Countdown

Hey guys...I know you're out there! lol! Are you all laying low until 2018 is in the can? I don't blame you. It's been a rough year and I think most of us are hoping for a better 2019.

There is not much we can control in this world. Most everything happens randomly, whether we are prepared for it or not. But what is the one thing that.. technically.. we CAN control? You know what I'm leading up to. That's right. Our choices, especially when it comes to our choices about diet and exercise. No one force feeds us. No one holds us back when we want to move. We are free to make good choices for ourselves, regardless of what is going on around us. It is the one thing we can control...of should control. But, as we all know, controlling ourselves can be harder then controlling climate change or politics or the price of your cable bill!

It takes a lot to make a major life change, especially if you expect it to happen all at once. It won't. It happens one choice at a time. Baby steps. When babies are learning to walk, sometimes they fall, but have you ever seen a baby not immediately try to stand right back up? They never give up and neither should you! It doesn't matter how many times you have fallen. There is going to be a day when you are standing strong and feeling empowered and in charge of your choices. Food does not control you. Your thoughts do. Once you get your thoughts in line with your desires and goals, losing weight and getting fit will be your new obsession! I can 100% promise you that there is not one single bite of food, (or an entire buffet for that matter!)  that is worth sacrificing your quality of life.

So take these last few days of 2018 and really do some soul searching and truth seeking. Your personal truth about how you've managed yourself and your choices. How many excuses or justifications you've made. How many times you were filled with regret, promising yourself to do better and be stronger. The jabbering that goes on in our heads can feel chaotic at times, but truth is quiet, peaceful, forgiving, positive. I believe that honesty with self is more a part of succeeding at weight loss then willpower.

Enough of my ramblings. I hope you have all had a lovely holiday season and are ready to welcome in the New Year with hope and enthusiasm and determination, but most of all a desire to be truthful to yourself and the peaceful knowledge that you have everything you need to make your desires for weight loss and a healthy lifestyle a reality. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 #6!

Happy New Year to you all. I began my New Year by having a gall bladder attack last night. I had been feeling colicky the past couple of weeks, no doubt due to my reckless holiday eating. It started getting really bad yesterday and I was wondering if I was having a heart episode. My BP was climbing and the discomfort was centrally square over my sternum. As my symptoms developed I realized is was gall bladder. It made sense. I was familiar with what it felt like because I'd had two about 13 years ago. It was after I had lost my weight and had been eating pretty clean. I had gone out to dinner two nights in a row for friends birthdays and had two high calorie fatty meals. That night I was WALLOPED! I went in to my doc and had an ultrasound. I chose not to have surgery and just went back to my clean eating and haven't had any problem since...until last night after a month and a half of eating like a fool. I took some ibuprofen, some digestive enzymes, went to bed and laid on my left side to hopefully encourage the stone to fall back in to the gall bladder. I also gave myself some firm thumps to jostle it a bit. I woke up this morning feeling fine. Whew!

Now on to Day #6 and 2017!

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?

FALL GIVEAWAY! Win a free month of Cambridge

Yes...I am giving away a FREE month's supply of Cambridge Diet! Your choice of either 5 flavors of the Original 330 Shakes, or 6 flavors of the FFL Shakes, Soups, or Oats. You must go to my website and click on the link that will take you to the info on how to enter. This is NOT a company giveaway. I am making this offer myself so please do not contact the company or any other Distributor regarding it. The deadline is September 30th so only 11 more days to enter.  Hurry and get qualified! Go to www.cambridgediet.org today!

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.

Research On Biggest Loser Contestants

The research that has been done with cast members of season 8 "Biggest Loser" has been interesting to say the least. Scientists followed 14 of the 16 contestants of the Biggest Loser for 6 years to try and understand why all but one of them gained the weight back, some even heavier then they were before the show. Their findings support what the obese community has known all along. The over simplification of "eat less, move more" and you will be thin is contrary to what was found. Also, the concept of the metabolism slowing down is being clarified.

