Obesity in America - now it's worse than cigarettes

Why Americans think Obesity is worse than cigarette smoking

Not too hard to find this one. A recent Gallup poll refreshed earlier findings on obesity. It shows that since cigarette smoking has been broadly discredited and reduced, obesity (and overweight conditions) has continued to rise.

"Most Americans say obesity is an "extremely" or "very serious" problem to society, the 81% who do so is up significantly from 69% in 2005, the last time Gallup asked this question. Americans now see obesity as a more serious societal issue than cigarettes -- a change from the past."

Of course, you have to thank our way of living in these Western culture nations. Fast food and sedentary lives have replaced home-cooking and high-caloric-throughput of physical labor jobs.

Few of us can now have physically demanding jobs where you actually have to walk a mile or more each day in addition to lifting and really physically working up a sweat during the course of the day. So many have instead started including work-outs in their daily regimen.Others have such a long commute that they are exhausted from simple stress at each day's end - wanting no more than to sit and watch TV with a beverage of choice at hand.

Diet is another scene entirely. Instead of fast food, we could all be eating healthy home-cooked food made from natural ingredients. But city life demands those long commutes and little access to sources or wholesomely grown food that we can afford.

Those of us who live on farms have this much simpler, since good food and plenty of exercise is built-in to our lifestyles.

This doesn't mean we can't get some extra pounds added on.

My own solution to this is to simply steer myself away from unhealthy eating by getting on a shake and supplement diet called the Cinch Inch Loss plan. It's from Shaklee, which is the leader in natural supplements. Built on studies of athletes, it was found that the amino acid leucine is key to keeping metabolism high by preserving muscle mass.

The trick is that this diet not only has great weight loss shakes (which can involve tons of recipes) but also pays for itself as you quit buying those expensive "latte's" and fast food "meals" which simply put pounds on. Instead, they have a system of meal and snack bars, as well as teas which are actually less expensive than what you are already paying for. It's a question of investing in your health instead of cravings for sweets, fats, and salts. You lose no convenience, but actually save time (which your boss will appreciate.)

If you follow the links above, you will be able to get more data on the Cinch Diet Plan which should be useful and help you solve any extra poundage you may want to rid of.

- - - -

Some additonal links on this subject:

Obesity and the Built Environment | Star - Hi Books - Posted in Uncategorized Tags: Childhood Obesity, Definition of Obesity, Effects of Obesity, Graph of Obesity in America, Height Weight Age Calculator, Main Causes of Obesity in America, Obesity Chart, Obesity Facts, Obesity ...

Why the surge in obesity? « Consider the Evidence - The Weight of the Nation is a four-part series on obesity in America by HBO Films and the Institute of Medicine, with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It's been ...

Prevalence Of Childhood Obesity - About “Obesity Tax” – Page 3 – Calorie Counter | Free Online Diet … Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a new public health epidemic: childhood obesity. reduce the number of smokers and smoking-related deaths, a tax ...

Short Note about Cinch Diet Plan

Cinch Diet Plan gets Results if You Follow Advice

When I finally moved my cattle down to their next pasture - and farther away from the house - I realized that the pounds I regained in the last couple of weeks were due to dropping the mile and 1/3rd which I was walking cross-country every day in checking on them.

For I had my "patient patient" up at the house by now, and so the herd was also there - giving me only a few hundred feet of walking daily, if that.

So, since the calorie intake was not reduced along with the calorie "burning", extra weight was restored. (Wondered why I wasn't hungry at night.) And that's the advice with this Shaklee weight loss program which I didn't heed.

The rule then becomes - sleep when you're tired, drink when you're thirsty, and eat only when you are hungry: but only enough to satisfy, not to satiate. (Pleasantly full, not stuffed.)

And do get some substitute activity if you find yourself temporarily at odd ends.

(Needless to say, I did about 2 miles to check my other pastures, where I could find elderberries this year, and how a remote patch of blackberries was doing...)

One month more of this - and we'll see how it progresses.

 

How Cinch Diet Plan Really Works - if you follow it.

Ups, Downs, and Side-ways - Cinch Diet Plan Results

While I haven't been logging my posts about weight-loss and inch-loss progress, it's not like I haven't had any.

The problem is, as I've found, that if you don't follow the program, you get different results.

My core problem has been getting past 220lbs. However, I've done down 3 pants' sizes. That is more the result I wanted.

The deal is that if you don't follow the diet choices, then you simply are rolling the dice. Today, I'm back to 230. Now, I started at 244, so I still have a net loss of 14 pounds. (And don't forget the 3 pants' sizes.)

The side benefit is that I have considerably more energy available. So I often will skip the afternoon snacks and have found that "dinner like a pauper". Result is leftover snack bars and meal bars.

And I adjust this now to enter my final month of this diet. Final, because I entered this with the idea that I'd be able to afford the diet if I took their 4-for-3 month's purchase special. It was simply a test which concludes when the supplements do.

The idea originally was to move over to a more extreme version for the last month. Unfortunately, the only reference I found was to use water instead of milk, and use 3 scoops instead of 2. For that, I'd also drop my morning banana (which was added tomy morning mix to give it more substance). Probably move that banana to evening, or have it at my lunch - or something.

This is where the diet drops off the cliff, as it were. We are beyond what Shaklee recommends. And means anyone using this for extreme weight loss is on their own.

But I did find this article, which seems to be unique: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/a-healthy-diet-4959234.html

Their salient quote is this: 

But I always recommend that you fit Cinch into your life, don't make your life fit into the Shaklee Diet. Many diets are unrealistic with the rules, the points, the special food to buy with no education on how to cook healthy yourself. Cinch is simple: Drink a protein packed delicious shake for breakfast and lunch ( or just breakfast or Lunch), eat a healthy snack of raw fruits and veggies or a Cinch snack bar when you are hungry and have a  nutritious dinner. Enjoy some Cinch energy tea instead of diet soda and fill in the gaps with powerful nutrients in the Cinch 3-in-1 boost supplements.

Grab and Go, Shake and drink, Move and move and you will see the results. You will enjoy the inches falling away and not miss those lost pounds.

It's the point, which I found, that you are able to shake these cravings for excessive fats and sugars in your diet. That is the result of the Cinch Diet Plan. Drop fat, improve your metabolism. Make this stuff a part of your life - for real.

That's the trade-off. And is a consistent point of Shaklee - make their products a part of your life, and improve your quality of living immeasurably. I've already gone over the point that the Cinch Diet Plan is affordable simply on dropping out the expensive treats and restaurants and replacing these with a structured diet with their supplements.

Similarly, you can afford to replace your household cleaning compounds by simply shifting over to Basic H and their "Get Clean" product line. They last longer, and are less toxic - plus are designed to be environmentally responsible.

Even with a month left, I already have my "Plan B" in action. The 3-in-1 Cinch daily vitamins are replaced with their Vitalizer set. Cinch is replaced with the less-expensive Soy Protein Vanilla, and as well, the Nutriferon immune booster. It's called the "Vitalizer Men's Wellness Pack" This gives me the vitamins and protein I need, as well will then take the immune response booster in order to improve my resistance to infection even higher. You simply can't beat the quality of Shaklee vitamins. Period. Especially at that price. (Good enough for NASA and all that.)

Practically, what has kept my blogging progress down in this area is that I've more energy and have taken on additional projects, which keep me particularly busy. And so you may not hear from me all that much in the coming days - until some of thos projects are completed. (Not to mention earning a living meanwhile...)

