Okay, so I fell off the Bandwagon....but, I'm a Weight Loss Junkie again!

Excuses....

Last week I fell off the bandwagon - big time! I drank Diet Coke instead of Liv SXinney. I ate chocolate instead of vegetables. I overloaded on carbohydrates and ate very little protein. In other words, I REALLY screwed up! My reason, or rather, my excuse, was I was stressed out and doing taxes.

I was stressed out. That's certainly the truth. Because I had procrastinated, I had to collect and organize over $20,000 in receipts! I was emailing companies I had purchased from, calling them, begging them to send me receipts and invoices. I was frantic as I searched through credit card and bank statements. In the process, I simply made bad choices. In fact, I chose to fall into the trap of excuses.

The Side Effects of Bad Choices

Besides not losing any weight, I felt tired, stressed, sick and exhausted. What I realized was that I actually had something to compare with how I have been feeling these past few months since I started my Liv SXinney program.

Okay, I'm not Sharing Needles...

I am a Liv SXinney JUNKIE! I know I need to drink my little green concoction to lose weight and feel good. It's what has worked for me in the shortest period of time in the past 21 years! So, if they tell me I have to snort this stuff....I will!

Thanks to all my wonderful friends who support me in all aspects of my life! Because of you, I am blessed!

Where's My Butt? My Disappearing Act...

Ladies and Gentleman!
Introducing, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Susan Booth!
See what happens when she says the magic words, "Liv SXinney!"
Her bottom will completely disappear!

Is it Magic?

I woke up this morning and put on a pair of jeans that my friend Glenna had given me since my size 18 pants no longer fit me anymore. That's when I realized that I was missing a body part. Where was my butt? My pants had nothing to hang on.

I've never been one to wear the low rise pants with the thongs showing. Brittney Spears completely destroyed the self esteem of millions of tubby ladies when she made that a fashion trend a few years ago. Now that it's no longer in fashion, (I do watch What Not to Wear on TLC occasionally), my underwear is hanging out a good 3 inches above my waistband. Unfortunately, not having felt that sexy this past decade, I have resorted to wearing, what my daughter refers to as, granny undies. Okay, it's not attractive, but seeing 3 inches of white cotton above my jeans is really exciting!

I hope I haven't grossed you out or made you lose your lunch by sharing that, but it is interesting is how I'm beginning to feel sexier, prettier and more confident!

Becoming a Hottie...

Yesterday, while on my son's school field trip, I was grouped with the single father of one of my son's class mates, to chaperon 5 kids at the museum. We were laughing about raising children and having fun with the kids when he said, "Let me see your hands". Innocently, I put them out in front of me, thinking he was going to comment on the two Spiderman Bandaids on my fingers. As he looked at my wedding ring, he said, "Oh, I figured you must be married. If you weren't I would have invited you our to dinner." Wow! I was getting hit on!

He actually was very sweet and I am considering introducing him to one of my sisters.

Please know that I absolutely believe in the sanctity of marriage and love my husband very much. I would never consider doing something to jeopardize our relationship. However, it felt great to have someone be attracted to me in that way.

My husband, who doesn't really have a way with words, once said this to me, "You're not the fattest hottie, but you're the hottest fattie". If you knew my husband, you would know that he didn't say that to be offensive, it really was his idea of a compliment. (Sigh...)

When I shared with Paul what had happened, he looked at me and simply said, "You really are looking good these days. Just know that I love you regardless of how much you weigh." That was the best thing he could have said to me. My heart just swelled!

My husband really does have a way with words. He's such a romantic.

Susan

P.S. My little guy, Oscar is so funny! When he took that picture of my behind, he said, "You blinked!" What a great kid! It's wonderful having the support of the people you love. Thank you to all!

The Devil Made Me Do It, But I Wasn't Cast Into The Pit of Despair....

Who knew that the devil would come in the form of a Fat Boy Ice Cream Sandwich?

I had opened up the freezer, wanting to take out some chicken to defrost for tomorrow, when all of I sudden I was put into a deep hypnotic trance. I couldn't take my eyes off of the package! Before me was an unopened box of The Original Fat Boy Ice Cream Sandwiches, 12 Count package no less.