It's valuable for dieters to understand going in to weight loss what their long term lifestyle will be to maintain it. It's also time we stop body shaming people who lose and then regain their weight. It's like shaming someone for limping after breaking their leg. Science has proven that for many, if not most of successful dieters, our metabolisms remain compromised and it is up to us to find that delicate balance of nutrition, activity, and acceptance of our circumstances to maintain a healthy weight, mind, and body.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/video/biggest-loser-contestants-open-continuing-061725406.html

A Hopeful Message

I want to give some hope to those who are striving to reach their weight loss goal. Most of us have a history of dieting and gaining, then dieting and gaining again, over and over. We end up having so little faith in our ability to really change.Deep down we believe that our weight loss will never be more then a temporary blip and we will go right back to our old ways and gain it all over again. As a lifelong out of control compulsive eater, I never believed I could ever be anything different. The process of transitioning out of that was long and slow, but for the past 8 years I have felt it was no longer a part of me. The memories and thoughts will always be there, but the physical ability is not and the self abusive behavior that fueled it is dead. I know that we have all been told that addicts will always have to see themselves as someone in danger of relapse if they let their guard down, but even though there are so many similarities among the various kids of addictions, I have learned that food addiction is possible to transition out of permanently with time and desire. Eventually your body chemistry changes and you just lose the sensation of reward that food is now giving you. It's just isn't there. This is how I have experienced it anyway. As I said, it was a slow process and not without some backsliding and do-overs, but I now find myself free of any food related compulsions. It's been long enough now that I no longer fear it is in me to ever go back.

So I guess this is my wish for each of you here.. be hopeful that the work you are doing now is bringing you to a place of healing and recovery that CAN be permanent.

Day 16 of Sole Source (SS)

I decided back on the 15th to get back on SS to lose some weight that I had been accumulating since my vacation back in Oct. My husband and I went down south to the Florida Keys and I was in vacation mode. I pretty much ate whatever he did and while that has no effect on him, for me it was probably more then twice what I would normally consume.  With that and the holidays, I got kind of lax in my dietary habits and some weight had crept on while I was looking the other way. My pants were tight and that's my signal for getting my act together. So, along with a great group of people on my Support Board, ( http://members5.boardhost.com/pam140/ ) I jumped on the SS train and I've been going strong!

I made the decision not to weigh when I started. I didn't want a number to mess with my head and I figured it really didn't matter anyway. In fact, I have not weighed at all! Yes, 16 days and I have absolutely no idea how much I've lost or what I weigh. I'm feeling kind of free because of it! No judge and jury staring up at me from the scale every morning. No number in my head telling me how I should feel about myself and if I was going to have a good day or a bad one. I am stresslessly going about my days knowing that I am doing everything I can possibly do to allow my body to lose the weight. It's a different approach, especially for me since I tend to be a meticulous chart keeper.

About a  year and a half ago I had set a goal to get back to my high school weight by my 56th birthday. Well..I didn't get there.  Now my 57th is just 19 days away. I won't make that goal in 19 days, but I'm determined I will be on my way there!

All Or Nothing

I think "all or nothing" thinking is something most of us can relate to. Trying to figure out what's at the core of it may be different for each person, but it will be the reason for failure for all. No one can be perfect and fortunately,no one needs to be. I learned that the key to succeeding was to get honest with myself and acknowledge the fact that my "all or nothing" thinking was self sabotage. On some level, I was looking for a reason to judge myself and then give up. Instead of taking responsibility for my actions and working to overcome my weaknesses, I used them as an excuse to not keep going.

It went against a lifetime of negative self talk and low self esteem for me to not give up on myself and my diet. I had a few episodes during my weight loss where I lost all control and had a full out binge. I hated myself for it and it fueled my belief that I was hopeless. I recognized the truth that this was my pattern, trying, self sabotaging, hating myself, and giving up. Not too productive! No wonder I never got anywhere.

This time I was determined not to repeat old behaviors. This is what I did when I went off track. Once I became aware of what I was doing, and sometimes that happened after a few bites, or sometimes it didn't happen until the kitchen was empty, I would take a moment and make an effort NOT to begin the emotional self flogging, I would forgive myself, brush off the crumbs, tell myself it never happened and then continue on as if it hadn't. I would have my next scheduled Cambridge meal and continue on. Some may call this denial, but in reality it was a method of healing for me. I was gradually breaking those dysfunctional behaviors and habits, my "all or nothing" thinking.

You are on a journey and it will have twists and turns. Just keep moving forward and see everything as a positive learning experience. No successful person ever practiced perfectionism or "all or nothing" thinking. They practice resiliency.

What Is Your Normal?

Being a person who has struggled with being overweight since toddler-hood, my sense of self was that I was an obese person, like I was made this way. Obese was my "normal". My identity. My destiny. My attempts at weight loss were frequent and varied, but the results were always temporary. The times I spent close to my healthy weight never changed my personal identity. I always knew that all those pounds of fat were waiting in the wings, ready to slam back on me. I was never safe from it, like I was being stalked.