What I am happy with is the product of losing the waist sizes and in proving for myself that this Shaklee diet plan works exactly to the degee you follow it just as laid out. Simple. I've met no one who has followed it and has been unable to lose weight/inches.

The overall outcome is that now I'm able to simply reduce my input at will, and so able to decrease my weight - all under my own control.

May your results be as effective.

Pest Control Home Remedy - toxin free and it works!

Toxin-Free Pest Control - Home Remedy

Do it yourself - Very economical

Equipment needed:

1. Garden hose
2. Ortho sprayer

Step 1: Mix your concentrate

1. 1½ parts Basic H² (or 3 parts Basic H Classic)
2. 1 part Basic-Germicide

Steps 2: For Outdoor Use:

1. Fill Ortho Sprayer (or similar) with concentrate
2. Set the dial selector at 2 … you will automatically spray a dilute mixture of 2 tablespoons (1 oz.) of concentrate per gallon of water

For Indoor Use:

1. Fill 16 oz. (500 ml) spray unit with water
2. Add ¾ teaspoon of concentrate

Where to Use

• On lawns for control of fleas, ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes
• On patios & porches for control of flies, spiders & other insects
• On houses as a house wash and pest control combined
• On dog houses, dog beds, and kennel runs
• This mixture is also an effective spray to kill wasps
• Kills lice and fleas, and is effective as a fly spray on animals: cattle, horses, dogs, chickens, turkeys, pigs, cats (do not get in the animal’s eyes)
• Controls bag worms and other insects in cedar, pine, and nut trees, etc.
• Spray as frequently as needed

Most pesticides are guaranteed to work, so why not use them?

The answer is simple … agents toxic to cellular tissue can have devastating effects on the respiratory system, nervous system, and the immune system:

1. Once inside the brain, toxins can alter the ability to concentrate & can lead to nervous system disorders and permanent learning disabilities

2. Toxins overload the immune system & lead to less resistance to colds, flu-like systems, etc.

3. Toxins cause sensitivity of the respiratory system, and lead to proliferation of allergies and asthma

4. Toxins have been linked to liver & kidney damage and many forms of cancer. Recent studies by the National Institute of Health & Safety and the National Cancer Institute, show that leukemia risk increases greatly for children and adults where toxic pesticides are used in the home and garden. A cancer journal reported children under ten, exposed to toxic pesticides in the home or garden at least once a month, have a 7x higher incidence of leukemia.

5. Some toxic pesticides can produce demyelination in nerve bundles and the spinal cord - this can lead to M.S. and paralysis

What are Your Choices?

Are people actually willing to take this risk and contribute to this suffering in order to kill ants, fleas, spiders, moths, and other insects? Certainly, this is sufficient confirmation to persuade every reader of this brochure to never again purchase toxic pesticides.

Basic H² is an all organic, biodegradable wetting agent … actually making water 300 times "wetter" - it reduces water tension and also improves assimilation by chemically enabling water to bond better with anything it touches. It is concentrated and economical. It was developed in cooperation with nature, as are all Shaklee products. When mixed with water, Basic H² delivers an immediate wetting (surfactant) action, penetrating dirt and emulsifying grease and oil. For this reason, it has been used for almost 50 years as a general purpose cleaner.

Basic-Germicide, as its name indicates, is a versatile, non-polluting germicide, which is totally biodegradable and will not hurt the environment.

Does it Work?

Since 90% of insects have an oil coating, Shaklee Basic H², as a wetting agent, penetrates the outer shell and actually suffocates the insects. Insects eggs are softened by the spray, which prevents hatching.

NOTE and disclamer: Officially, Shaklee Corporation markets Basic H² as a Household Cleaner and Basic-Germicide as a Highly Concentrated Germicide. These pest control recommendations are not published or endorsed by Shaklee Corporation, but have been gathered from environmental field experts. A surfactant/germicide combination will accomplish similar results on insects. But can you find a pair which work together and are non-toxic as well as biodegradeable?
 

---

More information about Basic H is available as linked below: 

Basic H® Classic Efficient, powerful, safe, biodegradable, and economical, the world's most versatile cleaner. Size: 30 gallon

Basic-G® Concentrated Germicide Excellent choice for use in the kitchen, bathroom, or pet area. EPA registered Size: 32 oz.

Basic H® Classic Efficient, powerful, safe, biodegradable, and economical, the world's most versatile cleaner. Size: 5 gallon

Week 6 - Cinch Diet Plan - Missing 20 pounds!

Progress: 20 lbs. lost in 6 weeks - Cinch Diet Plan

Started this Cinch Inch Loss Diet at 244lbs. Today: 224lbs. Almost 40% through the diet plan (4 months or 16 weeks).

And went down a waist size (at least.) Starting to see the 6-pack under that surface fat showing up. (Always knew they were there, just well insulated...)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'd shifted into a different diet and work activities. But dropping 8 pounds in a week is something new. (232lbs. last week.)

Again, what I did was to lower my calorie intake and boost my calorie burn rate. Less food, more exercise. And I still have plenty of energy for everything I want to do. Quite a bit of a difference. This seems to give me anecdotal support to the idea that all the fat you are carrying around is really just slowing down your metabolism. So the more fat you burn off, the easier it is to burn off more fat. (And so the easier it is to keep it off.)

And it meant I became familiar with what hungry was. Not ravenous, just knowing that I could eat - but didn't have to. I touched on this concept slightly in that last post, but could say more in this area. 

To my mind, a person has to be in touch with their body enough to know what thirst, hunger, and tiredness really are. And solve each according to its needs, not substituting something else. I've heard before that people eat when they are actually thirsty. And people toss back stimulating energy drinks when they are tired. You are really just putting extra calories away which will more likely turned into fat - which again slows you down.

My ideas at this point:

• When you're thirsty, drink water.
• Be hungry before every meal. If you aren't hungry, don't eat. Eat just enough to satisfy your hunger: don't overeat to feeling "stuffed". 
• When you're tired, either sleep or nap. Get up when you are rested or refreshed. 

Of course, this can play hob with any schedule. (It helps that I freelance and farm the rest of the day. I am my own boss.)

This is exactly why I took on the Cinch Transformation Challenge. I'll be seeing exactly what 4 months of this diet can do for a person. Since I blog, I'll keep this whole scene (mostly) going as a blow-by-blow. Or hope to, at any rate. 

I wanted to see if this stuff worked. It didn't hurt that I can always send back the empty boxes and get a full refund - no questions asked. So there was literally nothing to lose. Plus I got in on the special offer of the last month free - so it's a discount you can't pass up.

Again, what I changed this last week was the above. Especially in the afternoon and evening, if I wasn't hungry, I put off eating. Instead of eating the full meal bar, I'd eat half and save the remainder until later or the next day. Your snack bars are basically half of a meal bar. And different flavors. So that's another option. Oh, and the fruit I was eating in the evening was oranges. (Banana's have a higher fat content.)  This fills the need for "food" toward the evening - and the general rule is to eat essentially nothing after dinner. A low calorie fruit fits here. (I imagine celery would be another great option.)

My meals now are these:

• Breakfast is a Cinch Shake with a banana. (Occasionally, I throw in some cinnamon or use a different shake flavor - can't wait until our garden-fresh strawberries come in later this summer - and our peaches...)
• Mid morning snack (after farm chores) is my (big) mug of coffee with honey. And a peanut butter/jelly half-sandwich on whole wheat.
• Lunch is whatever, but I just watch the portions and keep it heavy on vegetables and lighter on meat portions.
• Afternoon is a tall iced glass of tea (kinda dilutes the Cinch Tea, but the flavor still comes through, as well as the energy it gives.) When I feel like it (about 3 hours or so later), I'll have a Cinch snack bar.
• Dinner is depending on how much I want to eat. It's becoming more of a half Cinch meal bar - or even none, if that snack bar was late enough in the day. (Eat only when you're hungry, remember?)
• Anything after dinner time (or within 3 hours before sleeping) is fruit - oranges.

