Vitamix & weight loss? (update #9)

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i have noticed that i have lost 6-7 lbs without even trying in the past couple weeks. funny thing is, i haven't been to the gym in weeks :bag and i even had AF past couple days (where i usually GAIN a few lbs). I have struggled to lose the last 10 lbs for MONTHS, yet recently it just came off, just like that.

only thing different that i can think of is i have been drinking fruit/veggie smoothies every day, thanks to my Vitamix which we got few weeks ago. Before that, i never really ate veggies, and come to think of it, I never had fresh fruit either (i would always cut it up and give it to the kids, but never for myself). Now we are going through spinach, fresh fruit like crazy. I'm guessing this is the reason?? im a little surprised since i always thought i had the low-carb mentality, and thought that fruit = sugar so that was another reason i stayed away.

i am currently only 3 lbs away from my pre-kids weight. :boogie: i am just shocked.

[twowhat?]

I wouldn't be surprised...this made me think of the juice fast thread. All these threads about juice/smoothies and just feeling better in general is motivating me to start using our Vitamix more (which we have kind of been lax about using since our annoyingly picky kids won't drink the freakin' smoothies!).

[Melaine]

So cool! Do you feel like you are eating less of other food? We are really trying to experiment more with more healthy smoothies (I'm the queen of the choc. ban. PB smoothie). I'm trying to give the girls a smoothie during that late afternoon snacky time before dinner and I am drinking some of it...finding myself eating a little less at dinner so that's gotta be good. It's great because I feel like we are getting our "salad" even if we aren't eating a fantastically nutritious meal. I've finally started using the Silisqueeze for DS and I'm so excited because with the vitamix I can blend him up a little puree SO fast: organic apple, 2 organic carrots, 1 banana, and a handful of spinach makes enough for the day...such an improvement over dicing and steaming the veggies and HEALTHIER because it is raw. Love the vitamix!!!

[wellyes]

I absolutely felt like I had less junk cravings when I was having lots of nutrition-dense green smoothies. LOVE my vitamix.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanks everyone! i guess that is it..i'm having less cravings for junk and other sweets. i think i'm getting used to the natural sweetness of fruit, so when i have other things (e.g. typical breakfast bar, or a lemonade in a restaurant) it just too sweet for me, and i don't have those much anymore. it reminds me of when i lived in japan for a summer, i lost weight eating more "natural" foods of the Japanese diet and when i came back to the US everything (drinks, desserts, whatever) seemed way too sweet.

And my kids won't always drink the smoothies when we give them in the morning..ds usually does but dd often does not, as she just wants warm milk for breakfast. What we do is pour whatever leftover smoothie into their Sili Squeezes (we have the 6 oz squeeze with Eeze) and put them in the freezer. i have dh take it out at lunch and put it in the fridge. then by the time they get home from school (and after running a bit under warm water, and squishing it a bit) it's thawed enough so they can have them as a pre-dinner snack. They love it that way..it has the consistency of an icee :) the Sili Squeezes are great for that...you can freeze the leftover smoothie and just thaw it later, so nothing is wasted! DH has put smoothie in fridge for later, and ds has drank it like that, but personally i don't think it looks too appealing like that (gets separated, very runny).

[maybeebaby08]

We used ours regularly but not a lot for smoothies, the threads inspired me to start making them for the kids and DD1 loves them. It's been nice knowing she's actually getting some vegatables. I've been drinking the leftovers too, so good!

[AnnieW625]

I don't have a vitamix, but I can tell you I feel 10x better when I eat fruit and veggies and I have lost about 5lbs since early January and have 35 to 50 more to go (35 more is my short term goal, 50 would put me close to college weight) so I know it will be a really slow process, but eating even just a few leaves of lettuce (when I am too lazy to make a real salad) helps keep me feeling really full. Now if I could just get rid of all of the grains I think it would be easy, but I never see a large weight loss fast so I always assume it is not working and therefore go back to those horrible nasty no good grains because I like them.

[Momit]

Off to find the Bargains forum link to the refurb Vitamixes... I had been able to resist buying one but I'm close to caving this time...

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ok it's been a good few weeks now (still haven't gone to the gym, lol) and the weight has *not* crept back up. Woo!!. have been drinking a (usually green) smoothie every morning. i have noticed a significant reduction in cravings for junk/sweets. this morning i was able to fit into my decade-old, pre-kids size 4 pants and wear them to work :boogie: Sure, it's probably a larger size 4 (closer to a 6) but still..i've been a solid size 8 for the past year or so. I am able to zip/button pants before that would not fit just a few months ago.

anyway, i had always planned to get Vitamix to make healthy smoothies mostly for the kids.... it never really occurred to me that it would help me eat healthier too. funny how things work out.

in any case, i really think my Vitamix is so worth the money. aside from the weight loss i think the ease of cleaning is a huge motivating factor for me to use it regularly in the first place. i was not as eager to use my old blender bc it was a beeyotch to clean (so many little parts). also, it didn't blend things as smoothly.

