Well folks, the Chubby Chicks to Skinny Sticks section of the supply blog is shutting down. Did we lose weight? A few lbs but not anywhere near our goals (speaking for myself that is). It just goes to show how hard losing weight really is, even with an audience. In the future weight/diet issues will appear under our weight management section. I’m finding new news on the topic all the time and I will share what I find interesting. I may even experiment again. Please share your finds as well. I know that Penny and I are always looking for the answer!

Found this in an article today… California Pizza Kitchen’s ( CPKI - news - people ) Thai Crunch Salad with grilled chicken breast, carrots and cabbage–not to mention fried wontons and peanut dressing–has over 2,000 calories, or the equivalent of eight slices of the restaurant’s pizza.

Anyone that really knows about health would/should know this salad isn’t healthy but come on, the same as 8 pieces of pizza and more than 2,000 calories -honestly should this be legal? The misnomer is that salad is healthy when it’s not, the person ordering this is likely thinking they are making the right choice and doing something good for their diet. Let’s make it a little easier on the consumer to make smart choices and live a healthy lifestyle. I know this is just one example of many out there…..

Post July 4th the fireworks are over and they certainly aren’t going off in celebration of my weight loss, but I am holding steady from the intial 2 lb drop. Not gaining but not losing. I have in honesty been sort of half-on, half-off the TruVida. Lots of travel these past few weeks so although the bars are easy to travel with sometimes you just want to experience the local flair or fare so to speak. At least I’m not gaining. I’ve been working out this week and sticking to the plan fairly well so hopefully I’ll be a few pounds in the red by Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sorry Penny, I’ve become a slacker. I don’t know what happened but I seem to have gone off the deep end. One day I forgot my bars and I decided that I needed to start over again on Monday which meant I didn’t eat them for five days and suddenly all the weight I lost came right back on. (Eating whatever I wanted and not working out had nothing to do with it….) I am SO mad at myself. It’s absolutely amazing how bad a mood stepping on the scale can put you in. So I need a new resolve. Back to the plan. Something, anything. One thing I am going to try this time is keeping a food journal. Anyone have other suggestions? THIS IS HARD!!

Well, still going strong… A trip to San Francisco put me a little behind in the weight loss category but I seem to be holding at my initial loss. Hopefully, this week despite the 4th and a trip to CT I can power through and drop a few pounds. With a 3 day work week and back-to-back travel it makes it tough to fit a workout in! At least healthy eating is maintaining with the yummy Truvida bars, not to mention my weekly CSA farm share which has me eating so much lettuce between bars that I might turn into a rabbit.

Well I’m pleased to report, so far so good. I’m down about 1.5 lbs as of Sunday which was 1 week in, which is fully acceptable and pleasing. Let’s hope week 2 carries through with the same loss.

Honestly it’s so easy to eat the bars for breakfast. I do notice with both the bars and cookies they can stick in your mouth a little, but not like the straight LuraLean sticks and gels. I think it just because they are so hearty. But they really satisfying and it makes my morning so easy knowing I just grab a packet, eat them and go. I don’t have to make oatmeal or worry about putting fruit in my cereal, making toast etc. Just quick, easy, and yummy—it’s the little things right, which make a big difference sometimes.

Not because she said no to yogurt- although that is great, but more because she is really diving into it. I will strive to be as tough as her next week because I really need to shed some of these pounds…wedding less than 3 months aways-yikes!

My experience with TruVida thus far has been going well. The first 2-days I have to admit I was a little hungry even after eating the bars in the am and on so during the day even after my afternoon cookies. However, days 3-4 are much better. Yesterday I didn’t even feel like I wanted the afternoon snack but figured I better so I wouldn’t be ravished at dinner. Today I was a bit hungry in the afternoon and tried to eat just one cookie instead of having the full 2, but came back for another after about an hour. Maybe 1 only tomorrow.

It is a little odd to be eating healthy/dieting and then snacking on cookies. As someone who really doesn’t eat sweets anyway it’s very bizarre to think about going to chow down on a cookie, but I guess for many this will be very appealing. And, I must confess because of my first 2 days feeling sort of hungry still, the last 2 days I have been spreading a thin layer of peanut butter on each bar in the morning less than a tablespoon between the 2 bars. Although, the bars are pretty delicious I do thinking just adding that little bit extra makes them even more palatable… but I’m sure I’ll give that up in a few days to really help maximize the potential for results.

Yesterday I started what I am calling the Truvida phase of my diet. These fantastic bars and cookies have Luralean in them and are quite filling. Hitham Hiyahneh, Founder of Truvida suggested the following diet:

STEP 1: For breakfast, eat 2 Granola SunShine Squares™. Don’t worry if you can’t eat the second one, you can always save it for a midmorning snack, but… don’t forget to drink 8oz. of water or green tea with each square.

STEP 2: For lunch, eat something healthy; soup and a sandwich, a salad, or a sub. Pick lean ingredients, and cut back on sugars and fats.

STEP 3: For a mid-afternoon snack, eat 2 delicious KokoLean™ Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Cherry™ cookies, and a big glass of water.

STEP 4: For supper, eat a balanced meal, with acombination of lean protein and green vegetables.

STEP 5: Exercise at least 4 times every week, for 30 minutes each, but consult a physician before you start any exercise program.

No two people are the same, and no two people are going to enjoy the same exact diet. We understand that, and that’s why we didn’t give you detailed instructions. Make your own healthy choices, and you will find this program easier to live with. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out.

I have decided to be a bit more aggressive and have the granola bars for breakfast, the amazing dark chocolate, almond, cherry bars for lunch and then a dinner with protein, veggies and fruit. The reason I’m doing this is because we only have a three week supply and I am determined to make my goal. Day two and I am finding that I am absolutely satisfied and pleasantly full. Someone just offered to go get me frozen yogurt and I not only said no, I really didn’t feel like it. I want you to know that is a first!!!

Thought I’d share with you about my lasted travels to IFT, in fact my first experiance with attending IFT. What’s new, what’s hot well… clearly Stevia is ready to explode with many exhibitors dedicating full booths to Reb-A. Along the same lines weight management in many applications were a plenty—fiber, whey protein. And forget fish oils what about fermented DHA, being billed as the sustainable fish oil. However as I learned the jury is out if the benefits remain without EPA in conjunction with DHA which for now can come from fish only. It nice to see and think that simply as a person in this great wide world, aside from what I do every day at work that food scientists are starting to think and get creative about how food contributes to world sustainability and what alternatives might be out there. The student project this year was creating an application to aid in reducing world hunger again sustainability minded. Beauty from within, get ready to hit bight in the US. Europeans have been onto this for awhile but other players here in the US seem to be starting to enter the playing field.

In other news it’s Day 1 for me on the Truvida and so far feeling pretty satisfied, more to report on that soon. Oh and Happy Birthday to my brother (I know major side note).

One of the hard parts of writing about, and researching weight management issues is the fact that you ‘re always finding something new, a new theory, the most recent study, eat this not that etc. I tend to jump like a crazy person from one diet to the next. I buy; hook, line and sinker, the theory of diet #1 only to read something new and more convincing and I’m off on diet #2. This time though, I’ve been a little more patient. While I’ve tweaked a little here and there, added a little extra exercise, tried to eliminate processed foods, I really haven’t done anything hugely different from my normal routine and today, six weeks from the start, I’ve lost a total of…….6 pounds. Not earth shattering but slow and steady and, as my research shows, that’s the best way to go for long term success. Because my goal was 12 pounds I’ve decided to stay with LuraLean for at least three more weeks, this time using the product in it’s baked form. (see Penny’s post for more details).