And we'll see how this goes next week. I see my energy staying higher than before and I'm more interested in taking on various projects now which I was putting off due to lack of energy before. (I'm even considering tidying up and organizing the barn, it's gotten that extreme...) I'm not expecting to keep dropping 8 pounds a week - I figure that it's going to plateau at some level where my input and output match. Target right now is to get under 200lbs (I graduated high school at 185, mostly muscle, so that would be a good level to regain.)

Just hoping your diet is going as smoothly. Cheers!

Diet Plans: How your "Sugar Belly" is slowly killing you off

Diet Plans: Our Addiction to Sugar is our fat creator

What makes any diet plan hard to keep, and what makes our extra fat to begin with are one and the same. Sugar.

This one flavoring and additive is also what sells us the fast food, treats, and so on that is causing all out pre-diabetic conditions. However, we are the ones who buy this stuff, so don't think I'm going to get on a rant about the big, bad, corporate evils out there. Our bellies and thighs are what we did to ourselves. Even if your family has a heredity factor for being heavy-set - if you know about it, you can do something about it.

My sister brought me an article the other day that actually got me to stop everything until I'd read it completely through. (Rare in these days of Internet video's and scanning web pages.) I had gone for a blood screening our local Cattleman's Association put on (before I started this diet) and we were both stumped on what "triglycerides" were in the results. (They roughly measure sugar content in your blood.) This article was an eye opener.

I searched around and found it on Free Online Library, almost exactly like it was published. And I want to take some excerpts in review of it below (emphasis added):

You've heard of a beer belly. Now there's new evidence that the fructose in added sugars may send more of your extra calories to that bulge where your waist used to be.

For years, researchers have found a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, gout, and weight gain in people who consume more sugar-sweetened beverages. Now a flurry of new
studies suggests that our out-of-control sweet tooth is connected to our out-of-control belly fat.

And it's that kind of fat that may cripple the body's ability to use insulin, setting the stage for diabetes and heart disease.

Soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks, coffee drinks, cupcakes, cookies, muffins, doughnuts, granola bars, chocolate, ice cream, sweetened yogurt, cereal, candy. The list of sweet temptations is endless.

The average American now consumes 22 to 28 teaspoons of added sugars a day--mostly high-fructose corn syrup and ordinary table sugar (sucrose). That's 350 to 440 empty calories that few of us can afford.

How much added sugar is too much? Cutting back to 100 calories (6 1/2 teaspoons) a day for women and 150 calories (9 1/2 teaspoons) a day for men might mean slimmer waistlines and a lower risk of disease.

This is the key point. Look over what you are eating and see how much of it has been "sweetened". Tons of the stuff in almost everything we eat. And the "funny" part is that we've now been conditioned to think (Westernized) that food is supposed to be sweet all the time.

Clearly, too many calories from anything--sugary beverages, beer, burgers, fries, pizza, ice cream, or dozens of other foods--explains why many American waists have been replaced by a spare tire.

And studies haven't found that you'd gain more pounds from, say, 100 calories of added sugars than from 100 calories of other foods. But calories from fructose (which is found only in added sugars and fruit) may be more likely than other calories to aim for your waist.

To find out if fructose is destined to end up around your midsection, researchers compare fructose to glucose (which is found in added sugars but is also the building block of starches).

The first solid evidence came in 2009. Researchers gave 32 overweight or obese middle-aged men and women 25 percent of their calories from beverages sweetened with either fructose or glucose for 10 weeks. Both groups gained the same weight (about three pounds). But their new fat didn't all go to the same place.

"We saw an increase in visceral fat in people fed fructose," says study author Kimber Stanhope of the University of California, Davis.

Visceral (deep belly) fat is more closely linked to a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes than subcutaneous (just
below the skin) fat.

That's the rub. This deep belly fat is what is increasing our chances of getting heart disease and diabetes.

The link between diabetes and sugars is clearest when researchers look at sugary drinks.

"We summarized the results from eight studies," explains Harvard's Vasanti Malik. All told, the meta-analysis pooled
data on more than 300,000 people. (14) The results: "For each 12 oz. serving of a sugarsweetened beverage you drink per day, you're getting about a 15 percent increased risk for diabetes," says Malik. "So it really doesn't take much to increase your risk."

"Fewer studies have looked at cardiovascular disease," she observes. "But we found an increased risk."

When Malik and colleagues tracked 88,000 nurses for 24 years, those who consumed at least two sugar-sweetened beverages a day had a 35 percent higher risk of heart attack than those who drank less than one a month.

Sugar-sweetened-beverage drinkers also have a higher risk of the metabolic syndrome, which can lead to type 2 diabetes or heart disease. (14,16) (You have the metabolic syndrome if you have at least three of the following:

elevated blood sugar, blood triglycerides, blood pressure, or waist circumference, or low HDL cholesterol.)

If you thought this was bad, it's not just the deep belly fat we have to worry about - it's also the fat we're putting in our liver from all these over-sweetened foods.

...[T]he people who drank a liter a day of sucrose-sweetened cola didn't just have more visceral fat. Their liver and muscle fat more than doubled. ...

Why does liver fat matter? When the body stores fat anywhere but in fat cells, it's called "ectopic" fat. And ectopic fat, especially in the liver, means trouble.

"When liver fat levels go up, that may trigger the sequence of events that leads to insulin resistance," says Stanhope.

That's when insulin loses its ability to admit blood sugar into cells. It's often the first step on the road to diabetes or heart disease. The liver may also explain why fructose leads to higher levels of triglycerides.

"Fructose gets metabolized by the liver very quickly," says Welsh. "When there is more sugar than the liver can process, it converts the sugar to fat. Some of the fat goes into the bloodstream, and that's why we get elevated triglycerides."

What's more, in Stanhope's study, the fructose drinkers burned less fat (and more carbohydrate). "The body doesn't make fat and burn fat at the same time," she explains.
"In our study, fat oxidation got blocked every time people drank the fructose drink because that fructose is getting turned into fat."

Here's the bottom line - the more sugar you eat, the less the body has to digest and so it stores it all as fat. That fat (both deep belly and liver types) is actually preventing your body from normal function. So you are setting yourself up for illnesses and chronic diseases which will make your retirement a living hell on earth. (No wonder health insurance is so high.)

The point is that you are better off taking control of your life and living with a decent diet to begin with. Preventative medicine is where all this is heading. All the pills and surgeries are useless when you've already wrecked your health with lack of good choices and self-control.

So I continue with my Cinch diet plan. It's not easy, but it's effective and as good as they can possibly make it. Yes, all these shakes and teas and meal bars have some sort of sweetener in them to make them taste "good". However, the point with these is that you now are learning to eat less with your portions and be aware of the calories you are putting in your body. Since the diet shakes fill you up, plus the supplements give you the energy you need, you don't need to be constantly snacking and keeping "diet" drinks around.

As this Cinch Transformation scene continues, I'm finding out more and more about myself and how these things tend to work. I'm also finding out more about how the conventional wisdom of this society we live in is slowly decreasing our life spans.

Of course, and as usual, I don't expect you to take my word for all this. It's more that you need to do your own research.

