening at a beer tent drinking and eating? Can I just never go again? Because to be completely honest, a beer tent is not the kind of activity that would still be fun if I were drinking soda. Amiright?

However, beer tents are generally tied to a community festival of sorts. And nearly every community festival includes some sort of fun run/walk. I’d feel a lot better about spending the night at a beer tent if I had run a 5K or even 10K earlier in the day.

If I complete this program, I should have no problem running in these events next summer. Eventually, I will meet my goal and I need to find ways to maintain that goal while living my life.

OK, the beer tent thing isn’t the only reason I want to run these events. It would also be a really big accomplishment for me — something I set out to do and finished. Something tangible that my family could watch me do and maybe even be involved in.

I’m already seeing results. After doing the program for one week, I lost 4.8 pounds. I’ve been averaging around 3 pounds per week throughout the entire VLCD, so it’s no mystery what gave me the extra push last week.

Now my grand total weight loss is just under 40 pounds. (I’m almost there!) Two more weeks until I get to eat real food! I’ll keep you posted!

Tricia’s blog: Here’s an excellent tool for keeping track of calories in and out.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

Last time I promised I’d tell you about a great resource that has helped me a lot. In fact, it’s been absolutely golden.

Ladies and gentlemen, CalorieKing.com.

One of the ways I can gain weight easily is by going into pretty powerful denial about what and how much I am actually eating.  CalorieKing is a really easy (and free) program that helps you track exactly what you are eating – and subtract calories burned exercising – so you can’t get away with denial. It’s really helpful. When I am working on my laptop at night or checking Facebook after dinner, I just jump over to CalorieKing and enter the info. It’s quick and really simple. And it doesn’t let you get away with anything!

So I continue on, in maintenance mode.  Ideally, in maintenance, you continue to lose weight since the calorie levels are still low. Because I have been struggling (and perhaps because I am exercising) I have put on five pounds. Not what I’d like to report, but I am still winning the battle.

At times I wish I was back in the low-calorie part of the program. No decisions to make. No portions sizes to worry about. I loved having all that extra energy to redirect to other parts of my life. But – I’m here. I keep learning. And I have the support of the program staff whenever I need it. If you are considering the program—DO IT! You won’t regret it.

Stay tuned… there’s much more to tell you about my adventure.

To see all of Tricia’s posts and her complete journey through the Very Low Calorie Diet at Dean Clinic’s Comprehensive Weight Management Program, use the search word “Tricia” in the search box in the upper right. To learn more about the program or get started yourself, click here and have a look.

Stephanie’s blog, part 7: Want to see her progress? Prepare to be impressed.

By Stephanie   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Stephanie was one of our winners in the Refresh You $5,000 Makeover for You and a Friend Contest. She’s in the midst of the Very Low Calorie Diet Program. As she and her husband Aaron journey through their makeovers, we’ll share their updates. Their blogs are 99.9% unedited. You’ll read it all, as it really is — the triumphs, the setbacks and the results.

The last few weeks have been fairly uneventful. No crazy parties to attend, no family in town, and no work functions with giant spreads of food and drinks. So to spice up this entry, I’m including a photo. It’s not an after photo, because I’m not finished with this journey. It’s a progress photo. And it shows progress that I am very proud of. Check it out:

To date I have lost 35 pounds on VLCD!! I have gone down 2-3 pants sizes (depending on the manufacturer). I have more energy and I am happier. I still have a lot of ground to cover, but for now, I’m focusing on my accomplishments and these are all very big accomplishments for me.

That being said, I have to admit, I’m getting pretty sick of shakes and bars. I only have three weeks left of nothing but shakes and bars, and then I head on to the dreaded transition. A lot of people in class are very worried about transition and past participants have shared with me how difficult transition is.

Maybe I’m being naïve, but I’m really looking forward to transition. It works by slowly swapping out bars and shakes for real food. In Week One, I will be allowed to eat 4 ounces of lean meat and a cup of vegetables with my reduced number of shakes and bars. Week Two, I’ll add fruit. Week Three, dairy. On so on. The bars and shakes were great for rapid weight loss and some mental reprogramming, but obviously, it isn’t permanent. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in class to real life. And I’ve definitely learned a lot.

Toni the Nutritionist, yet again, dropped a little gem on me last week that really hit home. She said calories should be treated like money – more specifically a checkbook. You have a limited number of dollars in your checking account (or calories per day). You can spend them however you’d like. But the best plan is usually to pay your bills first and then use what’s left for fun. When applied to food, you should always “spend” your calories on nutritious food that’s full of the things you need to be healthy. If you have calories left over, you can go ahead and have that cookie, or chips, or whatever. And of course, when you’ve spent all of your calories for the day, you’re done eating.

I suppose it is no surprise to anyone that I’ve never balanced my checkbook in my life and I really just ballpark it when it comes to how much money I have left to spend on things. Clearly, I have let that way of thinking dictate my eating habits as well.

That’s all for now. My husband and I started a Couch to 5K program this morning. In the next entry, I’ll fill you all in on how it’s going and why we chose that program (the reason may surprise you). Stay tuned!