[pastrygirl]

I put any extra smoothie into the Zoku and let the kids have pops for breakfast. :)


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[twowhat?]

ok it's been a few weeks now (still haven't gone to the gym, lol) and the weight has not crept back up:boogie:. have been drinking a (usually green) smoothie every morning. i have noticed a significant reduction in cravings for junk/sweets. this morning i was able to fit into my decade-old, pre-kids size 4 pants and wear them to work :boogie: Sure, it's probably a larger size 4 (closer to a 6) but still..i've been a solid size 8 for the past year or so. I am able to zip/button pants before that would not fit just a few months ago.

anyway, i had always planned to get Vitamix to make healthy smoothies mostly for the kids.... it never really occurred to me that it would help me eat healthier too. funny how things work out.

in any case, i really think my Vitamix is so worth it. aside from the weight loss i think the ease of cleaning is a huge motivating factor for me to use it in the first place. i was not as eager to use my old blender bc it was a beeyotch to clean.

Great update! You inspired me to start making more smoothies. Our kids are still super picky about them even if I put them in colored cups so that they can't see the color, but we did have one day this week where DD2 drank a whole cup and DD1 drank half a cup (half a cup of fruit/spinach is a HUGE deal for DD1). Maybe if I just keep doing it, they'll start craving the fresh fruits and veggies...

[janine]

ok it's been a good few weeks now (still haven't gone to the gym, lol) and the weight has *not* crept back up. Woo!!. have been drinking a (usually green) smoothie every morning. i have noticed a significant reduction in cravings for junk/sweets. this morning i was able to fit into my decade-old, pre-kids size 4 pants and wear them to work :boogie: Sure, it's probably a larger size 4 (closer to a 6) but still..i've been a solid size 8 for the past year or so. I am able to zip/button pants before that would not fit just a few months ago.

anyway, i had always planned to get Vitamix to make healthy smoothies mostly for the kids.... it never really occurred to me that it would help me eat healthier too. funny how things work out.

in any case, i really think my Vitamix is so worth the money. aside from the weight loss i think the ease of cleaning is a huge motivating factor for me to use it regularly in the first place. i was not as eager to use my old blender bc it was a beeyotch to clean (so many little parts). also, it didn't blend things as smoothly.


Boy, you are making me want to buy a vitamix - it that different from a juicer/blender? I just don't like veggies in general and can't imagine loving a green smoothie every day.

congrats thought, that is awesome, and healthy!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I just don't like veggies in general
this is SO me, actually. i'm embarrassed to admit that my 3-year-old is a better veggie-eater than I am (he will eat steamed broccoli right out of the pot, practically, whereas i nearly gag at the smell/taste, even doused in cheese). even my DH who loves the crappy American diet is better at eating veggies. before this i could literally go for WEEKS without even a single vegetable (corn and potatoes don't count i assume). i'm not a veggie person at all....V8 juice and all those things taste downright horrible to me. However, i have found out that i can tolerate certain veggies (spinach is one that i can easily tolerate, either raw in a salad or pureed in a smoothie), especially if the flavor is masked by several other things (fruits, etc).

and to answer the other thing, yes i think it is much different than other blenders. it is more powerful so it can grind stuff up so it's much more smooth.

i usually give the smoothie to the kids in clear Tervis tumblers with lid & straw..luckily they don't mind the color (it's always some horrible 1970s green, lol). if they don't finish it all, or don't want it at the moment, i pour into a Sili Squeeze and toss it in the freezer. then later i thaw it out and give it back to them, and usually they will eat it that way. it kind of resembles those fruit/veggie pouches. i imagine they will be much more into them in the summer (right now since it's cold they just aren't as into the cold drinks). all this is actually making look forward to summer here, which is saying A LOT as summers here are pretty brutal :)

[ray7694]

Can you share your recipe.

[cilantromapuche]

Shoot, I knew I should have bought one when they had that deal. I will have to go back and look at recipes.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Can you share your recipe.

sure, here is one that everyone inthe family seems to like. we had it for breakfast this morning and everyone finished it. for this one, it helps if everything (except for bananas, i guess) is refrigerated. the first time i made it the oranges, apple were at room temp and it wasn't as good.

i usually put a whole banana in there and whole apple, and a few extra strawberries, since as is it doesn't seem to make *that* much for a family of four.

t's on page 60 of the Vitamix recipe book.

Cindy's Midday Smoothie (page 60 in my vitamix Savor recipe book).

ingredients:
-1 medium orange, peeled, halved
-4 small fresh strawberries
-1/2 small banana, peeled
-1/2 Macintosh apple, quartered, seeded
-1 cup fresh spinach, lightly packed
1 cup ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in order listed and secure lid
2. Select Smoothies program.
3. Press Start.
4. Allow machine to complete programmed cycle, using tamper to press ingredients into the blades.

yield: 2 1/2 cups

[mmommy]

You know, I've lost a few extra pounds since we got our vitamix too. I make a smoothie each morning, and I have found that it really fills me up. It also gives me more energy and I've noticed I haven't been drinking as much coffee. I already eat a ton of fruits and veggies, so I'm not entirely sure why a smoothie has helped me to lose weight. I'm thinking maybe the extra fiber from eating even more fruits/veggies has helped my body to clean out a bit more. Anyway, I'll take it!

[elbenn]

Shoot, I knew I should have bought one when they had that deal. I will have to go back and look at recipes.

What was the deal? This thread is making me want a Vitamix!