And if you are really interested, I'd suggest you try the Cinch Starter Kit and see how these shakes and bars and such agree with you. 2 weeks worth, plus the measuring tape, odometer, and what not. If you like it, take the Transformation challenge.

Up to you - like everything in your life.

More information about the Cinch Inch-Loss Diet Plan can be found as linked below:

 
Learn about the real science behind the Cinch Diet Plan | Limited time offer: get one month free!
Earn Extra Income While You Lose Weight

 

Turnkey Business for Women - Low Risk, High Income?

Women's Income Opportunity - Turnkey Business Makes Sense

from http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500164_162-20045344-2.html

Jen Groover, author of "What If? and Why Not?: How to Transform Your Fears Into Action and Start the Business of Your Dreams," filled viewers in on some of what she deems well-worthy of consideration.

()

She says making money and starting your own business in your spare time doesn't have to be daunting.

Groover explains that a turnkey company "is essentially a company that is already set up for you. The operations and the products are ready to go. You have all of the tools and technology at your fingertips, so essentially, you are given everything and just have to "turn the key" to get started. These companies are very low risk because you're working with brands that have been built over generations, so you already have the brand-value there which is one of the biggest concerns for a new business owner to create. You'll also get personal discounts on the product you're selling and, many have web support, education support and meetings with other people who are working with the organization who can help you learn and grow.

"They're really for anyone. Why I love all of the companies I'm going to talk about so much is because they can work for you and how well you do at them really depends upon the amount of time you want to put into them. You could start one of these businesses as a stay-at-home mom, but then it can turn into something that makes you a lot of money where you're doing it full time if you want to, building yourself a true business for decades to come. You could even start one of these companies as a hobby. People that go at these companies aggressively have built their own empires, hiring their own sales forces and are making good money.

Groover says there are three things every woman should consider before choosing a turnkey company:

No. 1, choose something you're passionate about. You can't sell something you don't believe in. Choose a company whose mission you believe in.

No. 2, know what it takes to get involved. For some, it's $25. For others, it might be $250. You really need to consider the costs.

Third, you really want to assess the tools that will be available to you that you feel you'll need to support you in getting things done.

Shaklee

The key thing to know about Shaklee is that it is the No. 1 natural nutrition company in the US and is focused on creating the most sustainable and effective whole health product on the planet. To get started, Shaklee offers a full kit of products for $600. They also have a less expensive kit at $300 (with slightly fewer products), but there's also the ability for new distributors to start for $40...but for that price they only receive business materials (no products). Under their compensation plan, people earn between 20-50 percent and have the ability to participate in a car payment program, trips and other cash bonuses.

Their sweet spot is women aged 35-45 that have come out of the workplace or want to come out of the workplace and create their own businesses.

These are people that have a passion for healthy living and understand that the things they put in, on and around their bodies make a difference in their long term health. Their key product categories include Healthy Nutrition (core and targeted health solutions), Healthy Weight (weight management), Healthy Home (natural non toxic cleaning products) and Healthy Beauty (personal care products).

If you're interested in starting a turnkey business, click here for more information.

Facebook - the Useless Time Suck

The Results are In: Facebook is a Useless Time Suck.

A Manifesto of sorts.

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]Now, if you know me, you also know that I rarely get strident about something unless it somehow runs across what I feel passionate about.

I am passionate about honestly helping people, and have made it my work this life to do so. If you look up my back-trail, you'll see that this is mostly all I've done. Of course, I'm made my mis-steps in following this or that trail down, but you won't find me honestly decieving people in the name of help.

That's really why I write and draw funny pictures (caricatures and cartoons). If I can help someone have a better day or improve their lives somehow, then it's worth it - completely regardless of whether I've ever earned income with it.

Scammers who come across my lines tend to get a rough time of it. Sure, I have some skin invested in getting scammers gone - but I learned that no law or government will do anything effective about it. However, when you educate someone about how scams work and how to get free from scams (free download), then they no longer fall for scams.

Before I explain why I'm quitting Facebook (again), let me tell you some facts I've figured out along the line. (Now don't take these as Gospel or anything else. Please reject them utterly. Your own truth is what you have to prove for yourself. The most expensive advice is free.)

1. The world is what you think it is. That comes from the oldest surviving philosophy on this planet. It is the basis for all self-help and religions as well. Your attitude creates the world  you live in. And as Jesus said, Heaven is already within you. So if you are surrounded by Hell on Earth, you might consider changing what your attitudes are about the people in your life.

2. Politics is a useless time suck. Government isn't actually vital or necessary. In these days, it's mostly set up so small minorities can get their way and enforce expensive requirements on everyone else. The days of the Big Steel Trusts is over - so why do we have government-sponsored and protected unions? Some "reverends" who don't have a church can get people to march all over the place and intimidate companies so that they give special favors to their chosen minority. But like the statistics show with lotteries - if you don't know how to manage money and are given a million dollars, you'll wind up poorer than you started. People who are poor have made poor choices. People who are rich have made smart choices. As I read today, "If the government gives you something, that means it took from someone else."

Tonight in our house, we decided to simply turn off the national news as it's going to be filled with political garbage from here on out. And we vote every election. But it doesn't mean we have to listen to garbage in our own home. (Local news is different, since they are going to hear from someone if they do something stupid. National news is too stupid to listen.)

3. Most people (statistically, it's 97%) out there are following conventional wisdom like sheep being chased through a pasture. That's why it's called "conventional wisdom". And any good herdsman (or "community organizer") can get a flock to go wherever they want. (As long as they have some mindful dogs with sharp teeth on the flanks.) 

Conventional Wisdom is full of lies which keep people from succeeding. And so we have the ongoing concern with "getting a job" or "getting a good education" or "affordable insurance". But if you think these through, you'll see that the highest taxes are paid by individuals with jobs. And they take it out before you see it - even if you get a refund, they don't refund the interest they made on your money while they had it.  If you want to keep your money, study books by Kiyosaki 

Every person who has ever gotten "rich" in this country did it on their own. They quit following the current "conventional wisdom" and learned by looking and testing their way.

and others, who will tell you the tax laws are the policy the government issued to tell you how to make your money. Work for yourself, on a contract basis. Have no employees. Set your business up as an LLC or corporation and then only pay taxes on profit (after you invest and pay operating costs.) [Note: check with a reputable accountant or financial planner and you'll find that they'll begrudingly tell you this is true - but don't act on what I say until you've done your own homework. Mileage can vary. Poor choices will make and keep you poor.]

Conventional Wisdom in Farming keeps farmers poor. Because they think they have to use expensive fertilizers and pesticides/herbicides to raise crops. And buy huge equipment, farm huge acres. Grass Fed Beef is the cheapest protein to raise, and can take no more acreage than the feedlots and corn/soybean fields already used. Plus, it's mostly done on marginal land that can't raise conventional crops. Takes some study, but can be gotten to the point where no inputs are required besides fencing - and checking them twice a day. But you can write off walking among them as exercise, can't you? What studies I've done on conventional crops shows that they can be farmed with organic (note the small "o" with no government trademark) and natural methods, following how Nature has done it since before history started being recorded.

And there is no logic in what stands for Conventional Wisdom in government. Smart people go there and do very stupid things. For the most part, deal with people on your own local level, as they interpret what goes on in our government centers. Never take any money or favors from someone in government is a good general policy. As above, they only can give to you by taking from someone else. And vote for the person who thinks most like you - and then hold their feet to the fire to vote the way you think they should. But don't let politics decide anything for you.

