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!

Day 1, Cake For Breakfast

The past few months I have made a some halfhearted attempts to lose some weight and get back on track with my health habits. Maybe more like quarterhearted. lol! Getting careless while getting older is not a good combo. My goal has always been to age gracefully while living an active healthy life. I've worked hard for many years to achieve that, including weight loss..knee replacement...skin removal...and exercise. So why drop the ball when I turn 59? Makes no sense, but said ball was dropped and dropped HARD!

Last night I put my Cambridge on the counter and everything I use to make my Cambridge Chocolate Lava cake. I didn't want to wake up with lost momentum and change my mind. I got up, poured my coffee, and 3 minutes later I had mixed and microwave baked this:

It was a perfect start to my day. It's 2:43 as I type this post to my blog and I have also enjoyed a Rich Vanilla Shake with Watkins caramel flavor. Yummy! I'm feeling good and confident that I will complete this day successfully and continue on to Day 2.

I don't know why I got so careless the past couple of months. I know the consequences and the price I pay with weight gain and poor health. Oh well...no looking back. Only forward and no more nonsense! I'm SSing to get back on track with my weight and my numbers (blood sugar, BP, etc) and if you would like to join me, please do! 

Before Considering Weight Loss Surgery....

If you have been considering gastric bypass surgery, I want to encourage you to first give Cambridge Diet a try. Consider this...your digestive tract is not the reason you are overweight. Why take a functioning GI tract and cut it up? It would be like amputating your arm because your foot itches! Controlling your eating along with the habits and behaviors that got you overweight is the logical correction. Gastric surgery can not guarantee a permanent solution to what drives your obesity. it can temporarily restrict your capacity for food, but many patients learn how to override that restriction and they gain the weight back. At some point in our lives we MUST take responsibility for our choices and behaviors and stop making excuses. Weight loss takes commitment and discipline. Both good attributes to have, right? You are that person in every other area of your life. Why not your health? Cambridge is a wonderful way to simplify the mechanics of reducing caloric intake while providing complete balances nutrition. This leaves you free to do the emotional work absolutely required to make this a permanent life change.

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.

Physical Needs vs Emotional Needs

We all have emotional needs and physical needs. Each has importance and neither should take from the other. Ideally we have a balance and they support each other. This is where some of us take a detour. We allow our emotional needs to take over the physical, and often at the expense of our health. When we choose a substance, in our case..food, to pacify emotional needs we are in an unbalanced state, one that is never resolved. It is a vicious cycle and rather then fix anything, it creates an overwhelming situation.

Today I am going to focus on separating emotional needs with physical. When thoughts of food creep in, I am going to stop and take a moment to determine if it is being driven by emotions or genuine hunger. My guess is that 90% of the time it is emotional! I will practice attending to the root of the want. Like a tantruming child in the grocery store that is screaming, crying, and thrashing about, the question is...is he tired? Is he hungry? Is he just wanting attention and soothing? Is he scared or feeling anxious? Is he thirsty? Is he in physical discomfort or pain? If I give him a cookie will he stop?

While a cookie may temporary distract him (us) from whatever the actual problem is, it will not fix it unless the problem is hunger..and even then a cookie is a poor choice, and  usually offered more as a bribe then a solution anyway. We just want the feelings and the resulting behavior to stop! Right?

We are not toddlers, but at some point in our lives we began using food as a band-aid to our feelings. The reward of temporary relief in no way compensates for the cost to our health or our self esteem.

Today I made a chart. It is just a piece of paper with a line in the middle drawn from top to bottom. One side says emotional, the other says physical. Over the next few days I am going to write one word on the side I identify as the catalyst for every time I think about breaking my diet and eating something. Should be interesting...but I already know how one sided this is going to end up being!

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!

Wisdom Teeth Disasters and Hurricane Irma!

It's been a month since I last posted to the blog. Where do I begin to tell the tale of what this past month has been like? I guess I can summarize it by saying it completely sucked. My daughter was supposed to begin her cancer radiation, but first they decided to take out her wisdom teeth the day she was supposed to start. We had already moved her in to Hope Lodge for her stay during her treatments, so after her oral surgery, we moved her back out and brought her home. A few days later she was in the hospital fighting for her life from a very rare infection from the wisdom teeth extraction. We almost lost her. Several surgeries later and a long stay in the ICU, we brought her home to recover. Well...she was once again scheduled to go and get moved in and started, but that day Hurricane Irma decided to strengthen and head right for us! We cancelled again and evacuated for 11 days.

So now...here we are for a THIRD time, all packed up and ready to make the 2 hr drive to the cancer center to begin her treatments. We are all so worn out, both physically and emotionally, that we can hardly get it together, but this time nothing will stop us...knock on wood.

Sad to say that my diet kind of got blown away with the hurricane. I had a couple of weeks of just regular eating and then this past week of just not caring. But, I have my supplies and once I get my daughter settled and I get back home I am going to get back to taking care of myself and that means Cambridge! The few pounds I regained are uncomfortable for me and I don't feel at all like myself so while she is fighting to get her health back on track, I will be doing a lesser version of the same.

My daughter has a GoFundMe page to help pay for her cancer treatments and to lessen the financial burden on my husband and myself. If you would like to contribute I will post the URL below.

