Sarah's Weight Loss Adventures

[ilana612]

OK, so first of all I should probably introduce myself. My name is Sarah, and I've known Shannon since we met in college, thirteen years ago. Believe it or not, a large part of why this weight loss program exists is because of me! Well, ok, maybe not a LARGE part... but it is true that Shannon designed one of the first versions of the weight loss subliminal to help me lose weight.

I grew up at a normal size, slightly larger frame but still quite slender (averaging around 140-150 pounds), up until I got pregnant with my first son. I gained over one hundred pounds with him, and have yo yo-ed up and down ever since, to the degree that I am now TWO hundred pounds above my ideal weight. Like many of you, I'm sure, I have tried every diet in the book- Herbalife, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, Slimfast, green tea pills, Phentermine, Meridia, South Beach diet, simply counting calories... need I go on? I tried the first version of Shannon's weight loss subliminal in 2005, and actually had some success, at least in the beginning- I managed to lose 40 pounds in around 3 months. At that point, however, the weight loss stopped, and I began to gain again- and the yo yo resumed.

I have been VERY eagerly awaiting the release of the new Achieve Your Ideal Weight 4G for some time now, as I have known for quite awhile about the research that Shannon has been conducting to change and improve the subliminal. I've been a small part of the research, too, as I have been able to provide some insight from my own perspective as to why I may be overweight. I've known for awhile that the release is going to be relatively soon, and I have been waiting with baited breath!

And then, this week I spent 4 days in the hospital (I have been in and out of the hospital 4-5 times in the past 6 months) and FINALLY got a definitive answer as to what has been wrong with me for the past 6 months- I have type 2 diabetes, brought on by my weight (which is higher as of 6 months ago than it has ever been in my life). When Shannon learned of this, he offered to allow me to purchase my copy a little early, so I can start listening immediately and kick Diabetes' ASS!


And that brings me to the ultimate purpose of this post and this thread- my progress and reactions while using the Achieve Your Ideal Weight 4G subliminal. As of this moment, I have been listening to the sub for 2 hours. Am I crazy to say that I ALREADY NOTICE A DIFFERENCE? I am a person who is hungry ALL the time, and I seriously love food... Now, I have just gotten out of the hospital, where I was on a liquid diet, and I have drastically changed my eating habits in the two days I have been out- serious carb counting, no more sweets, no more fried foods, etc.- and I have been following my diabetic meal plan to a T, but it has been HARD! All day today I have felt seriously hungry. I have been looking forward to dinner, which was set to be my largest meal of the day. I made myself 2 grilled chicken breasts, and a VERY large serving of brocoli with a little shredded cheese sprinkled on it. At the time I actually sat down to eat, I had been listening to the subliminal for a grand total of ONE hour. I had eaten one and a half chicken breasts and a few bites of brocoli, when I looked down at my plate and realized- I just wasn't hungry, and I really didn't want the rest of it. WHAT??? My hunger, my seemingly never ending hunger, is gone- and I didn't even finish a quarter of what was on my plate? To say that I am pleased with my results so far would be a major understatment. So, I put the plate in the fridge, no need to waste the food, and later if I do get hungry again, it will be there.

Only two hours in and I am seeing results- how awesome is that? I will definitely be posting again as my progress continues... stay tuned!

[Shannon]

Seriously? That's ridiculous!

[benjamin]

Hi Sarah,
That is awesome! I've only done it 2 nights and am noticing good stuff too. I wish you u luck and awesome slimness and health!

I know that's what i'm going for myself! I also have a journal of this subliminal in the mens 18+ area.

-Ben

[ilana612]

Day two of listening to the subliminal... Today I have noticed quite a few changes, though all of them are more subtle. For example, I am by nature a VERY lazy person, and I have the tendency to opt not to do something even if it would lead to a very helpful outcome for me, if I deem it to be too much work. Like- I may be sitting in my living in room and develop a massive headache, and the medicine I need is in my bedroom... a lot of the time, I will opt to just deal with the headache rather than get up and get the damn medicine! Today I have felt the urge to give in to laziness on several different occasions, but have resisted it- and actually gotten up to get or do what I needed to do. I've also noticed that I am finding it a lot easier to stick to my diabetic meal plan, and my attitude has been very positive. I took the dog for an extra long walk as well, which is VERY unusual for me.

