When you do good for yourself, you do good for others.
MannaMoms with Real Results
By Marla Finley
Demra, Alicia, and Becky are all MannaMoms from Texas who have experienced great results with the OsoLean Fat Loss Plan.
Alicia (pictured in the middle) has always been slender and so many people asked her why she would need help with fat loss. This mom of five shared her success story here. You may be surprised.
She’s one amazing woman and we’re so happy for all the results she’s seen with these real food supplements.
By Marla Finley
I don’t watch The Biggest Loser. Today I discovered a good reason why. One of our new Dallas area clients on our fat loss plan showed concern that the scales aren’t moving fast enough. She is thankful for her extra energy and how her clothes are fitting better, but just not satisfied without losing pounds.
Believing that getting lean is all about weight loss is a common misconception. Shows like the Biggest Loser simply amplify this common thought.
Weight loss isn’t the goal. Did you know that typically when you lose weight 50% is fat and 50% is MUSCLE?!
So if you’re losing inches and not too many pounds, you are right on track. Sometimes it’s hard staying motivated when the scale isn’t moving, but that’s actually a good sign—especially when your clothes are fitting better. In the first 3 months on our fat loss plan I lost 28 inches, 2 pant sizes and only 5 pounds. So, it really is in the inches.
I found this great article by one of Mannatech scientists that helps answer this question. Here’s an excerpt:
Q. If results are more visible in someone’s measurements and clothing size than they are on the scale, what can they do to stay motivated?
A. People are taught to think about weight loss by measuring their success in terms of pounds lost. That’s not only an outdated way of thinking, it’s also scientifically inaccurate and inefficient. Think about success in inches! Studies show an average of about 50% of every pound lost is lean mass. Fat takes up significantly more space than muscle mass. Think about this logically—lean muscle is firm, tight and flat. Fat is bulky and soft. In fact, fat takes up approximately 20% more space per pound than muscle does. So if you try to measure your success by simply standing on the scale, you’re not getting an accurate measurement of fat lost. However, measuring your body’s change in inches offers the most accurate gauge of fat loss without using specialized equipment.
You can read the whole Q&A article by scientist Steve Nugent here.
By fitness guru and personal trainer (and our friend) Ashly Torian.
So you have a weight problem.
Pounds have added up over the years, slowly accumulating on your hips, thighs and belly.
When you look in the mirror you don’t like what you see. Yet you feel stuck.
You’re stuck because…
And so, if you are like most people, you give up on yourself before you ever shed a pound. The enormity of your goal paralyzes your ability to even begin.
I believe you can end this cycle of self-destruction by simply focusing on the mole hills that make up the mountain – rather than focusing in on the mountain itself.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that weight loss can seem like an enormous task – especially when you have 20, 50 or even 100 pounds to lose.
However, rather than being discouraged by the mountain of fat you need to lose, conquer the mole hill of losing one single pound each week.
In fact, make it your weekly mole hill to drop one pound a week.
Doesn’t that sound easy? If you did this consistently for one year you would lose 50 pounds.
So how do you shed a pound a week? Simple. Just burn 3500 extra calories.
Create a 3500 calorie deficit each week by a combination of increased calorie exertion (exercise) and a decrease in calories consumed (eating less).
Take every opportunity to exert more calories by increasing your physical activity and to decrease your calorie consumption by eating fewer calories and by making healthier choices.
It helps to record your progress in a notebook and refer back to it. You will be surprised how encouraging it is to see your weekly progress written down on paper.
Remember, if you lose 500 calories a day you will drop a pound in a week.
Here are some practical ways to lose calories:
| If you normally… | Do this instead… |
| Drink a mocha | Drink plain coffee or tea (250 calories lost) |
| Eat a snack from a vending machine | Enjoy an apple (180 calories lost) |
| Hit the snooze button
in the AM |
Jog for 30 minutes
before work (150 calories lost) |
| Skip your workout | See me for an invigorating workout (changes your life!) |
Weight loss doesn’t have to be a mountain. Each molehill you conquer will take you one step closer to a healthier, fitter you.
Small changes to your lifestyle over time will make the difference.
Ashly Torian
Ashly is certified with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), an IDEA Elite Personal Fitness Trainer, a Body Talk Access Technician and she has a Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Fitness. She specializes in mind and body fitness training, senior fitness and weight management. Ashly’s goal is to empower others to draw from their own inner strength to attain a healthy lifestyle via mindset, movement and meal planning. Contact her today for a free consultation.