Kim Turner's Cancer Treatment GoFundMe page:  https://www.gofundme.com/axgofc

Detour

Due to a lot going on the past few weeks with my Daughter's cancer medical treatments, I took a break from my modified SSing and practiced eating sensibly. I've done ok, but I am getting back to my program now. It's been a stressful time, and in my past life I would have turned to food for comfort and sedation from the stress. But, food doesn't do that for me anymore.  In fact, I have little to no emotional attachments to food as I had most of my earlier life. Now and then I will get a mild craving for something...but it's typically not something I have hanging around the house so I just let it pass.

 With all the commuting we have been doing for my daughter's medical care, it has been pretty much impossible to stick to my plan, but things will soon be settling down...at least that's what we are hoping. She will be staying out there at Hope Lodge for her radiation treatments with us bringing her home on the weekends. At some point, I will be staying there too when she needs supportive care, but that will be manageable as they provide a kitchen and food storage for each resident. I can bring my blender and my Cambridge with me.

I still have not weighed. I may decide to once I get back in the groove.

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!

Quick update

Just to let my readers know...my husband and I are still going strong on our diets! Yes...he has hung in there for 49 and lost 25 pounds so far. He only has about 18 more to get to his goal of 190. I am on day 53. I still haven't weighed but I'm shrinking! lol! We've really done well doing this together. I'm proud of him and of us!

I hope you are making progress to your goals. There is no better feeling then of being in control of your choices and behaviors, then reaping the benefits of better health and knowing it shows.

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

DAY 29!!!!!!

Wow! I can't even believe it! I am actually on day 29 of my diet. Time is flying by and I am very happy with the changes I am seeing. All my shirts are getting very loose on me and I got in to a pair of pants today that I haven't felt comfortable wearing in over a year and a half. All together a good day. My husband Andy is 5 days behind me and he is doing remarkably well. He will be weighing in tomorrow so I'm looking forward to seeing his numbers. His tummy has melted away and he feels so much better.

For the most part, I have maintained the majority of my weight loss from 16 years ago. I can fluctuate as much as 15 or even 20 pounds, but never more then that and as soon as I notice, I get right back to Cambridge and get rid of it ASAP. The first week in Feb, before my emergency gall bladder removal, I had lost 8 lbs of my holiday weight gain. Then I ended up in the ER getting my zombie gall bladder removed. I regained that 8 lbs and then some because I was SO hungry afterwards. Well..that weight is a distant memory now, gone and forgotten. I am now on track for reaching my ultimate goal. I'm still not weighing because I will know when I get there and weighing messes with my head big time. Ignorance is bliss whilst losing weight!

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.

Too Good To Be True Cambridge Cake Recipes

 

Deep, Dark, Chocolate Lava Cake..YES!

For this I use one serving of Original 330 Dutch Chocolate or Rich Chocolate Shake (I actually use half of each) add 1 T Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, 1/4c Splenda 0 cal sweetener, 1/2 tsp baking powder, egg white, and just enough unsweetened vanilla almond milk to make a thick batter. You could add some instant espresso powder if you like. I mix it with my little wire whip in a microwave safe cereal bowl. It should look shiny and like brownie batter consistency. Bake in microwave 1 to 1.5 minutes. It should still look moist in the center, but spring back around the rest of the cake. Cover bowl with small plate and cool upright in the bowl for a couple of minutes, then turn the whole thing over. The cake should plop out on to the plate, but if not, just loosen with a rubber spatula. When you turn it out there should be a fudgy center. Yes.. I said FUDGY! Seriously....this is so good!


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Super Oats Ginger Bread Cake

If you want some spice in your life, then you simple must make this! I use one serving of the FFL Super Oats Cereal that I first grind up in to a flour. In a microwave safe cereal bowl, mix the Oats, 1/2 tsp baking powder, about 1/4 c Splenda 0 calorie sweetener, 2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste), 1/2 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. You can adjust spices to your own personal taste. We like ours spicy! Add 1 egg white and enough sugar free vanilla almond milk to make a thick cake batter consistency. Mix well and bake in microwave on high for about 1.5 minutes, or just until no wet spots remain. Cover bowl with a small plate and let cool for a few minutes, then turn over on to plate to cool. Top with sugar free whipped topping. This makes a delicious moist gingerbread cake that is almost too much for one person. Yummy!!

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 Nine And Feeling Fine!

Hey blog readers! I am on day 9 (and a half) and just wanted to check in and let you know I am still going strong. I haven't been weighing, but I can tell by my clothes that I am close to being back down to where I was the month before my gall bladder surgery. I had lost 8 pounds on Cambridge the week before and I am now working on getting that off again too. My husband commented today that he could really see the weight loss! Oh..and the big news is that he is on day 5 and has lost 6 pounds! He's doing great. Doing this together has been wonderful. No food shopping or cooking or cleaning up. I am enjoying the vacation.

If you are reading this because you are considering trying Cambridge, contact me and I can answer all your questions so you can make the best decision for yourself.

Cambridge is not like anything else out there. It can be challenging in the first few days, but the rapid weight loss and the amazing improvement in your health and energy more then compensate. It's exciting to see results from day 1! This is a safe, healthy, nutritionally complete, very low calorie diet that gives your body everything it needs except calories. If you have body fat, you already have all the calories (which is just another word for the energy that the food you eat produces) you need and your body will draw from that. Because of the balanced nutrition your lean tissues like muscle, bone, and organs are protected and just the fat is burned. The 8 years of clinical research behind Cambridge proved this. It's effective, safe, affordable, tastes great, and it works for everyone.

Questions? Contact me and I'll answer them for you.

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!