Jesus the Christ made a living with no job, no house, and didn't even own the clothes he wore. Yet changed the lives of billions forever. If you only took what Jesus actually said (as close as we can figure it) you'd do well. Not what came after, but just the "letters in red".

Spammers make their living because they figured out how to herd sheep so they could be sheared.

4. So it follows that "popular" applications like Facebook just suck time (and other things.) Statistically, they only ever reach about 50% in a given country, and then start declining. However, the majority of the people on there use it for what? Name one invention or charitable cause which has sprung as the result of interaction on Facebook. Anything which has used Facebook or some other social media to forward a cause wasn't invented or organized as part of any Facebook interaction. Only in spite of.

Facebook (and Google) make their money from advertising. Yes, that's the stuff blockers are made for - and what people have been training themselves to ignore. Advertising is based on the same points spammers abuse. People can be herded this way and that according to how they are programmed by conventional wisdom through their lives.  Advertising is just another set of sheep herders. And why (like news media) they aren't trusted or listened to very much.  With DVR's, people now simply fast-forward through the ads, even in spite of the programming some of them have to stop that. (It used to be that you could also record with out the ads, but they figured out how you had to do that at least.)

A couple of weeks of experimenting have showed me (again) that it takes an intense amount of input into Facebook to get any result from it at all. And that result isn't in terms of getting products sold, just that you get some popularity for whatever you said or did. But you can't spend popularity.

I run a site for Grass Fed Beef, which I've recently expanded to include Shaklee health supplements - a logical extension. How many people do you think ever bought beef or supplements from me by what I did on Facebook? None. Zip. Zilch.

Facebook is a lovely walled garden where you can spend time and money and get nothing. You simply return to your day job for the rest of your waking ours. It's not the real world, and it isn't the real Internet. It is another MySpace.

It is like the model of the Insurance salesperson who joined every club in town. Because by meeting all these people and gaining their trust, you would then be the one they turned to as they felt they needed insurance. (But insurance is a racket I don't even need to go into here.) The point is that you don't do deals inside Facebook, but outside, in the real world. You can meet people and chat with them and gain their trust there - but you have to take it outside FB in order to do the deal.

All the articles and studies I've done about Facebook simply tell this same story - you can't get there from here. Corporations spend money to "brand" themselves online this way. But they get a "tax write-off" for advertizing. Small businesses don't have the personnel to spend on "social activities" like this. Sure, have a page. And get your blog posts sent to Facebook if you figure it out on your own.

Facebook makes their money on you visiting and spending time there.

It doesn't make anyone money except for itself.

It's a time suck.

I don't know about you, but I've got a lot better things to do.

Contact me via one of my blogs. Don't try to reach me via Facebook - I won't be there.

Succeed in Network Marketing Without Screwing Friends and Family

You can Succeed In Network Marketing - and Help Friends and Family TOO

Profile: Penh and Lyna Lo

The key point to the below - as you weed out all the specialized terms - is that there is at least one legitimate Network Marketing outfit which isn't simply a pyramid scheme. When you deal in real products with an actual guarantee - then you get out of the "scam" territory and into actually helping those around you to improve their lives. Do your own due diligence. Then decide for yourself. (From the Power of Shaklee, April 5th 2012)

A Dream That Can Be Shared

Penh and Lyna Lo (Senior Executive Coordinators, MN) were looking for a company they could trust. Through a friend of a friend, Penh learned about Shaklee and after a lot of questions, they joined in September 2011. Within their first six months, they were promoted to Senior Executive Coordinator and earned $9,000 in FastTRACK bonuses, two trips and a Dream Car bonus. But more than that, in Shaklee, they have found a company they can share with others.

In February of 2008 we had less than $500. Our oldest was 11 months old, our financial world was imploding and we were desperately looking for an opportunity. Penh dove into the network marketing industry and started to rebuild our family’s finances. We became involved in a travel company, and although we made quick cash, our friends and family never experienced the same success that we did. We felt that we had sold them a dream of financial freedom that would never become their reality.

After that experience, Penh promised our family and friends that he would always do his due diligence before sharing an opportunity with them and he personally apologized to everyone he sponsored and their downlines. Penh reentered into the work force and for over three and a half years, while working full time, he thoroughly researched the network marketing industry, went to a lot of presentations, and looked at a lot of companies.

Penh was introduced to Shaklee by a woman who was not in Shaklee and through her, he met Keith Snelson (Associate, MN) who introduced him to Muzafer Najfi (Senior Executive Coordinator, MN). Penh attended one of Muzafer's presentations and by chance, Bo Short (Master Coordinator, VA) was also presenting that evening. Penh was one of only two guests there, but he believes he was in the right place at the right time. The other guest left, but Penh stayed, listened and did his due diligence. After the presentation, Muzafer spent another two hours with Penh answering all his questions. Then we took another two and a half weeks to research Shaklee and made the decision to sponsor in September 2011.

We’ve made some sacrifices but it was well worth it. Almost seven months later, we’re experiencing the success we were looking for…with Shaklee. Penh was able to replace his salary, we qualified for two trips – the Dream 2012 Incentive Trip to the Mayan Rivera and the Spring 2012 New Directors Conference, and we earned a Dream Car bonus. But the best part is that other people on our team are experiencing success as well! Thanks to Shaklee, we are able to offer a real opportunity to our family and those who trust us.

Additional References:

PDF: The Dream Plan - How it Works
PDF: Rewards Brochure
PDF: First Step Brochure
Presentation: Live Your Dreams Narrated Presentation
Video: Your First 48 Hours

Shaklee Link to Join Now

Any questions? Contact Us

We want you to succeed. So if you have any questions, here's the number and name of the person to call:

Scott Batts - 573-473-6148

Cinch Weight Loss Offer Continued...

News: Cinch Diet Plan Special Extended!

 

Over the weekend, they released an extension to the special. This means that the "4 months for 3" deal is back on.

Until July 31, anyone can sign up for this great offer and get a fourth month of Cinch free for buying 3 months-worth. That brings the monthly cost down to about $225.

Now, if you still aren't certain this diet plan is the best one for you, there are still several options:

1) Sign up with a $70 purchase and get the free Cinch Sampler pack.

2) Or get the Cinch Starter Kit to try out the diet for 2 weeks. (And get the free tape measure, odometer, and diet plan software - all included.)

3) Or - just take the dive like I did and go ahead and commit to changing your life with 4 months of filling, energy-filled supplements. 

OK, that's quite a pitch, I know. You'll have to excuse me. After ten days and seeing both pound and inches disappear, I can get excited about this stuff.

But figure that you can pay for this with the money you save on fast food, as well as the meals you don't have to buy. And if you stick to it, the only problem you will have is that those thinner clothes in your closet are going to welcome you again. (Hope they aren't out of style too much...)

And don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.  All the data you need is located at that last link.

Untitled

Researching Tasty Diet Shakes - Heart Healthy and Tasty

In pounding around looking to see how I could keep from getting bored with my Cinch Weight Loss Shakes, I was looking for recipes which included stuff (ingredients) I could put in them which wouldn't add calories.