By Marla Finley
Did you know that all health professionals have to get a certain amount of continuing education each year to keep their license?
A little known fact is that I am what you call an LPC. That stands for Licensed Professional Counselor. Even though I’m no longer active, I still receive several invitations a month to various seminars where I can get continuing ed. Most of the topics are about pathologies and severe issues. It’s so rare that a seminar is about something positive.
I’ve heard that it’s a similar story in the health field. So, when you hear about a continuing education that is about wellness instead of sickness, it stands out. That’s especially true for wellness education that’s accredited.
An email just came my way announcing a seminar this August (2010) that is about weight management from a group called Proevity. They specialize in wellness education instead of drug or sickness management. It’s more of a wellness framework than a framework that focuses on treating symptoms. So, if your health professionals (MD, DO, chiropractor, nutritionist, personal trainer, etc) like to learn about new things in the wellness field, you may be doing them a big favor by printing off a flyer of this continuing education seminar. Just a thought.
And if you’re the kind of wellness champion that enjoys lots of details and further education for the fun of it, you are also welcome to attend these Proevity events.
By Marla Finley
Personal trainer Jillian Michaels was interviewed in a recent Time article. I like how she phrases this:
“Obesity in children is growing out of control. A big part of this is economic. Fake foods are more affordable. It’s enticing people to eat more because they think they’re saving money when they’re really just buying heart disease.”
It’s common to hear that people can’t afford high quality foods or supplements or organic products. First, saying “I can’t afford” is an excuse. I recognize that means can be limited. However, there is always a choice as to what we spend our money on.
Today’s encouragement is to consider what you spent your last paycheck on. Many of our clients who commit to living well are those who have diligently made choices about what to spend and what NOT to spend their hard earned money on.
And at the end of the day. If we don’t pay for good food now, we’ll be paying for it later with a poor quality of life and lots of medical bills.
Which do you choose?
By Marla Finley
Losing weight may seem a frivolous venture for some. It’s personal for me. Much of my dad’s side of the family struggle with weight in a BIG way. Thus, there are also lots of health struggles as a result.
My efforts to lose 4 pant sizes safely was more than just wanting to look good in my pre-pregnancy clothes. It’s about wanting to have enough energy to play with the kids that “caused” the fat anyway. It’s about feeling good so that I can work all day, having a blast with my family, cook them dinner, clean the house, have date nights with my honey, and spend time with friends. It’s not just a dream–it’s now a reality!
Losing weight is not just a vanity thing for many people. Did you know that up to one-third of all cancers in the US are obesity-related?
This new TIME magazine article discusses the toxins that are all around us. For example, 80,000 chemicals are on the market and only a few hundred have been proven safe. They have lots of great tips on detoxifying our lives to prevent the big C like drinking pure water, using public transportation, and storing food in BPA free containers. And yet it all sums up with a big encouragement for us to simply eat more fruits and veggies.
So, what’s YOUR main reason for wanting to get lean?
[polldaddy poll=3221941]
By Marla Finley
I’ve got good news and bad news.
The bad: A new report indicates that we are getting heavier younger and younger. That means that the age one becomes obese is arriving at an earlier age. Here’s a slide show showing the scary numbers.
The good: Many are seeing those numbers and taking action. The signs of hope: healthier school lunches, less fast food, more activity
Where are you seeing signs of hope for the next generation?
By Marla Finley
I hear this a lot when I first help someone get started toward their fat loss goals. “I’m scared to take a before picture.” It’s probably the easiest kind of fear to admit.
Here’s why it’s so important to take a picture and write down measurements:
Before staring any fitness or fat loss program it’s wise to get a baseline. Make sure you take your before picture now and measure all over. You’ll be amazed when you commit to taking this product daily as directed. It’s never fun to measure, but it sure is encouraging when you remeasure and you can objectively see results.
Most people who lose fat regret that didn’t take a before picture. I think that people are leery to take a before shot because they don’t want people to see it. The funny thing is that when you have an after picture, you stop feeling funny about the before picture. I guess it doesn’t really feel like “you” anymore. That after picture is who you are.
So, stop now and go take a picture. Enlist your friend or spouse or prop it up on a chair stacked with books and use your self timer. It doesn’t have to be high quality photo to tell a powerful story later on. And keep in mind, that no one needs to see the before picture until you have an after to partner with it.