So, nothing huge like yesterday, but definitely an overall positive change. More tomorrow...

[ilana612]

So, for the second morning in a row, I woke up and checked my blood sugar first thing, as I am supposed to. And once again, my blood sugar was HIGHER than its ever been- after more than 8 hours of being asleep and not eating. This confused the hell out of me, since from what I understand, your morning reading is usually when your blood sugar should be the LOWEST. I mentioned this to Shannon earlier today, and he pointed out that it could be the program. One of the things his program does is cause your body to start using/metabolizing stored fat, even while sleeping- which would totally explain my strangely high blood sugar levels in the morning! Pretty cool

[Shannon]

You should be getting supervision from a doctor, though. I am not qualified to tell you what's going on with that. What I said was only an idea.

[Patti]

Hi Sara! Good luck with your journey to better health! I'm so happy that you are taking charge of your life and hope you see some great results because of it! I look forward to hearing about them!

[WheatBellyJM]

Sarah I wish you absolute success with this!!! I am just finishing up Stage 1 (you might have seen my thread of results as well).

I can confirm that the hunger issue is definitely helped by the sub. I usually listen to it only during the 8 hours I am asleep but I discovered something REALLY awesome. If you start getting hungry during the day, play it for an hour. Within 10-15minutes of turning it on my hunger always disappears. I'll use 2-3 hours during the midday when I have those hunger urges.

The only disclaimer is, I had it not work once and I was still hungry. Then I thought about it and realized I had not eaten in 7 hours and I actually was hungry for a reason haha.

May I suggest if you need to count calories, carbs, sugars, or anything. Consider joining MyFitnessPal like I did. It is an easy way to keep track of what you eat during the day. If you have a smartphone they have an app for easy entry. Also most foods are already in the database so you don't need to even lookup nutritional info.

Lastly, feel free to contact me anytime. I would be more than happy to call/text/PM/email back and forth throughout this journey and motivate each other etc. Best Wishes - Mike

[Shannon]

The program is specifically designed not to interfere with hunger you genuinely need.

[ilana612]

(01-16-2012 08:53 PM)WheatBellyJM Wrote:  Sarah I wish you absolute success with this!!! I am just finishing up Stage 1 (you might have seen my thread of results as well).

I can confirm that the hunger issue is definitely helped by the sub. I usually listen to it only during the 8 hours I am asleep but I discovered something REALLY awesome. If you start getting hungry during the day, play it for an hour. Within 10-15minutes of turning it on my hunger always disappears. I'll use 2-3 hours during the midday when I have those hunger urges.

The only disclaimer is, I had it not work once and I was still hungry. Then I thought about it and realized I had not eaten in 7 hours and I actually was hungry for a reason haha.

May I suggest if you need to count calories, carbs, sugars, or anything. Consider joining MyFitnessPal like I did. It is an easy way to keep track of what you eat during the day. If you have a smartphone they have an app for easy entry. Also most foods are already in the database so you don't need to even lookup nutritional info.

Lastly, feel free to contact me anytime. I would be more than happy to call/text/PM/email back and forth throughout this journey and motivate each other etc. Best Wishes - Mike

Thanks for the tip, I will definitely look into joining MyFitnessPal! I find it very annoying to constantly be reading labels and counting carbs and such, so having a handy dandy app would be HIGHLY useful! I have read your posts in your thread, too, congrats on your success so far!

[ilana612]

Well, I have had some interesting results the past few days- some of which i didn't even realize right away WERE results!

