Motherhood and Weight Loss; documenting and sharing my life
Weightloss
Favourite Visalus Shake Recipes!
11 year ago
Here are some of my favourite Visalus Recipes!
The ViSalus Strawberry Banana Smoothie:
2 scoops of Vi-Shape Mix
1 Cup Banana, Sliced & Frozen
1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries
2 Cups Low Fat Milk, Soy, Rice or Almond Milk
1 Packet ViSalus Shape-Up Health Flavor Mix-In Strawberry Phyto-Power
4-6 Ice Cubes – Blend and enjoy!
ViSalus Butterfinger Shake:
2 scoops of Vi-Shape Mix
8 oz almond milk
1 tbsp butterscotch pudding mix
1 tbsp peanut butter
5 ice cubes – Blend
ViSalus Key Lime Pie Shake Recipe:
2 scoops Vi-Shape Mix
1 Graham Cracker, processed – Add to shake at the end
2 tsp. Lime Jello
1/4 tsp. White Chocolate Pudding Mix
12 oz. Non-Fat Milk, or Soy, Rice, or Almond Milk
3-4 Ice Cubes
ViSalus Peach Dream Shake Recipe:
2 scoops Vi-Shape Mix
3/4 Cup Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
1 Cup Peach Slices (frozen or canned)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
8 oz. Water – 5 Ice Cubes
The ViSalus Pistachio Shake Recipe:
2 scoops Vi-Shape Mix
8-10 oz Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Tbsp Pistachio Sugar Free Fat Free Pudding Mix (powder only)
Blend with 4-6 Ice Cubes.
Visalus Mango Peach Shake Recipe:
2 scoops Vi-Shape Mix
4 oz. Unsweetened Coconut Milk
4 oz. Orange juice
4-6 Ice Cubes
Medium-sized Mango, peeled and cubed
Blend well.
Hope you enjoy!!
For more information, or to order, check out http://www.allisonmk.bodybyvi.com
New Channel! – All about Visalus!
11 year ago
Recently I’ve had so many questions about the new weightloss product I’m using, Visalus. I decided to use my second YouTube channel to post short videos answering all these questions 
Below is a few that I have up already, but I have many more to come. Let me know if you have any other video requests regarding Visalus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22vxFNvIBJk
Visalus Week 5 Results!
21 year ago
by Allison
in Weightloss
I started Visalus 5 weeks ago to help boost my weightloss and I absolutely love it. I like to share good things when I find them. So many people in my personal life are also loving it and losing tons of weight! It’s exciting. Here is what I love about Visalus:
- Quick, easy meal
- Tastes delicious
- Endless flavour option
- Nutrition
- Low Weight Watchers points
- Filling
- Energy
- Get 3 people and yours is FREE
- Opportunties to earn income and prizes
Here are my results in the first 5 weeks.
16 pounds!
There are different kits and prices depending on your health goals. I will be making a video about them shortly. There are also opportunities to earn extra income if you choose to.
Start by checking out http://www.allisonmk.bodybyvi.com
Let me know if you have any questions at all
I am so excited about this that I want to share it with the world!!
Weightloss and Drinking Water
11 year ago
by Allison
in Weightloss
I am not an expert in weight loss, by any means, however I have lost almost 50 pounds in the past 4 months. With that being said, I felt I’d share a few things I’ve noticed along the way that have helped boost my weight loss. So here’s my first tib bit…water.
It’s no secret that water is extremely beneficial to the body. It is vital to our being, and aids in every bodily function. However, here are some things I’ve noticed with weight loss specifically.
Water can help fight off hunger and keep you full. If I’m feeling hungry between meals, and I’m not sure if I should grab a snack, I always drink a whole bunch of water and then reassess. Most of the time I was just thirsty and didn’t really need to eat. I also drink lots of water after a meal to help give me that full feeling.
On average I drink between 4 and 5 litres of water a day, sometimes even more. I am a nursing mother so that accounts for a lot, and I am quite active. I also choose to drink water over any other drink (pop, juice, coffee, etc), so I find it relatively easy to drink this much a day.
I always try to get in at least one litre of water after my last snack of the night, before bed. This is probably my most surprising aid to weight loss. Yes it does lead to frequent bathroom trips during the night, but I’ve found it’s worth it. Every morning when I wake up I weigh myself, and I’ve noticed that the more water I get in at night the lighter I am the next morning. You may be thinking this is because I pee so much during the night…and that’s probably true. But, with each day that passes I’m consistently lower. So one thought that comes to mind is that the water is helping to flush out more “waste” or fat from my body. Who knows, maybe I was meant to lose that weight regardless, like I said I’m no expert. But, I’ve noticed a trend, and I am going to continue to do what works
Favourite Weight Watcher Snacks
21 year ago
by Allison
in Weightloss
This week I thought I’d share some of my favourite weight watcher snacks. These are just foods I find myself turning to in-between meals or for dessert. So here we go!