The Program Guide which comes with the Cinch Tranformation Kit, has a long list of ingredients (stuff) you could add easily. Now, before I quote this list, I'll have to tell you that some of these would have to be very imaginatively added in order to make a tasty, appetizing shake:

•      Water •      Vinegar •      Carbonated water •      Wine in cooking •      Club soda •      Mustard •      Mineral water •      Worcestershire sauce •      Coffee (black) •      Garlic •      Tea •      Herbs •      Lemon juice •      Parsley •      Lime juice •      Pepper •      Spices •      Lettuce (endive, escarole, leaf varieties, romaine, or iceberg) •      Alfalfa sprouts •      Pimento

•      Horseradish •      Bean sprouts •      Hot pepper sauce •      Celery •      Soy sauce •      Watercress •      Butter flavoring (e.g. Butter Buds) •      Onion / green onion •      Barbecue sauce (1–2 tbsp.) •      Mushrooms •      Ketchup (1–2 tbsp.) •      Bouillon or broth (fat free) •      Teriyaki sauce (1 tbsp.) •      Dill pickles (1 1/2 large) •      Sweet pickles (2 slices) •      Cocoa powder, unsweetened (1 tbsp.) •      Salsa (1/4 cup)     •      Nonstick pan spray •      Chicory •      Sweet & sour sauce (1 tbsp.)

Of course, this is all well and good. I had this data for awhile, but what prompted me to do something with it was when a friend forwarded me an email from http://www.independentlivingnews.com/category/healthedge/ which talked about the health benefits of Cinnamon.

Here's some of what they cover in this article:

Cinnamon Controls Blood Sugar

Perhaps the best known health benefit of cinnamon is its effect on blood sugar.

In studies, taking just a small amount of cinnamon a day helped patients with type-2 diabetes to better control their blood sugar. In less than two months of taking 1 to 6 grams of cinnamon each day, patients saw up to a 29 percent reduction in their fasting blood sugar.

That's an impressive improvement for such a small amount of cinnamon. For people with high-normal levels of blood sugar – a precursor to full-blown diabetes and troubling health issue on its own – that may be enough to restore you to normal blood-sugar levels and stave off further problems.

Cinnamon Lowers Cholesterol Levels, Too.

In the same study, patients taking a daily dose of cinnamon also enjoyed a significant improvement in their cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In the cinnamon group, triglyceride levels dropped by up to 30 percent, on average, and LDL cholesterol levels dropped by up to 27 percent. Patients taking a placebo saw no change in their cholesterol or blood sugar levels.

People with type-2 diabetes are at higher risk of heart disease, so the fact that cinnamon helps improve your cholesterol levels is important to know.

Getting a Daily Boost at Essentially No Cost

Cinnamon isn't just for people with diabetes. It also provides everyday health benefits.

For example, did you know that cinnamon can give you an afternoon energy boost? In a study conducted at Wheeling Jesuit University, researchers found that participants who indulged in a cinnamon-spiced treat or who even just smelled cinnamon did better on tests that demanded attention and cognitive ability.

Relief from Pain

Another everyday benefit of cinnamon is relief from arthritis pain. Arthritis sufferers who consumed a half-teaspoon of cinnamon mixed with a tablespoon of honey experienced significant relief from arthritis pain within one week of daily use. Within 40 days, they enjoyed significant improvements in overall function and could walk without pain.

And, as usual, your mileage may vary considerably. I had been using cinnamon in my morning oatmeal for to keep the sinuses and respiratory systems clear. It's just great to find out how this spice can help other things as well. The great thing is that this spice is calorie-free, so it's a great way to "spice up" your diet shake.

Chocolate Orange Smoothie 

2 scoops Shaklee Cinch Shake Mix (chocolate)
10 ounces of water OR unsweetened Soy Milk *
1 snack-size container of mandarin oranges (about 1/2 c.)
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon **

Add a few cubes of ice and blend well in a blender. Enjoy!!!

* It is not recommended using regular milk with this recipe as diary products do not mix well with citrus fruits or juices and although they taste just fine, they tend to separate.
** Cinnamon is a well known appetite-suppressant.

---

 

More information about the Cinch Inch-Loss Diet Plan can be found as linked below:

 
Learn about the real science behind the Cinch Diet Plan | Limited time offer: get one month free!
Earn Extra Income While You Lose Weight

My Men's Diet Program Results & Review

My Cinch Diet Plan Weight Loss Progress

One week of regular use shows results. And some of my residual skepticism is laid to rest.

At Cinchclub.com, I recorded my measurements, a few days after I actually started the diet. (This is accessible there under Your Profile.)

Today, after 10 days on the diet, I revisited this page. (Why not a week? Because I've been busy - all that energy I have now.) And you can see by the screenshot what my progress was. (That picture can be opened in a new window - right click - to see it larger if you want.)

It's not that I lost 4 pounds, but also that some other sizes started shrinking as well. What I measure for my waist is actually my gut. That's what I want to lose. When my pants get noticeably too loose, then I'll know it already. (I have a target pair of pants I want to fit back into, BTW. A real acid test.)

The surprise was that I'd lost some inches here and there I wasn't noticing. Arm and thigh stayed the same (like I said, I work on the farm every day - and don't really want to lose muscle) but my chest got smaller as well as my hips and waist.

So this is all good news. And I'll celebrate by - staying on the diet. Well, I'm going to check out some new shake recipes and maybe invent some more.

I went ahead and got that "Magic Bullet" blender. There were others on the market, but they were either harder to clean out or more expensive with fewer features. Main reason I switched from my earlier one was that I had to use a tall (20oz.) glass and hold onto it while I mixed - since I only got a stirrer with a motor attached. With the "Magic Bullet", you simply pour everything into one of their clear plastic jars, screw on the lid and press it into the mixer. Easy to clean, plus you can do it one-handed. (So naturally, I promote what works for me.)

More information about the Cinch Inch-Loss Diet Plan can be found as linked below:

 
Learn about the real science behind the Cinch Diet Plan | Limited time offer: get one month free!
Earn Extra Income While You Lose Weight

 

And more information is available from Amazon about that Magic Bullet:

Cinch Diet Plan - Only Eat When You're Hungry...

Are you eating when you're hungry, or because you're "supposed to?"

I've pulled this article from Cinchclub.com as I've run into this recently. (You might have to sign in to read it.) Only when I started the Cinch diet did I actually come to the table hungry and ready to eat something. Before that, with all the various snacks I was eating, I was never really hungry - so was simply keeping some extra fat around (and I just saw another article about what is stored along with that fat.)

And that's a key point. We are over-eating ourselves to death. Literally. If you are paying to have a doctor see you every year for some illness, then you are paying for something you could have prevented. The other day I saw a lady (yes, she was overweight/obese) who pulled almost 2 dozen different pills out of her purse so she could go over her daily regimen with a technician-specialist. But we know that Type 2 Diabetes is preventable if they are just caused by diet. That coronary conditions are preventable if they are just caused by diet. And the list goes on.

If it's not hereditary, then you can probably do something to keep from having that disease (and even if it is...) Because overweight is what's causing most of these "epidemic" illnesses in our adults and our kids.

Too often we are eating because it's that time of day, not because we really need food in our system. With snack machines and coffee shops and fast food joints all over the place, it's too easy to get someone else to sell you something that the body doesn't need and isn't useful (and meanwhile adding artery-clogging fat into your system, too much high-blood-pressure salt, and/or too much adrenal-gland-stimulating sugar.)

You actually can save money by cutting out the pre-processed, junk, and convenience foods - more than you'd really need to pay for quality supplements. (See this page about how much a Cinch shake costs compared to a Big Mac meal or a Starbucks and scone, or even a Subway sandwich.)

What I realized with this diet is that food actually started tasting better because I was hungry enough to want it. And the body rewards you for treating it right, doesn't it?

But I wasn't starving, and I have plenty of energy all day - until it's time to sleep. And that is the difference I've seen with reviews of other diets. Cinch keeps you full enough to not want to have to eat something else. I wouldn't think a single shake or a meal bar would ever keep me - but they do. Day in and day out.

