Emotional Work

Doing Cambridge has it's own set of special emotions. It challenges our food issues, our sense of self esteem, our learned behaviors, conditioning from our youth, and so many other parts of our personalities. It's a LOT! Plus, eating is enjoyable and social and comforting...usually. Sometimes, for those of us with compulsive eating disorders, it can become a weapon of self destruction and loneliness. I remember my lowest times of my eating disorder, almost feeling like I was beating myself up with food. Probably sounds overly dramatic to those with lessor or different issues then I was dealing with, but it's the best way to describe what I was doing. It was a violent act against myself.

What I realized, as I progressed through this emotional maze of weight loss, was that 99% of my  viewpoint and my internal dialog was negative. I grew up a chubby kid and weight had ALWAYS been the focal point of my life. I visualized it like a wagon wheel, obesity being the hub and all other aspects of life branched off from it. Every choice I made in life had my obesity at it's center. There were no goals or ambitions made from a desire to lead a full and rewarding life. So many lost opportunities.

It was a process that took time, my emotional recovery. It was like building myself a new house to live in, brick by brick. Eventually, momentum kicked in and the bricks started seating themselves.

I consider myself a fully recovered compulsive addictive eater. That person is so far buried in my past, I can not even comprehend that was me. I still struggle with some things. I never did reach my ultimate goal of my high school weight. Not even close! lol!. But I have managed to maintain well enough to have made up for some of all those lost opportunities. The past 17 years have been some of the best, and most heartbreaking, but my miracle is that I have been able to experience these normal life events without turning to food or any other substance to cope. I'm happy about that.

Were's My Chocolate???

If you have noticed that some of your favorite Cambridge flavors are missing from the shopping cart, it is because they are in the middle of a big move. Here is the statement that they sent out today:

"Our warehouse and production plant have been in the process of moving to a new location. We tried to prepare for the move by having plenty of extra stock, but due to unforeseen delays it has put us in a back order situation on many of our products. It could be up 2-4 weeks before some are back in stock. We extremely sorry for any inconvenience!"

In the mean time, this is a good chance to try some of the flavors you've been curious about. If you are a 330 Rich Chocolate fan (currently on back order) then you may want to try the 330 with Tonalin Chocolate Truffle. It too is thick and creamy like the Rich Chocolate.

This is certainly creating a challenge for our customers who are working hard on their weight loss, but this will soon be resolved so DON'T USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO QUIT! In a couple of weeks we will be back full steam and you can continue to make progress. So give sme other flavors a try. You may find a new favorite!

April Monthly Special

Beginning April 1st

Go to: www.cambridgediet.org
Monthly Special for April!

Retail Customers:
Order $150 or more in Cambridge products and receive one FREE POUCH of your choice, ANY FLAVOR! One special per order.

Distributors:
Order 3 or more in Cambridge products and receive one FREE POUCH of your choice, ANY FLAVOR! One special per order.

**If you are ordering online, please note monthly special and flavor in the comment field.

If You're Thinking About Trying Cambridge Diet

Hello to anyone here searching for an answer to their weight issues. I am someone who has spent my entire life either knowing I was overweight, dieting trying to lose weight, giving up and eating like a fool, suffering serious health consequences for said foolishness, and finally...FINALLY  finding my way to a stable healthy weight and life.

I had used Cambridge back in the early 1980's when I was a young 20 something year old. Losing weight was not hard back then. Maintaining was elusive however! I kept it off for several years, but eventually slipped back to old habits and gained back all 80 lbs + more. I went back to trying diet after diet and not getting anywhere but discouraged.

Fast forward through a couple of pregnancies, a divorce, some health problems, and I eventually found myself at the age of 42 well over 300 lbs. It's been over 17 years now since I found Cambridge again and placed my order for 1 case of Original 330 Dutch Chocolate. I honestly didn't know if it was going to work. My body had become so weight loss resistant over the years and nothing seemed to be able to break through that. I was an emotional basket case when it came to food. It had always been a big ridiculous deal in my life and I was very weary of the never ending battle to control myself. My reservoir of hope was pretty much tapped out. But...I ordered and waited...and ate everything in my kitchen. My box came, I opened it and saw the familiar containers of Cambridge, and my hope started to bubble up again. 

