Questions

I just started using the blueberry lean shake from GNC for breakfast every morning and I really like it. I stay full until lunch (or late morning snack) and it actually tastes good. Convenient, too, cuz I'm always in a hurry in the morning. Lost weight this week, and that was part of my success. Good luck!

I have 3 regular meals and 2 snacks, this keeps my metabolism going and I don't have any wild swings in blood sugar levels. Most of these gimmicky diets don't work in the long term, sure people lose weight on them but as soon as they stop it all piles back on again. It is better to change lifestyle in the longer term. Increase exercise, decrease portion sizes/calories and it should come off quite nicely.

I am against diet pills and meal replacements. They are made in a lab and are full of chemicals. They are science experiments, not food. They bog down your liver which reduces your livers ability to burn through fat. In addition, once you go off of diet pills, and stop using meal replacements and go back to eating "real" food, then you put the weight back on.

As far as creams.. again, fake chemicals, not good for your body.

I only use supplements when my body needs them, and then I only use 100% all natural, live, whole-food supplements that I get from my chiropractor who is also a holistic healer.

Juicing... if you're doing it right, buying all organic fruits and veggies, and are getting enough calories and nutrients could be a great way to kick start weight loss. You just have to be very careful when you go back to eating "real" meals.

Eating habits: I personally need to eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day. I follow the Diet Solution Program. It's premise is that there are 3 types of metabolisms, and each one has specific needs, specific ratios of protein to carb to healthy fat. It also follows "clean eating" precepts, in which, whenever possible you eat all organic produce, free range, pasture raised beef and chicken, wild caught fish, etc....

Exercise, I do cardio 3-4 times a week, aiming to burn 400 calories per session ( I have a Bodybugg to keep track of my calories burned). Then 2 days a week I do strength training. My goal is to burn a total of 2600 calories a day. My goal intake is 1600 calories a day. The 1,000 daily deficit translates into a loss of 2 pounds of fat per week.

Skipping meals..bad idea for me. When I skip meals/snacks, then I get REALLY hungry, and then I tend to overeat the next time I eat, or I end up going carb/sugar crazy and over indulging in baked goods (bread, cookies, crackers, etc...). So for me personally, I cannot skip meals because skipping meals in an effort to cut calories ultimately leads to me over eating, and over eating the worst possible stuff.

Skipping meals will cause your blood sugar to drop. Then you over eat carbs to try to "fix" it... and end up eating too much sugar. Then your body over produces insulin, and which in turn causes your blood sugar to drop again, and you wind up on the blood sugar roller coaster.. and it's so difficult to reign it back in.

When I don't follow my nutritional plan, I crave carbs like crazy. If I'm on my nutrition plan like I should be, my carb cravings are way less, and easier to manage.

These are my opinions, based on my own research, and based upon what works for me.

God bless!

Along with the morning shake, I usually have a morning snack (ie.almonds, banana) and lots of water. Then I eat a healthy lunch, afternoon snack and reasonable dinner (lean meat and veggies). The shake is just what I'm doing right now and it is working well. Once in awhile I will have a regular breakfast such as boiled eggs and fruit or a small bowl of oatmeal, etc... I'm not a shake lover, so it's not an absolute obsession or anything for me...just something that's working right now. Hope that helps.