By Visalus Body By Vi Nutrition

12/10/2012 Weight loss total 4 lbs in first 7 days of the 90 Day Visalus Challenge I was really surprised on the weight loss I had in the first week. And it felt good. I noticed 4 days into replacing my lunch with the Vi-Shape shake that my pants were fitting a lot more comfortable in the waist. That was encouraging. It was buying a pair of 40W jeans that motivated me to do something about the ever expanding waistline! (As well as the health risks of being overweight).

So what did I do this past week? First, let me tell you what I didn't do. I didn't go hungry. I didn't exercise at my target heart rate. I didn't deny myself food. I didn't count calories. I didn't track points. And I didn't weigh myself everyday.Here is what I did:

• I replaced my typical high carbohydrate, $12 dollar lunches with the $1.50 Visalus shakes. The $49 a month total for the shakes are saving me almost $200.
• I have eaten vegetables and fruit when I want to snack. Normally, I would grab a candy bar or a donut. Or I'd eat popcorn or a sandwich. Instead, I've eaten celery, apples, tangelos, radishes, cucumber, bananas, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, nuts ... and I eat something like this every time I was hungry or even bored!
• Increased drinking water. Pretty much eliminated sodas. I think I drank one. I did drink some beer on Friday night and at the pool on Saturday. I also ate some pizza on Saturday for dinner ... just not the whole pizza like I would often do.
• My dinner typically was a grilled steak with a salad or chicken.
• I did exercise. One bike ride on my beach cruiser at a very leisurely pace - 7 miles per hour. Two hikes that were short but pretty good workouts in that they had steep inclines. (Squaw Peak [1.2 miles] and Lookout Mountain [.6 mile]). And each day on my two 15 minute breaks, I walk around the building (.49 mile each), again very slowly as I don't want to work up a sweat!
• I said NO. You have to say no to the things that are not healthy. This week, I said NO to McDonald's, donuts, candy bars, Taco Bell burritos, ice cream, having a SECOND bagel, and cake! Every day I feel I say NO to something, I take another step forward. I'm thinking of using Twitter to notate the times and things I am saying NO from eating.

So, I started the challenge at 206+ lbs. Yesterday I weighed in at 202.3 lbs. I am feeling good. There is no doubt being heavier than one should is not good for you. Even though I am not obese, I weigh way over what I should. I hope I can get to 185.I must mention that I have struggled with cravings for foods that had been a part of my routines. Things like surgery desserts! Or pasta and Mexican food dishes! I found that chewing some gum after eating lunch was a perfect dessert craving buster. And eating some crunchy veggies with some kind of meat helped me in my mid-day craving. Even with these additional foods, the cost was nominal with not significance on my weight.Lastly, I am mixing the shake with WHOLE milk. I really am not worrying about the 6 - 10 ounces I drink a day. The Vi-Shape shake is even more delicious than advertised. It is good.