Satisfied.

Like it should be.

Knowing True Hunger

Are you hungry? Sounds like a simple question doesn't it? But the truth is most of us eat in response to environmental triggers instead of responding to true biological hunger. We learn early on that it's sometimes better to eat everything on the plate instead of struggle with mom or dad, or to suffer through a plate of broccoli so we can have dessert. We learn to eat because food smells good, it's "lunch time," or because we are bored. As a result, we ignore our own body signals and eat whether we are truly hungry or not.

So do you know what your biological signals for hunger are? Is it a mild stomach growling, an empty feeling inside, or something else? Take some time to identify what your body's first signs of hunger are. Use the following hunger-rating chart to assess where you usually start eating and where you stop.

10. Thanksgiving stuffed
9. so full it hurts
8. feeling quite full
7. starting to feel uncomfortable
6. slightly ate too much
5. just right, you feel comfortable
4. first signs it's time to eat
3. strong signs that it's time to eat
2. very hungry, cranky
1. extremely hungry, dizzy and weak

If you start eating at a "5" or higher, you are eating for external reasons and not because you are biologically hungry. On the other hand, if you wait too long to eat and you start eating at a "1" or a "2," you were overly hungry and most likely will end up overeating. Starting to eat at a "3" or "4" is perfect. At this level, your body is telling you that it's time for some nourishment but not to eat the entire box or bag of something.

If you stop at a "6" or above, you are overeating (when we eat because of external reasons, we tend to overeat). It's also important to remember that if you overeat even healthy foods, those extra calories will be converted to fat and stored in your body. You should aim to stop eating at a "5," when you are feeling perfectly comfortable. At this level, you have taken in the right amount of food to nourish your body, but not too much so that it will be stored as fat.

Review: Free Online Weight Lost Center - Cinch Club

Cinch Club - Free Online Weight Loss Center

Of the two online weight loss centers which Shaklee provides, the Cinchclub.com is the free one. And what we'll review today.

It's remarkably easy to sign up for. (Did I mention it's free?!?) And behind the login as a real wealth of data.

And we could spend all day just talking about the points that are available here. But I haven't gotten through all of them yet, myself.

Of course there the forums, where you can interact with like-minded people. But the recipes are great - to both get your weight and size down to where you want it, and also to train yourself in low-calorie-but-great-tasting ways to keep it there. Well over 60 different ones, many of them weight loss shake and smoothie recipes. Plus, they're all PDF's for easy download and printing. I hope to share many of these with you in the coming months.

The articles is another high point, however. Just that one in the image above is something else. Did you know that if you eat just before sleeping, your body tries to burn it off like you are awake? This could be the reason for all those wild dreams. And then, being tired the next day, you're wanting to eat more as your metabolism is lousy. Perfect diet-buster. Lesson? Keep to a schedule which has the last food at least 3 hours before sleeping. Again, I hope to excerpt these as I review this site later.

A next section to investigate (and there are so many options, a great site overall) is their Resources section - which is linked at the top of every page.

A really useful link is that "Meal Plans" section above. You select your goal (lose weight or maintain weight), then what type of meal (regular, no dairy, no red meat, lacto-ovo-vegetarian) and then calorie level (1200, 1500, 1800, or 2100). When you click on Get Meal Plan, then a pdf comes up, ready to download.

Recipes and articles are also linked here, only you get right to the "View All" page. 

Up at the top, you can see a "Cinch-U", which is 12 weeks worth of courses that you can take to learn all about dieting and what you need to know to succeed. The first week is open to anyone (who doesn't want to sign up free) and tells you simply how the Cinch Inch Loss diet plan works, plus why you should exercise and how to create SMART goals. And there's a simple test after each one which tracks your progress.

Again, more to tell you about later as we go through this together. (I'll stick to the diet if you keep reading this blog...)

Over further, you'll see the forum. I was intersted to see that this is a pretty active forum, with people signing up every few days. And there are many posts coming in. I see several for this month and a couple just today - as I write this. What's great about the forum is that you can help others and help yourself. Looking through the posts, I see that people are keeping this posting in as a way to hold themselves accountable.

One thing I'd suggest you check out is their Expert Q&A under the Community Section. It's huge.

If that's the only reason for signing up to this free site, it would be enough. All the rest is gravy.

Well, I'd have to give this site an "A" rating. Everything is easy to find and all the questions I can think of right off have been answered (or made easily available.)

I'd suggest you check it out, too - regardless of what diet you are on. Or if you're dieting at all. Might give you a reason to start - and definitely will give you a reason to keep going.

Diet Plan Shakes - Cinch Program Begins

My Diet Plan Starts Well with Shakes

Well, I've gotten going. A friend told me to not overthink it, just get going. Of course, I took the whole kit over to my upline Shaklee sponsor Scott and we did a video (as I blogged yesterday), so  you know I got the quick overview.

I've still yet to dig through the tiny type of their program manual, hoping I can find it online in some version. And I did - it's a Nxtbook, which Shaklee loves (as they can update it easily, so their online catalog is set up in one of these). Now, if you want your own copy, you can select print, and then either save it to your desktop or even get a PDF version.

So I'm working with that PDF version, as the original has very tiny type and my middle-aged eyes would like something easier to see in dim light. I can zoom it up as much as I need it (plus, as a web developer, I long ago learned to "harvest" content from almost any format - which means I can quote parts of this easily as I review it for you.)

Now, as I was saying that video covers a lot of ground. In this blog, I can break it down to smaller bites.

What you really get is just enough to get you through the month. Maybe.

• 2 jugs of Cinch powder @ 15 servings each, 1 box of packets with another 14 = 44 meals.
• 2 boxes of meal-in-a-bar, which are 7 servings each, so another 14 meals.
• You need 2 meals a day for 30 days, or 60 meals - this gives you 58.One day shy.
• Now, the snack bars are 3 boxes, 10 per box, so you are going to use 1 a day for 30 days. (Afternoons.)
• Pomegranate tea is 28 in a box, so you'll run out even at one per day.
• Same with the 3-in-1 Cinch capsules - 84, so thats 28 days again (3 per day). 

Every month isn't February, and many have 31 days, so this is a bit tight. Now I started almost a week late, but even then, I'll be lacking by my 4th month, meaning I'm going to have to order something extra. Probably that sampler pack of snacks and another jug of Cinch.

Just so you know.

Now, I haven't called them up, but I didn't get the tape measure, pedometer, or shaker. Thought that was part of the deal (like the picture above.) Means I need to call them. My sponsor found an extra tape measure, so that's something. The rest I can do without (although I would like to find how many steps/miles I walk daily around the farm.)

Results so far:

Very filling each meal. Very.

As I see it, the deal is that this stuff fills you up while you work on getting your mind around having smaller portions at meals.  But I haven't had any trouble being full - usually it's the reverse. 

Only drawback is that I haven't figured out how to get coffee into this scene. Now I was already noticing that coffee has a bit of heartburn going along with it. Unless you eat some bread of some type to absorb the extra acid.

1st day, I drank my usual big mug of coffee right after my shake, since I didn't "feel" full. Big mistake. Tasted it for hours.

2nd day, I still "felt" like I needed something after the shake, so I waited and drank it when I usually got my second mug, right after checking the cows. Same reaction, only less.

3rd day - figuring it was having the shake in my stomach was causing the problem, I drank the coffee solo, then had the shake when I came in. Result: coffee on an empty stomach. Not ideal, to say the least.