I’m SO glad that I took a before picture. I decided that I would take “after” pictures every month to see if I could tell anything. After the first month on the OsoLean Plan I had lost 15 inches all over and 4 of them were from my waist. However, I couldn’t feel much of a difference. When I took that first after shot and compared the two I could SEE the change. That more than anything else inspired me to continue on. The 2nd month out I didn’t see a huge change, but I knew that I was on the right rack. In the 3rd month of measurements and pictures, I had lost a total of TWO pant sizes and 28 inches all over–7 of them were from my waist. I was ecstatic.
From then on I just took pictures every few months. Here’s where you can hop to an earlier post about my fat loss story with the before and after pictures.
PS: Do you wonder how to measure the right way? It’s best to measure at the same time each day without clothing. First thing in the morning is usually a great time before getting dressed. Write them down on a chart and as long as you do it in the same manner each time, you’ve got it. For more tips on measuring, check out this how-to article.
By Marla Finley
Several of our readers have asked for specifics on how I lost 4 pant sizes and 30 pounds in a safe way.
I’d rather be the one asking the questions about how much you want to lose, what have you tried before and what’s your main reason for wanting to lose. But since you asked…
In August of 2008, I returned to the gym after having our 2nd baby. I decided to do it right and hire a personal trainer to work with me 2 times a week and then I worked out on my own 1-2 more times each week along with regular walks. I even took a before picture:
Marla before OsoLean 9-08
After one month of faithfully showing up at the gym, I had lost a total of ZERO inches. I was discouraged and my trainer was perplexed. All we could think of was that I was eating more than I was burning. It’s hard for a nursing mom to eat less when the baby keeps getting bigger. My appetite was no exception, but I still thought I should see a little result. Nope.
Thankfully, Mannatech had just launched a fat loss food product that had been through rigorous research and testing. I learned that typically when you lose weight, 50% is fat and 50% is muscle. Then, when you put it back on it’s pretty much 100% fat. With this product, they found that the subjects lost 80% fat and with a product that’s actually healthy for you.
I figured that since it was just a fancy whey protein blend (protein peptides actually) and no stimulants that it could only be healthy for me and my baby. If I were to lose, that would be a bonus.
Well, sure enough, I noticed right away that it helped me with appetite control. I continued with my personal trainer and just added the protein peptide powder twice a day along with a meal replacement for breakfast each morning. The first month I lost 15 inches. Yep. My trainer re-measured me to make sure what he saw was correct. Four of those inches were from my waist alone!
After three months I had lost 28 inches and 2 pant sizes. I felt great! I was no longer a slave to food, and I could actually think about things other than what my next meal would be. It was freeing.
Several months later I lost another pant size and made the decision that I would just keep consuming these healthy nutrients even though I was satisfied with my fitness. What do you know but I lost a 4th pant size at a year out.
Marla after OsoLean 5-10
It’s now been 20 months since beginning Mannatech’s OsoLean Plan and I’ve kept it off. I do what I call a maintenance plan. Instead of taking it twice daily like I did in the beginning for best results, I just put it in my meal replacement for breakfast each day. Sometimes I’ll still make a fruit smoothie at night and add it just because I know it’s super healthy. I plan to take advantage of this technology as I grow older since it helps keep the lean muscle on.
Apparently as we age, keeping lean muscle can be challenging, so that’s why a lot of older people are using it for that health reason and not just for weight loss.
Here’s how it works in a nutshell:
So, even if you tend to eat out of stress, depression, or boredom or if you’re just a plain out of control eater, it will help to control and normalize your appetite so you just don’t feel as hungry AND it targets belly fat.
If you’re looking for a safe and convenient way to get healthy and lean, check out the video on this website and let us know when you’d like a free consultation to see if this is a match for you.
Check back to this blog soon for some of our favorite OsoLean recipes and tips for losing the inches. Here’s one on the importance of taking a before picture and measuring.
And if you have lost inches with OsoLean, we’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
We live in a nation where there is plenty of food and yet we are malnourished. How can that be? There’s at least one grocery store in every city and lots of restaurants. So, how can we possibly not be getting the food we need? Apparently, fruits and veggie nutritional value has diminished dramatically in the last few decades due to harvesting before foods are ripe and inadequate soils.
Here is a helpful how-to article that is a great reminder of how we can bring more color to our diet. It’s really hard to do in our culture where convenience reigns. I guess the question we must ask is, “How much is my health and wellness worth?”
We’d love to hear one way that you bring color to your diet.
By: Marla Finley
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