I went on to lose over 120 pounds in less then 6 months. It was a total life changer. I've used Cambridge these past 17 years as a maintenance tool. No more losing and gaining it all back. If I notice a few pounds creeping back on, I simply go back to my dependable Cambridge for a day or so to get rid of it ASAP.

Don't talk yourself out of trying this. Cambridge has a money back guarantee for first time customers of a 30 Day Plan. Give it a month and get ready to be thrilled with your results. If you're not happy with it for any reason, return for a refund..no big deal. But just FYI..of the thousands of new customers I start each year, I get MAYBE 2 to 4 returns. People love what Cambridge does for them and I think you will too. Contact me for info or to get started.

For Those Looking For Information

I've been having lots of traffic on my website lately and I know some of you have visited here as well. I wanted to let you know that I am available to answer questions or to discuss your personal goals with your health and weight. No obligation or sales pitch. My interest is to just be sure you have accurate info so you are equipped to make the best decision for yourself. Of course, I am also happy to assist in placing your order or making recommendations on which products would be the best fit for you.

Email me at pamturner@cambridgediet.org, or you can call or text me at 386-585-2528.

I look forward to working with you and hope you are excited about the changes you are about to experience!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

The title of a David Bowie song that I sang to Andy this morning. It seemed appropriate. He had gotten in to a habit of resting his hands on the top of his belly like a 9 month pregnant women while sitting on the couch. He plopped down this morning and out of habit he put his hands on what used to be his belly and they fell to his lap. He looked so surprised that it made me laugh! I handed him a pillow and told him it was his prosthetic tummy. (lol)

My changes are also noticeable. No more "chub rub" as my daughter calls it when your thighs rub together while walking. I noticed that stopped a few weeks ago and it almost made it seem as though my legs had gotten longer! Other changes are happening and most of them are good. I do notice that some things are getting looser and wobblier, but that's to be expected I guess. Small price to pay. With the additions I add to my 3 Cambridges each day (eggwhite, almond milk, coffee creamer, some green veg like spinach or cabbage) I am in a good weight loss pattern that is comfortable and satisfying. I am confident I will reach my goal.

I know it's a struggle to lose weight. I know we fight mental battles and get discouraged or feel like we just can't change...but we can! Of course we can! Just as you are not the same person you were 5, 10, or 20 years ago, you can be a different, better version of yourself beginning right now. Andy gave up the first time he tried Cambridge. He absolutely fell apart and had an emotional breakdown and was sure he was going to die! lol! Seriously....no joke. It was his mind set that made the difference. He got those bad blood work reports and had a change of heart. The second attempt was made with a purpose and determination that he was not going to neglect his health and risk a recurrence of vascular disease that had resulted in a triple heart bypass 6 years ago. Never underestimate your ability to change!

Wow! I'm so delinquent!

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. We've had a lot going on here in our family and it's kept me on the road a lot. My daughter was diagnosed with a parotid tumor that had to come out. She had that surgery a little over 3 weeks ago. Maybe 4? Anyway, it turned out to be a rare form of cancer so there have been lots of day long trips to Gainsville where her doctor's and cancer center are and we are now preparing for her to have a couple of months of radiation. This is all so scary and we are doing our best to remain positive.

As far as my weight loss goes...I am still losing. I have still not weighed. I am back in the pool and in fact, just got out from getting my exercise. I've worked back up to 16 lengths. I'm not counting laps because I'm no where near where I was last year. My shoulder/elbow/wrist pain is finally abating after 6 months of misery and I'm working my way back.

I was surprised when I saw myself in the mirror in my swimsuit. I really haven't paid a lot of attention to how my weight loss is changing me and I was kind of amazed! This was one of those days that it suddenly showed a LOT. I must of crossed over in to a weight I haven't been at in a long time. It's kind of intriguing to have no idea what I weigh or how much I've lost.

Andy has lost about 35 pounds! He's completely lost his belly and all his pants are falling off. Time to go shopping!