Now, if your taste buds have never experienced the Fat Boy, count yourself as lucky. These are the most delicious, high fat, high carbohydrate, frozen treat known to man! They actually were invented in 1925 by a fellow Utahan named, Casper Merrill. He apparently had a devised an evil plot to cause those of us with sweet tooth's to be unable to resist this frozen concoction. Where did the forbidden treat come from? Who would be so insensitive to my attempts to lose weight? It was sabotage!

In one flail swoop, I grabbed the box, tore it open, took out the individually wrapped ice cream sandwich, tore off the plastic covering and took a HUGE bite. Wow! It was so incredible, the chocolate and vanilla combination was exhilarating! I actually ate the entire thing, standing with the freezer wide open. Like a complete junkie, I reached in the box for another one. Suddenly, a flickering of consciousness hit me. What was I doing?

If you can envision the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, here is how the conversation went:

Devil: You blew it! Just have another one. Heck! Just eat the whole box! You'll feel bad for a while, but you'll get over it. You screwed up the whole day now! You can't take back the one that you ate. Nobody needs to know you have no self control. You're a complete idiot.

Angel: Okay, so you had a Fat Boy. No biggie, just don't have another. You were doing so good today. You can still well. Eat half of your turkey burger instead of the whole thing for dinner. It's okay, just adapt a little. Don't beat yourself up.

I slowly, put the package back in the freezer and closed the door. One frozen treat wasn't going to destroy all I had worked for! I didn't want to feel bad like I have in the past. I wasn't going to give in to guilt. I could move past this without it destroying my whole day.

The lesson here is simply to allow yourself to mess up on occasion without taking you off course. No one is perfect. In fact, I think the the idea of having to be perfect when on a diet or weight loss program is one of the major causes of failure and why people fall off the wagon.

You can eat a Fat Boy. Skinny people eat Fat Boy's too. They just eat one.

Susan

P.S. I wanted to quickly add that I did run and grab my SXinney Mist and sprayed it in my mouth. SXinney Mist cuts off the sugar receptors in your tongue for about 30 minutes after you use it. So, for example, say you really like chocolate (mmmmm.....) and you only want one piece and not the whole bag, simply eat and enjoy your one piece, then spray the SXinney Mist in your mouth. When you go for that second piece, you won't be able to taste sugar, but you'll taste everything else! Eeeewwww! I call it Will Power in a bottle!

Acknowledging the Pain and Doing it Anyway...

Today I spoke with a dear friend and business partner. (She knows who she is!) She shared with me that she really wanted to write a blog about her weight loss progress, but was too embarrassed to share her weight. I know where she's coming from. I remember not stepping on the scale for years because I didn't want to know! I guess that was my form of denial.

It's interesting how much of our self esteem is tied to our appearance. I knew in my mind I was a worthwhile person, I knew that God loved me, I know that I was blessed to have so many wonderful friends and a loving family, but somehow, carrying those extra pounds, made me feel inferior in some way. It made me feel very much out of control. I always had a cheery exterior, but inside I was suffering.

When I chose to make my weight loss journey public, I had to really think about what the ramifications would be. All my friends would have the ability to access this very personal part of my life. Oh my gosh! What if my high school pals came across this? What about my extended family? Strangers? Confessing my weight to my sisters was like going to confession; Forgive me, for I have sinned. I got fat.

Then I started to think about how I regard people that weigh more than me. Did I dislike them? No. Did I make fun of them or belittle them? Absolutely not. I didn't have two groups of friends; skinny friends and fat friends, I just had friends.

I decided to not let fear rule this part of my life. As a result, I've been blessed! I have the support of my friends and strangers who continue to encourage me. In a million years, I never would have thought my business partners would support me in this way. I also never could have imagined the positive impact that this blog would have on others.

There is something to be said about public accountability. I honestly believe that this change wouldn't have happened if I wasn't sharing the details of this process with others. What I have found, is that it's actually very liberating! At times it's even exhilarating! When you are embarrassed or afraid about something you usually want to hide. Because I have chosen not to hide behind this fat anymore, I'm no longer embarrassed or afraid. I'm very much at peace with myself. I am enjoying the journey.

So, my advice? Let me support you. Let others support you. Just like when people go up to speak in front of a room, the audience always wants them to do well. Your audience will want your success, too.

Blessings!

Susan

P.S. The people in the photo are me, my son and two of the most wonderful people on the planet who "adopted" me and my son as their own, David and Linda Hanson. Not only do they support me in my weight loss quest, they joined me in business. How lovely is that?