When I first found out I had diabetes, and what that would mean in terms of drastic diet change, I felt pretty hopeless- that it would be too hard, that all the joy i used to find in food was gone forever, etc... but to my GREAT surprise, I have found (thanks in large part to the sub, i am sure) that its actually been fairly easy to stay on task. Now, given that I have huge motivation to do the right thing (like, fear of blindness and many other nasty side effects of untreated diabetes) you might not understand the magnitude of my finding this transition easy. Let me explain how my diet was PRE diabetes, being totally honest... During the week, I would typically have a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee (with lots of cream and lots of sugar AND flavoring), a breakfast sandwich of some kind, one or TWO orders of hash browns, and sometimes a donut too. For lunch I'd probably have fast food of some kind again, most likely a sandwich, fries and a coke... somewhere during the day I would have a snack or two- which could be melted cheese and crackers, a candy bar, ANOTHER donut, chicken nuggets, or something similar. THen, for dinner- if I ate at home, I would often have a HUGE plate of pasta (I'm talking at least 2 "normal" servings worth, sometimes 3 or 4), some kind of veg, often with cheese on it, soda to drink, some kind of bread side. THen we have either a post-dinner dinner or snack- buttered popcorn (a whole bag), a grilled cheese sandwich, etc.... and finally, at least one more sweet thing for dessert- either a giant bowl of ice cream, 4-5 cookies, a piece (or two) or pie, etc.

Now i know thats a lot of detail to go into about the foods I used to eat... I only did that to point out how VASTLY different my diet is now. My typical breakfast is either eggs w/diced veggies and a little cheese or a small sandwich (made at home!) and a portion of fruit.... For lunch its a big salad with lots of fresh veggies, or possibly grilled chicken or fish and veggies, maybe a small homemade sandwich and baby carrots if I was in a hurry. Dinner is almost always some type of grilled meat, a BIG portion of veggies and a small piece of toast. I have fruit for dessert, or if i REALLY want a treat, I have one sugar free pudding snack.

Now... can you see the vast difference in before and after? I hadn't even really though about it until a few days ago, but the foods I'm eating now are all the same types of foods most people who are dieting eat. I am eating a LOT less in quantity (though much better quality) as well. Every time I have tried to go on a diet like this, I have failed miserably- I love to eat, I love "bad" foods, i HATE depriving myself- even with good reason, like the diabetes.

THe more I think about it, the more positive I am that the weight loss sub is responsible for the ease in my transition. I truly don't think I could be sticking to my diet so well otherwise- and the most amazing thing is, I don't even feel like I am trying!

I am still experiencing a decline in hunger, and I've noticed that I seem to be choosing fewer and fewer carbs, even without conciously trying. I am just so amazed at how well this program is working for me, and can i say a big THANK YOU to Shannon- because without this program, I would be having a terrible time of trying to make myself eat healthier. And this is only stage one, woo hoo!!!

[Shannon]

Bravissima, Sarah! Good show!

[Patti]

Sarah, you are truly inspirational! It’s amazing how simple and natural it is for you to make these momentous changes. I can only imagine how proud of yourself you must feel! Great job! I look forward to reading more of your progress!

[ilana612]

So, my progress continues... I don't have a lot to report, as there have not been many huge noticable changes recently. I am still continuing to stick to my diabetes eating plan with amazing ease, and I have noticed that I am eating smaller portions without meaning to.

I have also noticed that I seem to be thinking about food a LOT less, and have been eating because I know I need to rather than because I just want to. There are a lot of days when I end up eating a lot less than intended because I am just not hungry enough to want to spend the time cooking something- though in all fairness, this COULD be attributed more to my innate laziness than to the sub!

Something funny happened just a few minutes ago, which is what prompted me to write a post today. I just got back from erranding, and I was having a major craving for something sweet- and I mean the type of sweet craving that not too long ago would prompt me to eat a whole box of donuts- and I sat down by the computer with my snack and began eating it, reveling in the deliciousness, my sweet craving happily satisfied... and guess what my snack of choice was? A medium sized bowl of freshly washed strawberries, nothing added to them. How funny is that? Eating healthier has become so automatic to me it no longer seems like a big deal, until I notice something like this and compare it to my mindset only a month ago. Crazy!