The emotional chaos of never feeling at peace with my body took it's toll in many ways. Every choice and decision I made in life, somehow pivoted from my low self esteem and my knowledge that I would never be good enough.

I could never figure out how other people maneuvered through their lives, seemingly free from the constant anxiety I had with food and body image. Did other people go to school with a burning empty stomach in their attempt to be normal? I would watch my thin friends and try to figure out how they ate so much, so freely, without any guilt or shame. Why weren't my siblings fat? What was wrong with me? Why was I different? Oh..right...obesity is me.. my normal.

I lost my weight on Cambridge 14 years ago. The amount of effort to lose the weight, was nothing compared to the mental work I had to do to change everything I believed about myself and who I was. Instead of seeing my obesity as normal and moments of thinness as temporary, I had to flip that and force myself to believe that my obesity was what had been the deviation from normal. My body had spent 42 years trying to deal with my physical and emotional demands. It hadn't failed me, I had failed it. I may or may not be more prone to weight gain then someone else with different DNA, but that is my reality to accept and to be responsible for.

We all come in to this world with different challenges. There is no standard "normal". Just your own personal story. My story is that for most of my life, I believed a lie. A lie I convinced myself was true. Obesity is not my identity, my destiny, or my curse. I spent my life justifying my poor health and not ever really taking responsibility for it.  I am not that person anymore.

Starting Sole Source Today

I made the decision to jump back on SS for a while to lose the extra pounds I've gained since Oct. We went on vacation and then we had the holidays...well...no explanation needed. My pants are tight and fortunately I have my beloved Cambridge to come to my rescue once again! I just had my first shake for the day, the one I call my "Favorite Blend". I take one full container of 330 Rich Chocolate and mix it in a big Tupperware bowel with a container of 330 Original Dutch Chocolate. This gives me the creamy thick texture of the Rich shake along with the deeper chocolate taste of the Dutch. I add about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and mix it all together. Voila! Perfection! To make it even more dreamy, I keep a jar of brewed decaf coffee in the fridge and use that along with a couple of ice cubes in place of the water. Now we're talkin'!

So I figure I'm going to give it a couple of weeks and then decide if I want to start adding food back to my diet. I'm looking forward to that wonderful feeling of lightness and clarity that being in ketosis gives. This will be fun!
Cheers!

Welcome to 2017!

Just imagine, one year in to the future. It's Jan 5th, 2017. You wake up and your first thought is, "Wow! Another day in my new life in my slim healthy body that I worked so hard for in 2016!". You know that every sacrifice you made was not a sacrifice at all! it was a gift you gave to yourself. Each time you stumbled, you dragged yourself back up and continued on. Every time you resisted a craving and denied and turned away from all those old behaviors and habits  that kept you imprisoned in your overweight body, it was worth more then you ever could have imagined.

You look back at the choices you made in 2016 and if you could, you would go back and give yourself a big hug and a high five! It was all worth it! Now you are free to move in your body without limitation. You can feel comfortable in the world and not feel as if you don't fit. You can accept those invitations and not stress about what to wear or if you will be able to squeeze in the booth. All those aches and pains you thought were just normal aging are gone. You can shop and buy clothes that flatter and look cute on you, not just because it's the only thing that fit. You can see your actual face, the shape and structure like you may not have seen in a good while...or ever. You can cross your legs and sit in a theater seat with enough room to tuck your purse next to you. You can graciously receive compliments without immediately doubting their sincerity. You can go try new things that you never would have before. You feel attractive and sexy and strong and full of energy.

The only question you ask yourself now is why did you wait so long? Why did you give all your happiness and your vitality for so many years to food? How did you remain lost for so long and so completely unaware of how much of your life you had missed out on? You shake your head and know that while you may regret all that time you could have done better, it is 2017 and that old life is behind you. You look back at 2016 as the year you changed your life.

Did You Know I Have A Facebook Page?

I've posted the link to my Support Board on here before (I think?) but here is is again just in case.

 http://members5.boardhost.com/pam140/ . Please feel free to join in on the conversations there or start one of your own.

What I haven't mentioned is that I also have a Facebook page where I share interesting articles, thoughts, insights, success stories, all sorts of fun facebooky kind of stuff. So go check it out at

 https://www.facebook.com/PamTurnerCambridge/ .

Comment or just post and say "Hi". Be sure to share my page.