SALTY SNACKS
Rice crackers: 5 points for half the pack
Smart Pop Popcorn: 6 points for the whole bag
SAVOURY SNACKS
Laughing cow cheese: 1 point each
Turkey bites: 1 point each
SWEET SNACKS
Vitatop brownies: 3 points each
Fat free pudding: 2 points
Cool whip: 2 Tbsp 1 point
Skinny Cow Cones: 4 points
ZERO POINT SNACKS
Veggies, Pickles, Fruits and Diet Pop: ZERO!
I always love coming across new ideas for snacks and new products. So share some of your favourites with me!
Planet Wise and Portion Control
01 year ago
by Allison
in Weightloss
I feel like even though P90x is a large part of my life right now that I still want to focus on weight watchers separately. For me, staying on plan plays a huge role in my success. So, I thought it’d be fun to start a weight watchers favourite of the week. And, here’s the first one!
These are just going to be short blogs about anything related to my weight watchers journey. Foods I love, products I love, and tricks that work!
Ok, so for me, my favourite snack of choice is cheddar rice crackers. I could seriously eat the whole package in one sitting. So to avoid that I’ve been portioning out what I want to eat into planet wise snack bags ahead of time. This way I know exactly how many points I’m eating, and I’m not tempted to eat the whole pack.
There are several reasons why I use my planet wise bag instead of a Ziploc bag or a plate:
- it’s re-usable
- it’s portable
- it’s a great size for snacking
- FDA food safe material
- PVC, BPA, Phthalate, Latex and Lead Free
- you can put anything in it (apples, crackers, cereal, etc)
- and it’s super cute!
My planet wise bag was actually a free gift with a cloth diaper purchase I made. But, they retail for around 8$. They also come in all sorts of sizes and cute prints.
Weight loss and dieting is challenging and can be somewhat boring at times. I look for things like this to spice up my meals!
P90X Diary Weeks 1 and 2
11 year ago
by Allison
in Weightloss
Yay! Week 2 of P90x complete! And, it feels amazing. I thought I’d start some what of a diary of how I’m doing and feeling as the weeks go on. What I’m finding challenging, and things I want to work on. I think it will be neat to look back on, and helpful if I ever decide to do the program again.
So, getting started… besides buying (or borrowing) the P90X DVD’s, here’s a list of everything else you may need:
- an area to workout (6′ by 6′ min.)
- TV and DVD player
- set of free weights (personalised to your strength level)
- a pull up bar (or resistance bands)
- a chair
- a mat is recommended
Next is TIME. Probably the most important, and most difficult thing to plan for. However, it’s essential to know when you plan to do the workouts in order to set yourself up for success. I’ve chosen nap time. I’m usually guaranteed at least one hour during the day when both kids are sleeping. If I don’t get my full workout done in the time I finish it when my wonderful husband gets home from work
Alright, now onto the workouts. Here is a breakdown of how I’ve been doing with the workouts in the first 2 weeks, as well as an idea of what they are like.
Core Synergistics – 1 Hour
- lots of push ups (I modified with mostly “girl” push ups)
- great all over body workout
- Most challenging move: Dreya Roll
Cardio X – 45 min
- Usually I run, but it rained really hard week 2 so I tried it out
- A combination of the cardio portions of the following workouts; yoga, plyometrics, kenpo and core
- Love that it mixes it up constantly, no repetitive moves
- Worked up a great sweat by the end
Shoulder/Arms – 1 Hour
- circuit of shoulder, bicep, and tricep
- new moves each time which is nice
- intensity depends on the weight you choose
- I need to start tracking next week my weight/reps to see if I can improve from week to week
Ab Ripper X – 16 min, twice a week
- intense!
- definitely something that will improve over time
- Most challenging move: V Sit Up
Legs and Back – 1 Hour
- lots of pullups and squats
- I’m using the resistance band instead of pullups at this point
- Hardest Move – One legged wall squat
Kenpo – 1 Hour
- amazing!
- full of cardio
- lots of kicking and punching
Obviously this is just my personal perception of the workouts and their most difficult areas. It may be completely different for you! And, I’m sure my view on these workouts will evolve as the weeks go on and as I improve. But, this is how I felt during the first 2 weeks of P90X. I challenged myself, it was super hard work, but it was well worth it because I feel amazing! I can’t wait to see what the next 2 weeks bring.
P90X Lean Schedule Modified
01 year ago
by Allison
in Weightloss
So, as you can tell by the title… I bit the bullet and started P90X!
After weighing the pros and cons in my last blog I decided I had nothing to lose. I decided to do a test run this past week to make sure I felt it was an attainable goal before I shared the fact that I started with everyone else. And, I happy to say it went awesome!
Ok, so it was definetly extremely hard work. I’m not going to sugar coat it It was tough! And, I wasn’t able to do all the exercises. But, considering it’s a 3 month long program I think that gives me more than enough time to work up to it. I’m actually really proud by how much I can do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at the pull up level yet, but I think I did pretty damn good this past week! And, it feels amazing!!