June Monthly Special

Retail Customers:

Order 3 or more in Cambridge products and get a free pouch of any formula Vanilla of your choice.

**If ordering online, please note monthly special and flavor/formula in the comments field**

(one special per order)

Distributors:

Order $150 in Cambridge products and get a free pouch of any formula Vanilla of your choice. 

**If ordering online, please note monthly special and flavor/formula in the comments field**

(one special per order) 

 

Be sure to go to my website to place your order:

www.cambridgediet.org

Progress Report

I am on day 23 of my diet! Wow..time is going by quickly. I still haven't weighed and don't plan on it any time soon. I just don't want that distraction. Other then a few additions when I make my Cambridge Oats pancakes or gingerbread cake, or my Chocolate Lava Cake (recipes in previous post) I have been for the most part sole source. Now and then I will grab a slice of turkey breast sandwich meat, but that was mostly in the first week.

My husband is on day 18 and is doing great too. I'm watching his tummy melt away. He has his 3 servings of Cambridge a day along with a big salad for dinner. It consists of half a head of lettuce, some cucumber, green onions, tomato and 2 grilled chicken tenders. He uses a Zesty diet Italian dressing on it. He has been weighing and so far has lost 14.5 pounds.

 I am in that weird phase where my clothes are getting loose and even longer. I know I'm losing, and everyone tells me I am, but I don't see the changes in the mirror. I suppose a life time of dieting and a past of extreme obesity has left me with some body dysmorphic issues. No worries. I am just going to keep plugging along and I will judge my progress by when I can get back in to my skinny pants.

Just completed day 12!

Just wanted to check in. I'm still going strong and feeling good. I have one pair of pants I am wanting to get back down in to. These are my before-Christmas-surgery-eating like a fool pants! They are still not as loose as I like so I will try them again in a few days.

I have been making my Cambridge Oats pancakes each morning and they really stick with me clear through 2pm when I have my lunch shake. If you would like the recipe you can find it on my Support Board on my website, cambridgediet.org . I have been using some unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of just water, just about 1/4 cup, about 15 calories. With that and the egg white it is only about 32 additional calories for anywhere from 5 to 8, 5" pancakes! The number will depend on the size. This plate shows 4" pancakes. Looks good, right? This morning I added some Watkins Maple flavoring to the batter too. Really good!

Day 5.5 And My Breakfast Brownie!

This morning I made a chocolaty brownie for my breakfast. Oops! I meant a chocolaty CAMBRIDGE brownie!I didn't measure anything so I may not be able to duplicate it, but this thing was delicious! In fact, my very picky son came out of his room and said, "Did you make brownies?" lol!

Basically I took an egg white (17 cal) and whisked it up until frothy. I added a scoop of my perfect blend 330 Rich/Dutch Chocolate Cambridge, then about a T of cocoa powder (12 Cal) and the same amount of Splenda. I added about 1/4 t of baking powder and about 1 T of sugar free mocha coffee flavored creamer (20 cal). I also plopped in about 1/2 tsp of melted coconut oil (18 cal). It made a thick pasty dough/batter. Then I had to decide how to cook/bake it. I patted it in to a large thick cookie size. I first put it in a skillet with a little cooking spray with a lid on the pan. I thought this was a good idea but then realized it was burning too quickly on the bottom. I turned it over on to a little microwave safe plate and finished it off in the micro. As soon as it was firm to touch I took it out. It only took a few seconds. I let it cool completely as that definitely improves the flavor of the chocolate Cambridge baked items. Oh my goodness! This was so delicious! The texture was perfect and the flavor was spot on. In all I added about 67 calories to my total. I won't be adding anything else to my shakes today so that is within my allowed additions.

I don't have any of the Oats at the moment (should be getting my order this coming week, yay!) which is my normal go to SSing breakfast. I usually make my Super Oats pancakes and I just wasn't in the mood to have a shake in this morning . But a brownie? YES PLEASE!

Day 3.5 and "Recalculating"

I'm excited to be back on track. I already feel so much better then I did a week ago. Cambridge never fails me! As long as I keep my mind focused on what I want to accomplish, I will certainly be able to achieve it.

