Losing Weight and Feeling Great

Just a quick post, because I got excited about this.  A few days ago I started the Facercise challenge, where I took the before picture, would do the Facercise exercises for 2 weeks, then take more photos — hopefully there would be a change.  (Here’s the original post.)

There’s a change alright — after just 3 days!  Let me explain how I can tell.

There are three exercises for "hooded" eyes — you know, the kind of problem you want an eyelift for.  Saggy upper eyelids is another way to put it.

Of the three exercises, I have a problem doing two of them well with my right eye.  I can do them, but just barely (left eye is fine).

I looked in the mirror this morning.  I see a definite difference between my left eye and right, as far as the sagging/hooding.

After just three days of Facercises!

Of course, I still have a problem — how to coax my right eye muscles  to be able to do the exercises properly without involving my left eye muscles.  Gotta work on that.  But now I’ll be excited to show you the difference when I reach the 2 week mark!

In my previous post, I talked about saggy skin on your face, and how you can combat it with Facercises.  Now let’s talk about the rest of your body.

Summer is coming, and that means more revealing clothes — shorts, bathing suits, short sleeves and tank tops.  If you’re like me, you avoid all of them!  (Well, maybe except for the short sleeves.)  Maybe now is the time to do something about it.

Yes, I know — exercise is not my favorite thing in the world.  And I’m limited in what I can do because of the sciatica (although that is getting better as I lose the weight).  And I don’t have much time to spare in my days.  So, does this sound familiar — something like you?

I think I may have found something that even I can do, and in 15 minutes a day.  Low impact, and inexpensive.  So, I had to investigate.  I have to do something, especially since my weight loss has slowed way down — time to add at least a tiny bit of exercise.

So, I bought Denise Austin’s book
Sculpt Your Body with Balls and Bands: Shed Pounds and Get Firm in 12 Minutes a Day.  What did I have to lose?

Anyway, Denise explains how you can use a balance ball and some resistance bands to tone and trim your body.  Get your metabolism revved up some.  De-sag your muscles with exercises that attack your problem spots, whatever they are.

Denise’s book is well laid out and easy to follow.  The exercises themselves are demonstrated in photos that show the exercises from start to finish.  So far, so good.  She even has sample exercise routines that cover your whole body — or you can design your own workout with her guidance.

Ok — 12 minutes a day.  Low impact.  Inexpensive.  Meets my criteria.

So, I’m going to give it a shot.  I’ll take my measurements tomorrow and start the exercises.  I’ll post my results at 2 week intervals.  I’ve slowed down to 1/2 pound a week on my diet alone, so let’s see what this does — will I start losing weight faster again?

Why not join me?  Get a copy of the book at your local bookstore, or order it online .  Same thing with the balance ball and resistance bands — go to a sports store and grab some, or order your stability ball
and stretch band set
online, too.

It’s 12 minutes a day.  Your body is worth it.  Low impact, inexpensive and you can do it in the privacy of your own home.  Let’s do it together and post your results!  Join in anytime — I’d love to have you try it and get your opinion, too.

A friend of mine one time said something along these lines:

"I figure if I’m skinny all my life, when I get older, I can just gain weight and I won’t show the wrinkles.  You know, kind of like a balloon — fat will stretch the wrinkles out."

That was almost 20 years ago, and I think she’s had time to reconsider that statement.  But is there a nugget of truth in what she said?  If you lose weight, will the skin on your face sag and get wrinkly?  There’s no one way to answer that, because everyone is different, but here are some things to consider.

Your Age

The younger you are, the more likely your skin will spring back.  For example, if you’re in your 30’s or 40’s, you have a better chance of not having much skin sagging, if at all.

The older you are, the more possible it is for a sag effect — but keep reading, as there are ways to fight back!

The Number Of Pounds You Have to Lose

The fewer pounds you need to lose, the less adjustment your skin needs to make.  Conversely, the more pounds, the higher possibility of some sag.

There’s a way to fight back here, too.  By losing weight slowly (no more than 2 pounds a week), you give your skin time to play "catch up" with your weight loss.  You’re less likely to show a saggy look.

