I have tried many different protein shakes in an effort to lose weight.  I have never really found a shake where I actually liked the taste.  Some were better than others, but they were just tolerable.  Until now.  I just tried a new shake that I hadn’t heard of before – Visalus Protein Shakes.  I was sent a sample of the shake (Sweet Cream Flavor) to try and review.  I blended the powder (which actually smelled pretty good) with 8 ounces of fat free milk, 4 ice cubes and 1/2 of a banana.  The results were great!  First, the powder blended easily into the milk without any clumps.  The banana added additional flavor, but the Sweet Cream base flavor is really good!  This is definitely a shake that I would buy and use on a regular basis.

Besides the taste, theshake has many other positive qualities.  It only contains 1 gram of fat, <1 grams of sugar, 7 grams of carbs and only 90 calories.  The cost per serving is $1.50.  Compare this to other nutritional shakes which contain up to 240 calories, 40 grams of carbs, 35 grams of sugar and 6 grams of fat!  Plus, this shake is also lower in sodium (75 mg) compared to other shakes (up to 530 mg).

The shakes are sold in individual packets or in a larger 30 shake pouch and are are sold by independent distributors such as Mary Kay, Avon, Tupperware or Pampered Chef.

Body By Vi

The Visalus Protein Shakes are part of the Body By Vi 90-day challenge.  The Sweet Cream flavor shake can be used with the Shape-Up Health Flavors Mix-Ins, fruits, peanut butter, orange juice and other foods to create hundreds of different shake tastes.  Replacing two meals with shakes each day can get you on the way to losing weight.

More information about the Body By Vi program and the Visalus Protein Shakes can be found at http://www.bigidea.bodybyvi.com.

 

I received three samples of the Visalus Protein Shake to help in my review.  The taste of the shake is truly the best that I have found.

The thing I hate about diets is having to go from eating like a pig to starving myself! I always seem to be so hungry the first week that I end up giving up! I am really interested in reading this new book written by Beth Aldrich, Certified Health Counselor: Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous. This book, which is in three sections, has an easy plan for moms to follow. The changes are not drastic, instead you will make gradual changes that will last a life time. Also included is 21 days of meal suggestions as well as tips and recipes.

This book is marketed toward busy moms. We all know how difficult it is to cook healthy meals while having to drive kids to activities and be involved in our community. Beth understands that healthy eating needs to be simple and realistic to fit in the busy mom lifestyle. The book will teach you about food and the impact it has on your body.

Beth has also set up a Food Affairiate program. This program provides you with the necessary information to spread the word about the book. If you write a review of the book you can receive a digital copy and be entered to win some great prizes!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Beth Aldrich – Real Moms Love to Eat blogging program, for a chance to get 3,000 My SocialMoms Rewards points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Dieting is one of the top New Year’s Resolutions in this country. Whether you are looking for a new diet plan, new exercise regime or just the best diet pills, the beginning of the year is often the best time to find the greatest deals.

If you are thinking of trying a diet plan, do your research and read what others have said about the book, products or plan. A Google search with the search term plus the word review will often find good results. Remember that you can read book reviews on Amazon or Barnes and Noble as well. To get you started on your reviews, check out this Sensa review to learn about the clinically-proven way to “shake” away the pounds!

It should always be about how it fits into your lifestyle and what healthy changes you can make for the future.

If you are one of many who chose lose weight as a New Year’s Resolution, then check out this new book Cinch! Cinch! was written by Cynthia Sass who is also the author of the Flat Belly Diet. The book is focused on a 30 day weight loss plan that will transform your life. The plan teaches you what to eat, how much, why, and when. According to Sass you will be able to achieve the following goals:

• Weight loss—up to eight pounds in the first five days and drop a size in the first thirty days
• Increased self-confidence
• Mastery of the tactics proven to keep weight off
• An understanding of the powerful emotions that drive you to eat when you’re not hungry
• Better health, including a surge in energy

I downloaded the book on my new Kindle (I love this device!) and have browsed through most of the book. Now I am starting in depth reading. I love that it is a complete 30 day plan. I also liked that there is a 5 day Fast Forward plan that will let you kick start your weight loss. The food choices in the Fast Forward plan are limited, but I think I could do it for five days. I am going to try this new plan and see how it works. I am not very good about sticking to diets, but I will try anyway! I will let you know about the results.

I am a member of One2One Network and was asked to do a book review of Cinch! I purchased a copy of the book myself.

I am sure that you have all seen the commercials for Nutrisystem. It is getting to be swimsuit season and time to start that diet. I have been trying a few of the Nutrisystem products and so far they have all been really good! For breakfast I tried the Banana Nut Muffin and Double Chocolate Muffin (both delicious). At Lunch and Dinner yesterday I ate the Rice and Beans with Sausage (spicy but good) and the Vegetarian Chili (large portion).

Their website is informative and helps you keep track of your food, exercise and water intake. Today, I will check out the treadmills at the gym so that I can mark that off my list.

Right now, you can get four free weeks of food when you sign up with auto-delivery!

The great thing about walking is that it is easy for almost anyone. Prevention Magazine has printed a four week walking program that will help you shed one size! I might even try some of those new mbt shoes that are supposed to help burn even more calories! The program can be found at Prevention’s website. This is the program at a glance:

What You’ll Need: Good-fitting walking shoes, a sports watch with interval timer, and a medium-weight elastic resistance band or tube (available at sporting goods stores).

What You’ll Do: A combination of walking and strength workouts 6 days a week.

To Maximize Results: Eat about 1,600 calories a day, filling up on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy monounsaturated fats. Also have 3 cups of green tea (hot or cold) daily–studies show compounds in the tea can help you burn belly fat!

Happy Walking!

Do you have high cholesterol? Are you starting to search for the best cholesterol medications? Don’t forget that it is important to stay away from foods that are high in cholesterol as well. High cholesterol foods are foods that come from animals. Foods that have the highest amount of cholesterol are eggs and liver. Other high cholesterol foods include:

* Whole-milk dairy products
* Butter
* Cream
* Ice cream
* Cream cheese
* Certain shellfish, such as shrimp
* Other organ meats, such as kidney and brain
* Duck and goose

If you are looking to lower your cholesterol, try avoiding these foods or limit the amount that you eat daily.

While on the look out for a good acne remedy, I came across this deal that I thought I would pass along. Sign-up for a free Atkins Quick Start Kit which includes three free Atkins bars, a Carb Counter, and a Quick-Start Guide. The kit should be delivered in 10 to 14 days. They have a variety of bars including, Chocolate Oatmeal Fiber Bar, Sweet & Salty Almond Crunch Bar andChocolate Caramel Mousse Bar.

Great for those New Year Resolutions!

I have been somewhat faithfully watching this season of The Biggest Loser. I was finally happy to see Tracey go home, because I think she is insane. The best part of the show is seeing the transformations at the end. You know that they put in a lot of work on their own and weren’t just relying on slimming pills or quick weight loss solutions.

I was sorry to see Abby go home. She has been through so much after losing her entire family. I am glad that she has decided to speak out and help others through their time of loss.

The Biggest Losers airs on NBC on Tuesdays.

Why is it so hard to diet in the summer? Because the kids are home! I have found that when they are around and I have to fix them something to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, that it is much harder to diet. They don’t want to eat healthy salads all the time (really?), and I haven’t yet found the best diet pills that will curb my appetite.

I have tried a new diet that I will start up again in the Fall. After a couple of weeks on the program, I will let you know the results and if it really works!