While I have for the most part maintained my weight loss of 16 years ago, I find that as I get older I have to work a little harder to feel my best and not let the pounds creep back on. This gall bladder surgery I had in Feb took me on a detour that I am now "recalculating" as the GPS lady would say.

For some reason I was incredibly hungry for about a month after surgery. It had been years since I experienced hunger so this was unexpected. The zombie gall bladder that I had been living with had completely killed my appetite for a long time and eating had become just something required, but not enjoyed. Well...that changed! lol! I have to admit I embraced feeling alive again and found that having an appetite can be a wonderful thing, but of course it also must be controlled. I did gain some weight, but enjoyed it greatly! Now I am feeling more normal appetite wise and this was a good time to get back to mindful living.

Maintaining a healthy body and weight is a job. One that you can take a vacation from periodically, but eventually you have to go back to work. The paycheck is feeling great and fully engaged in life. Being addicted to food or compulsive eating behaviors separates you from your best life. It becomes the thing before all other things that you think about. That's not living!

Long time, No blogging

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I last wrote anything here. I've had a lot going on in my family that has kept me distracted from my normal life. These past few months have been very challenging for me and as people tend to do, I have been less then on top of things diet wise. I had my gall bladder surgery in Feb and the recovery was not fun, but now I'm feeling good in that regard. But..like some do...I managed to gain some weight post-op. My appetite was on fire and I probably doubled what I normally eat! Well..maybe not double..but enough to put back on the 8 pounds I had lost the week before surgery and probably another 10 on top of that! EEEK!!I also had to put down my much loved cat of 18 years, Mitzie. It was heartbreaking and added to all the other emotional issues going on.

So..now I am ready to get control of things again. I decided to begin Cambridge SS mid-day today. Not tomorrow morning like people typically do. I like to start for Dinner and then that way I get to sleep through a lot of the first 24 hours! Brilliant, right?

In a couple of weeks our pool should be at swimming temp. I am looking forward to having the exercise. But first I have to be able to get in my swim suit so thank goodness for Cambridge! Here is a pic of my beautiful Mitzie. The most wonderful cat in the world. I miss her terribly.

Weight Loss Challenge!!

I'm running a little contest for the next few weeks on my Support Board. We are having a weight loss challenge that is open to all Cambridge users who would like to join in. You can read how to enter and what the rules are here:

http://members5.boardhost.com/pam140/msg/1484974938.top

Be sure to get your beginning weight in to me tomorrow! Good luck to all who enter!!

DAY #1!

Hello blog readers! Today is the day I start getting myself back on track from my major holiday detour. I am now normally a very consistent and careful eater. Nothing like my days of the past when I ate mindlessly, not realizing how everything I was putting in my mouth was causing me so many health problems and serious limitations not to mention over 120 lbs of excess body fat. For some reason, I kind of went off the rails the past month with all the holiday foods. I can't believe how awful I feel! Bloated, sluggish, foggy headed, depressed. All of it. Blah!! So this morning I got on the scale and took a picture of the number without actually looking at it. I didn't want to start off my holiday recovery plan by feeling bad. I'll look at it in a few weeks after I've lost and then be happy at seeing what I've accomplished! Brilliant, right?

In a few more days it will be 2017. If you are wanting to set a goal of weight loss, why wait another 5 days to do it? Start now with me and we can go in to the New Year already feeling better then we do now. Go to www.cambridgediet.org and place your order. If you already have your supply ready to go, start now if you can. If you are obligated to New Year celebrating, then be ready to hit the ground running come Jan 1st. With commitment and consistency, you can reach your weight loss goal early in the year and then have the rest of it to enjoy the results.

Ok 2017..I'm ready for ya!

It's been a while since I posted anything to my blog. My apologies  for that. I do write quit a bit for my Support Board and my FaceBook page, so I hope you all take time to visit there. But being as how this is a blog, and they tend to be a little more personal at times, I decided to come here to share what my plan is for this new year that is rapidly approaching.