[Shannon]

(02-11-2012 12:47 PM)ilana612 Wrote:  So, my progress continues... I don't have a lot to report, as there have not been many huge noticable changes recently. I am still continuing to stick to my diabetes eating plan with amazing ease, and I have noticed that I am eating smaller portions without meaning to.

I have also noticed that I seem to be thinking about food a LOT less, and have been eating because I know I need to rather than because I just want to. There are a lot of days when I end up eating a lot less than intended because I am just not hungry enough to want to spend the time cooking something- though in all fairness, this COULD be attributed more to my innate laziness than to the sub!

Something funny happened just a few minutes ago, which is what prompted me to write a post today. I just got back from erranding, and I was having a major craving for something sweet- and I mean the type of sweet craving that not too long ago would prompt me to eat a whole box of donuts- and I sat down by the computer with my snack and began eating it, reveling in the deliciousness, my sweet craving happily satisfied... and guess what my snack of choice was? A medium sized bowl of freshly washed strawberries, nothing added to them. How funny is that? Eating healthier has become so automatic to me it no longer seems like a big deal, until I notice something like this and compare it to my mindset only a month ago. Crazy!

I never saw anyone become, or remain, overweight because they were too lazy to eat.

[ilana612]

Since my last post, I have had some interesting results.
Well, first of all- I switched over to the second stage about 6 days ago,
and I realized today that i have been noticing something for about the last FIVE days that is very odd, for me...
Along with a much stronger feeling of always being full (even though I'm eating even LESS all the time), I have noticed that I have not been experiencing any "nicotine fiends".
I thought about WHY that was...
and I realized that I really have not been smoking very much, definitely not very much at one time...
And when I started thinking about this, and thinking about smoking in general... well, let me say first that lately every time I have contemplated stopping smoking , I have felt a STRONG almost panic reaction that I did NOT want to stop. But when I thought about it again the other day, guess what? I still want to smoke more than I want to stop, but the idea of stopping was just like- yeah, okay, whatever... no panic whatsoever.
but OH HOLY CRAP!
i did not even THINK about it until just now... wow... the last time i smoked a cigarette was two days ago! Partly because thats when I ran out of cigarettes.. but yet, I have not gone and bought any more, have I? Wow.
Kind of weird, though... I can understand perfectly why the sub would influence me in terms of reducing my appetite and making me want to make healthier food choices, etc. But... cigarettes? Why would the sub be helping in that direction? What do you think, Shannon?

Wow, I also i just thought about what i have eaten today... I am in the process of cooking some ham for my dinner... other than the ham I am about to eat, you know what i have eaten today? One small coffee from Mcdonalds, a handful of peanuts, 3-4 pieces of cheese and some sausages. Thats it. And I'm not even that hungry now! LOL
Just this little bit of ham will more than fill me up. Pretty drastic change from only a little over a month ago. I have to say, I am loving this process!

[Shannon]

The effect on your smoking is a side effect of dealing with two things that were contributing to your weight issue. The result is lowered stress and a change in certain thinking patterns, beliefs and responses. For some people, yes... smoking will naturally drift away as a result.

Take those "Before" pictures, durnit, before you lose it all. I was already seeing a noticeable difference last time I was there.

[benjamin]

Very good Sarah. Good your getting results.

I took before pictures Shannon myself, so I hope to see a significant change by the time I finish, well I already an noticing a change, but enough to shock people in a good way!

[Patti]

Wow girl! It sounds like you're doing a whole life transformation over there! Good for you! I really like that your progress seems to happening on a steady basis. I enjoy that domino effect from one sub to other area's that may need attention. Everything's so intertwined...isn't it?!

[Shannon]

(02-22-2012 08:20 PM)benjamin Wrote:  Very good Sarah. Good your getting results.

I took before pictures Shannon myself, so I hope to see a significant change by the time I finish, well I already an noticing a change, but enough to shock people in a good way!

Keep in mind that it may take more than one run through to finish achieving your ideal weight. The goal is not just to achieve your ideal weight, but to do so at a speed that will make it easy to maintain and keep it when you get there. That limits how much adjustment can be achieved in six months; so some of you will need more than once through it, back to back.