Before I started the first workout I even got my husband to take some “BEFORE” pictures of me…in a two-piece bathing suit (gasp). Eww. Do you know how awful that is?! Haha. The only thing that can make you feel good about seeing your before pictures is if you have the “AFTER” pictures. I’m really looking forward to the after, because the before is not so pretty.
Ok, so for those of you who were curious about what schedule I’m following and the modifications I’ve made, here is my workout chart:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P90X Lean Phase 1 | |||||||
| Week 1-3 | Core Synergistics |
Running |
Shoulders/Arms Ab Ripper X |
Yoga X | Legs/Back Ab Ripper X |
Kenpo X | Rest or X Strech |
| Week 4 | Yoga X | Core Synergistics |
Kenpo X | X Strech | Running |
Yoga X | Rest or X Strech |
| P90X Lean Phase 2 | |||||||
| Week 5-7 | Core Synergistics |
Running |
Chest/Shoulders Ab Ripper X |
Yoga X | Legs/Back Ab Ripper X |
Kenpo X | Rest or X Strech |
| Week 8 | Yoga X | Core Synergistics |
Kenpo X | X Strech | Running |
Yoga X | Rest or X Strech |
| P90X Lean Phase 3 | |||||||
| Week 9/11 | Chest/Back Ab Ripper X |
Running |
Shoulders/Arms Ab Ripper X |
Yoga X | Core Synergistics |
Kenpo X | Rest or X Strech |
| Week 10/12 | Chest/Shoulders Ab Ripper X |
Running |
Back/Biceps Ab Ripper X |
Yoga X | Core Synergistics |
Kenpo X | Rest or X Strech |
| Week 13 | Yoga X | Core Synergistics |
Kenpo X | Yoga X | Running |
Yoga X | Rest or X Strech |
I basically just replaced the cardio x sessions with a 5K run. I really enjoy running and wanted to keep it up, so I figured it was a fair trade off.
I really hope this internal drive and motivation that I’ve got going on keeps up. I don’t like to start things I can’t complete. So, if it kills me, I WILL do this! And, I hope my results are worth the effort!
Naptime vs. P90X
21 year ago
by Allison
in Weightloss
I started my weight loss journey 8 weeks ago, and up to this point it’s consisted of weight watchers, the elliptical and running. This combination has been working really well for me BUT…I feel I need more. And, it’s not even that I’m plateauing, because I haven’t yet (yay!). The p90x bug has gotten in my head and I can’t shake it.
It all started with watching Kailin’s conclusion video of her p90x success story (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzkCNOAlln8). I remember watching her do her weekly p90x videos thinking ‘you go girl!’, but that’s something I’ll never do. Granted I was pregnant at the time, however it just seemed really intense. And, now here I stand a year later contemplating it, and she’s the one who is pregnant! Funny how that works..
So, she’s my inspiration, for sure. But, before I can commit to something so intense I really want to be sure that I’m setting myself up for success. I’m so worried that I’ll start something and fail. Huge fear of mine! Also the main reason why we delayed uploading the weightloss videos in the beginning. Not that’s there anything terribly wrong with failing, but I always try to be realistic with my goals to avoid disappointment. PLUS…since I share most of my life online, failing publicly would be no fun at all.
For those of you who don’t know what p90x is all about, here is a brief synopsis:
- It’s a multiple dvd workout program
- 1 to 1.5 Hours a day
- 6 days a week
- 13 weeks long
- Pretty intense!
So, as you can see, it’s a pretty big time commitment. Not something to consider lightly. It’s a very intense 3 months in a row. Ok, 3 months, so if I start in January, that takes me to the end of March. Well turns out that’s actually the last 3 months I have on maternity leave. Maybe it’s meant to be? Or, maybe I’ll regret devoting so much of my last remaining “free time” to it?
Free time … FREE TIME?
Don’t you have 2 small children??
Haha yes I do! Which is a very time consuming (and rewarding) responsibility. The only free time, and feasible time I can see to commit to this program is….NAP TIME. I obviously can’t do an hour workout program while they are awake, and when my husband gets home we are busy with dinner and baths, and well, life. And, by the time they are in bed I’m too exhausted. Sooo, that leaves naptime. The one and only almost guaranteed time to myself I have during the day. Usually spanning between 1:00-2:30pm.
I feel extremely fortunate that I am able to get this “me” time in a day. The fact that I can line up the naptimes of 2 small children is an accomplishment in itself. I usually eat lunch, edit videos, write blogs and RELAX in this time. Am I really prepared to give it up?!
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
There’s a lot to think about here, but as it stands this moment I am leaning towards doing it. Since you guy’s know I’ll share the journey with you on YouTube and here as well, I guess you’ll find out soon whether or not I do!