Like most everyone, I have overdone it with the holiday eating. Yes, I know better, but I also know it's not a death sentence because I have my beloved Cambridge to rescue me! My son and his lovely girlfriend have temporarily moved in with us and their eating habits are typical for most 20 something's. Lots of sugar, fried fast foods, pizza, and...well..you get the idea. My son likes to cook and bake and I've been lax in my normally strict eating habits. So..like all of you, I will be beginning my Cambridge Diet damage control come January. Well...I'm actually going to start right after Christmas. I feel sluggish and uncomfortable with the weight I've gained. I have a very small window with extra weight and I feel it right away. Not good.

Will you join me?

Happy Halloween!

I know this is mostly a kids event, but it does signal the beginning of the Holiday season. The challenge for each of us is to get through the next 61 days (Jan 1st 2017) without backsliding in our weight loss and abandoning all hope of ever reaching our goals. Halloween is the first day of feeling obligated to have sugary treats in the house "for the kids" and the same in abundance at the workplace. Parties start being thrown and 2 months of celebrating with food, alcohol, and lots and lots of sugar is the hurdle.

I don't expect anyone to be perfect until 2017. If you can be, WOW~! I'm impressed! But it is likely you will have a slip here and there, or maybe even take a diet vacation for each actual holiday, but NEVER use this time of year as an excuse to abuse your body through unhealthy and harmful food choices, justifying it because it's tradition or expected of you by friends and family. No one has the right to challenge you about what you put in your mouth. They can chatter all they want trying to nag or influence you in to diving in, but you alone make that choice.

Each time you say "No" to a food temptation, don't dwell on it, lamenting how sad you feel or deprived. Instead, give yourself a mental "High Five" for being strong and in charge! Food is the catalyst of your obesity. If you don't abuse your body with it, your body has a fighting chance to restore health and balance and well being to you both physically and mentally.

Hurricane Matthew and Cambridge

Living here on Florida's Atlantic coast, my family was affected by the hurricane. We had to evacuate and came home to no power. Our food in both our fridges was spoiled and you couldn't get to the store to replace anything. We are still in recovery mode, dealing with damage and all the extra expenses of hotel rooms, meals out, travel, etc

Cambridge makes a wonderful emergency food supply. It's affordable at under $1.50 per meal. It doesn't take up a lot of space for an entire family's months supply. With Hurricane Matthew, a lot of people panicked and emptied the store shelves for non-perishables as the power would be out for a while and supplies would be limited. Knowing I had my Cambridge and a few gallons of water gave me peace of mind. It fits in a back pack should you need to leave quickly so it also makes a great 72 hour kit food source. 

I would encourage everyone to be prepared for unexpected emergencies such as we faced with Hurricane Matthew, or hardships such as job loss or health issues, making it impossible to work. Having an emergency supply of Cambridge, water, (and for those that don't have extra body fat, a calorie source such as peanut butter or any other shelf stable calorie dense food) can keep you strong and healthy for whatever crisis you are facing.  

Changes And Challenges

If there's one thing that life teaches us.. it's that it happens while we are busy making plans.

We come to the beginning of our Cambridge journey with a common plan, to lose the weight and get healthy. We have no way of knowing what twists and turns our life may take along the way, and it can get pretty twisted at times! When you consider all that is required of us to succeed at this, it is not unlike a master juggler keeping all his objects in the air, even if the floor tilts or someone tosses in a few more items to the mix. It's no small task and requires a whole new collection of skills and practice.

Typically, when faced with challenges, we would self medicate with food and ignore a lot of the emotional and physical issues we are dealing with. "Drug of choice" and all that. Being stripped of that coping tool can cause some panic with the realization of how dependent we have become on comfort eating, or how much in denial we may be about our personal struggles. While you may have been prepared for the physical demands of being on a restricted diet, you probably were caught unprepared for the emotional ones.

As you begin, (or continue) your Cambridge experience, go in to it knowing that at times you will be required to face emotions you may want to pacify with food, or you may suddenly be faced with a health crisis that you will want to escape from temporarily by self medicating in the same way. These old habits and behaviors need to be removed from your arsenal of coping tools. Finding their replacement is part of the goal when changes and challenges come your way.

We Gain Weight One Bite At A Time