So, tomorrow it's going to be just the shake, and then move the tea up into the morning if I still need something. Otherwise, just stick with water. As I've noticed before, I don't "need" coffee to get going in the morning, it's just that I "like" it. (And both of those phrases can be used to describe an addiction, BTW.)

My sponsor said that the first week, I was going to be kicked around all over the place. And that is happening.

I have found that "real" food tastes much better. Much. And I'm actually hungry when I come for a meal.

It's really pointing out the problem: that we've been over-fed and undernourished. Like feeding low-quality hay to cows in the winter. You can actually starve them to death with a full stomach. Not enough energy to get them going and keep them that way.

Our fast-food mentality (I saw one reference today that our diets are consisting of over 60% highly processed food) - is what really points to the problem we have. 

A diet is the mental game as much as the physical.

And so the shakes and meal bars are a way to break off the habit with a completely different way of eating. When you are buying prepared meals, someone else is thinking through the process. So coming off the diet and back to the real world is more of a bear. By eating totally different food, you are giving both mind and body a chance to adjust. Then when you go back, your stomach is much smaller and you are now looking at being full while eating almost nothing. And after 4 months of this, you essentially are set up to succeed with smaller portions.

Of course, you are also going to need to keep your nutrition up, so this means if you haven't been sold on Shaklee products by then, get ready to be. Figure one shake a day from here on out, plus some quality natural vitamins as well. But the good thing is that they make a lot of shakes in different versions, most of which are cheaper than Cinch. Same with vitamins.

Unless you are raising some very, very healthy food in your garden, figure quality natural-based vitamins are going to be in your future from here on out.

But the great part is - once you're weaned off fast food and Starbucks, you are saving more than enough to pay for what you need to be eating instead. And if you're getting some great lean (grassfed) beef like we raise, then you can have your garden-fresh vegetables and get everything you need.

Well, tomorrow is another day.

My Cinch Inch Transfomation Kit Arrives - Video!

The Cinch Diet Plan Transformation has Begun!

I got the package in a couple of days ago, but waited to get with my sponsor Scott - and videoed it so we could all get the data.

You have to see in this (other than some editing) this is pretty unrehearsed. (Yes, we both talk this fast in real life...)

The point is to bring it to you so you could see what exactly is in the package - since I haven't found anywhere else online where someone brings this up.

As well, Scott has a wealth of data on this - hard to believe he's been active in Shaklee just over a year or so.  But this is exactly what I wanted - to know how to get started right off and not have to read a bunch of stuff to make it make sense.

So here's where we rolled this out - just for you:

 

Just in case you need them, here's the links for the Cinch Inch Loss Transformation Kit, plus their special Cinch Sampler Kit you can get for free - just for signing up.

Studies of Weight Loss Shakes

Weight Loss Shakes and Studies: Shaklee Cinch Inch Loss Program

With Shaklee's 50-year background in vitamin research and quality-checking, it should be no surprise that when it upgraded it's diet program more testing was involved.

According to Wikipedia: "A landmark nutrition study published in the peer-reviewed Nutrition Journal (October 24, 2007) led by a Nobel Laureate in Nutrition compared users of Shaklee vitamins and supplements with users of leading multivitamins and people who took no vitamins or supplements over a 20 year period. The study showed Shaklee users "to have markedly better health as measured by higher blood levels of key nutrients, more optimal levels of key health biomarkers, and lower prevalence of diabetes and elevated blood pressure." As a group the Shaklee users "were 73% less likely to have diabetes and 39% less likely to have elevated blood pressure than non-users. Also, this group was less likely to have suboptimal blood nutrient concentrations, and more likely to have favorable levels of key biomarkers including serum homocysteine, C-reactive protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides than either non-users or multivitamin/mineral users."

It's leading weight control program is known as the Cinch Inch Loss Program, has an emphasis on not just weight, but also inches of fat reduced. Shaklee has long been  involved in sports nutrition, having sponsoreda top-ranked professional cycling team, and its supplements used by numerous Olympic and sports athletes. Shaklee has also supplied adventure teams, such as Jacque Cousteau's and also supplied a customized re-hydration beverage to NASA Shuttle astronauts since 1993 - which continues today.

In their studies of athletic performance, a key amino acid (building blocks for protein) was found to help maintain muscle mass of athletes and so maintain their condition - leucine. Researchers had noted that diets for weight loss were remarkably different than diet top athletes used for routinely high performance.

To understand how leucine works, it's important to first take a closer look at this dreaded diet cycle. You know the drill. You go on a diet, and since most diets are nutritionally inadequate, you generally feel hungry and have no energy.

But worse than how you feel, is what's happening to your body. When you significantly reduce your calorie intake, it triggers what's called the "famine response." Your body thinks it's starving and goes looking for energy anywhere it can find it - including your muscle. So not only do you feel bad, but instead of just losing fat, you are losing muscle too.

Now, why is that a problem? Well, muscle is the core of your metabolism. It burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolism and the more calories you burn in a day. Less muscle means a lower metabolism and fewer calories burned.

And things only get worse when you go off your diet and go back to your old eating habits. Because your metabolism has been lowered by this loss of muscle mass, you regain the weight you lost, AND you don't get all that muscle back. The weight that you regain is body fat.

With each successive diet you actually end up shrinking your muscle mass and your calorie-burning capacity. And each time you stop dieting, you usually gain back more fat. So, your metabolism keeps getting lower and your body fat keeps going higher. Does this sound familiar? Remember that muscle equals metabolism, and it's so important to preserve your muscle mass as you reduce your calories to lose weight. This will maximize your body's calorie burning potential.

And that's where this remarkable program from Shaklee comes into the picture. The Cinchﾮ Inch Loss Plan is powered by a proprietary blend of protein - enhanced with leucine - that is designed to help you break the diet cycle.

Leucine is an amino acid that directly stimulates muscle protein synthesis. This means leucine helps you retain muscle mass.

Researchers have been studying leucine's role in muscle metabolism for over 30 years. And body builders have used supplemental leucine to help gain and maintain muscle mass. However, more recently, leucine has been evaluated for its role in weight management because of this function in preserving lean tissue during periods of reduced calorie intake.

The research sounded promising, but to be sure the Shaklee science team ran its own research, a pilot study in the Fall of 2005 to specifically test the Cinchﾮ Inch Loss program. The study participants followed our program for 12 weeks and the results were even better than we expected.

Participants lost over 15 pounds, and 4.1 inches around their waist and 2.6 inches around their hips on average. But the best part? The study subjects showed 100% preservation of fat-free muscle mass.

Now, there's more to the Cinch Inch Loss Plan than just weight loss shakes. The point is to keep you feeling full, with enough energy to do whatever you want while your body adjusts to less mass intake. There are teas, food bars, and a vitamin supplement. But that will need to be the subject of an additional article.

More information about the Cinch Inch-Loss Diet Plan can be found as linked below:

 
Learn about the real science behind the Cinch Diet Plan | Introductory sampler now available.

Related Weight-Loss Articles:

• Finding the Best Weight Loss Diet Program

• Comparing Weight Loss Plans

• Weight Loss Shakes

• Cinch Weight Loss Supplements

• 10 Healthy Fat Loss Diet Reasons

• Healthy Diet Plan FAQs

• Healthy Recipes for Weight Loss

• Weight Loss Centers - Advice

• Weight Loss Programs for Men

• Video Success: Tasha Starr

• Cinch Diet Plan Webinar

• Obesity Treatment

• Home-Based Business?!?

• Still Got Questions?

• Need Help to Get Started?