Half a Pound Counts! (Or less...)

I have decided to celebrate today! Normally, I only count full pounds as part of my total weight loss, but I started to think about it...every little bit counts! I am down .2 lbs. Okay, it doesn't seem like much, but it all adds up to success!

Today I am going to count all the little wins and successes in my life. Life is too short for anything less. I recently read a wonderful book called The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olsen. It's a life changer and I highly recommend it. He talks about doing a little something everyday to improve. After a while, those small changes and efforts add up. He's right!

What little things are you going to do differently today that will add up in your life?

There's no secret to getting started. You simply decide and then take your first step. With each subsequent step, the next one becomes easier...
—Tom Venuto, fitness expert

Becoming a Butterfly!

I woke up this morning and just felt smaller. I stepped on the scale and sure enough, I had lost another pound. This makes a total of 24 lbs. Wow! Of course it's great having my clothes feel looser ( I can pull down my jeans without unbuttoning or unzipping them!), but what's amazing to me is how different I feel about myself.

There is an interesting dynamic that happens when you start to lose weight...you start to gain confidence. It's not just the compliments from other people, but an inner pride that starts to develop. I want to rejoin society again! Now, I don't want anyone to think that I've been a hermit or a recluse these past years, but I know that I've let my weight keep me from doing the things I want to do and achieving the success I deserve. I haven't allowed myself to live the live I want because of my weight situation. I wonder how many other people are limiting themselves because of how they feel about themselves...

I feel like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly! The transformation isn't complete, but each day brings changes that will help me take flight!

I'm grateful.

I'm Losing It - It's a good thing!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

It's simply amazing to me that Liv Sxinney is still working for me. I now weigh 210 pounds! I have lost a total of 23 lbs since January 12, 2009. I have so many people asking me what I'm doing, so I thought I would share the details, although I have to tell you, there just isn't that much to say. I simply drink Liv Sxinney all day long, about 3 32oz bottles with 1oz Liv Sxinney in each. I eat the Crave before my meals. (I do try to eat that at least 15 minutes prior to a meal), and lastly, I set my alarm so I don't forget to eat something every three hours.

That's it in a nutshell. Very simple. Very easy.

What's exciting to me as well is that I have been able to share this remarkable product with so many people, that my wallet is gaining a little weight as I've been losing it.

I've always been a believer in the networking industry. I'm watching it happen as we speak! I thought that perhaps I would share my story with you.

Back in January, I left my job. I was working straight commission selling mattresses. It wouldn't have been a bad job if I were making money and if I wasn't required to work 52 hours per week. (It's kind of hard when your hubby is working two jobs and you have an 8 year old!) Our neighbors and my family were raising our son, Oscar. Something had to give. It's pretty amazing how God always provides a way.

One day while I was working I saw a woman who looked very much like one of my mentors, but I wasn't quite sure since she looked so slim! I approached her and asked her if she was Glenna de Lisle. Sure enough, she was! She didn't know me personally, but because she is a leader in the home based business industry, I had attended her trainings and had purchased many of her materials. I couldn't believe how great she looked! She shared with me that she had lost 45lbs in 3 months drinking LivSxinney and that she was helping to launch this product and the company, Liv International.

I have to tell you, I wanted to just say, "I'm in!", but my husband and I had recently closed the doors to our previous home business after diligently working it for 5 years. I knew he wouldn't be too open to the idea! So, I told him that I just needed to use the products so I could lose weight. He agreed.

Three days after meeting Glenna, and getting written up for coming to work 2 minutes late (they seemed to forget that I stayed late an awful lot!), I decided that I couldn't take it anymore and I left. I started freaking out! What had I done? How were we going to pay our mortgage that month?

I took a good hard look at the pay plan and new I could do it! After losing 7lbs my very first week, I was convinced that the product worked and started telling everyone. I brought in 10 people. I was able to pay my mortgage! (I received commissions and qualified for a bonus - go to www.dreamonceagain.com and watch the 20 Minute Presentation - Live Without Limits to get a better understanding of how it works).

All I know is that my friends are losing weight and they are sharing it with their friends. It really does make me feel good to be helping them with their household economies as well!

Fit Body, Fat Wallet - That sounds good to me!