Your Skin Type

If you have very dry skin, it has less of an ability to adapt to your weight loss.  Your best bet here is to splurge — with every 5 or 10 pounds gone, have a professionally-done facial.  And between times, use a good exfoliant and moisturizer suited to your skin.

If you have oily skin, you’re more in luck, as it tends to spring back faster.  But you can also benefit from a professional facial after every 10 or 15 pounds gone.  Meanwhile, exfoliate regularly and use a water-based moisturizer.

Combination skin — your have the best and worst of both.  Yep, a professional facial would also benefit your skin every 10 pounds or so and (you guessed it) exfoliate and moisturize appropriately.

Fight Back!

Obviously you don’t want to add wrinkles to sagging, so common sense applies here — limit sun exposure and alcohol, and quit smoking — these all help.

So what can you do for the sag?  How about facial exercises?  The whole idea is that the face exercises strengthen and build up your muscles (cheeks, forehead, eyes, chin, throat) so that they hold up your skin better.

They are quick (usually about 20 minutes) and you can do them anywhere — at home, in the car, lying in bed before you go to sleep.

One book I’ve read and think is excellent (and am putting into practice) is by Carole Maggio called Facercise.  Carole has packed a lot of information in this book, and the exercises cover every spot on your face — from forehead to throat.

A neat part of the book is in the beginning where she shows some real women’s before picture, and then after just 7 days — the book is worth it almost worth just those pictures, but Carole shows us how they did it!

And it’s not just about sagging — the facercises can also combat wrinkles.  While they may not totally go away, they can certainly be less noticeable and give you a younger appearance.

Oh, another way the facercises work is that they increase the blood flow to your face and that nourishes it…and helps to give your skin a bit of a glow.

I got excited when this book finally arrived and I was able to read it and then actually do the exercises.  Now I’ve only really done it once so far, and I’ve put my "before" pictures on the "Facercise Challenge" page.  I think then I’ll give it two weeks, get another photo, and then again 2 weeks after that.

Warning, though — they aren’t quite as easy as they initially seem from the book.  I just finished a set and my face is kind of sore — I didn’t realize how out-of-shape the muscles actually were!

So get a copy of the book and join me.  Let’s fight back with Facercise.
  The book isn’t expensive at all (less than $11) so it’s cheaper than some of the face moisturizers you use!  Buy the book once and you have it the rest of your life.

Let’s get facercized!

The 3 Hour Diet by Jorge Cruise is rather interesting.  In a nutshell:  eat pretty much anything you want, but at three-hour intervals.  (Yes, there is more to it, but that’s the nutshell version.)

Mr. Cruise is (or at least was) the AOL Weight Loss Coach.  What he came up with is a way to keep your metabolism running at full strength by eating smaller meals every 3 hours.  And yes, it does have to be exactly every three hours, give or take 5 minutes.

On the 3 Hour Diet, you don’t count calories for meals or worry about what you are eating.  Although you do care about the amount (it isn’t license to stuff yourself silly every three hours), the "what" is left up to you.  With a few guidelines.

Every meal should include proteins, carbs, fats and a fruit or a vegetable.  Page 87 of the book has a picture that gives you a very good idea of the size of the portions — and how to easily judge them by using everyday objects.

Your snacks should be around 100 calories each for the morning and mid-afternoon, and about 50 for your before-bed munchie.

Overall it’s a pretty decent diet program, but I do have one or two minor concerns.  At one point, Mr. Cuise mentions that you can grab whatever is on hand for a snack, and mentions a candy bar.  Any sugar like what’s found in your average candy bar will send your blood sugar through the roof!  Suggesting some almonds or even peanuts for an emergency snack from a vending machine would have been better said.

The other concern is that you do have to eat every three hours, on the dot.  Now if your schedule allows that, this may indeed be the diet for you.  For most of us, 3 hours on the nose is tough (although if you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way).

Anyway, The 3-Hour Diet is an interesting book, and worth reading.  And as I said before — if your schedule permits, this might be a good diet program for you.