The scientific principle behind Sensa is remarkably simple. You may recall learning in biology class that smell and taste are connected. As you eat, the two senses work together to stimulate an area of the brain called the “satiety center,” which tells your body when it’s time to stop eating. By enhancing flavor (sensory input), Sensa Tastants help to enable the brain-stomach connection and trigger the "feel full" signal.

I had the opportunity to try out Sensa at the Total Beauty Blog Summit that I went to in L.A. this past spring, as well as meet and talk a little with Dr. Hirsch.  I had seen him on television in days gone by and thought his work was fascinating – so it really was kind of thrilling to get to meet him.  Now granted, I have (obviously) not been a good girl with my Sensa just yet, but I have used it enough to see that it works – it is almost bizarre how it works, but I swear it does.  I eat half the plate of food I normally would.  I keep saying it might be in my mind, but I think that is the point – the senses are telling your mind that it is time to stop.  Nifty.  And one more really important (to me anyway) thing about it is that there are no weirdo chemicals in it – here are the ingredients:

Sensa contains Maltodextrin, Tricalcium Phosphate, Silica, Natural and Artificial Flavors, FD&C Yellow 5, and Carmine. Sensa also contains Soy and Milk ingredients. There are no calories, no sugar, no stimulants, less than 1 mg of sodium, and no MSG.

I think this is a truly, truly innovative product, and I think its going to be a massive hit – I really do.  Check out the site at TrySensa.com – there is ton of information about the product and the clinical trials involved in its production.  They were featured on Extra last night (which sadly I missed because I was on a plane), and are going to be featured on 20/20 tonight.  20/20 seems to be debunking them (don’t they always?), or at least questioning their technology – but after having used Dr. Hirsch on their program as an expert in the past – might not be so easy to do?  Im not buying any debunking anyway.  I’ve tried it and it is definitely worth a good shot.  Anyway, have a look and do check it out – there is really something to this product.  Teri just gave away a 6 month supply from Sensa this morning, so keep an eye on them over there and see how they are doing.  Teri – lets do this, girlfriend!!  I swear, I am starting TOMORROW!  I must!

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So one of the first books I went for, is How To Eat Like A Hot Chick.  Browsed through Skinny Bitch, but it just didn’t speak to me like HTELAHC.  That’s an ugly acronym, btw.

I am nowhere near done with it, but let me just tell you, my best friend and I could have written this book.  I absolutely can totally relate.  This book is not for the – um – folks with delicate sensibilities, it is chock full of f-bombs, bj’s and all sorts of other tawdry “girl-to-girl” talk.  Consider yourself warned. 

That said, so far I am totally digging it – it is sensible and smart eating and exercising along with hilarious dialogue.  I can’t wait to finish it.  Why *o* why didn’t we write this, Suz?  Oh – maybe its because we haven’t figured out the “How to eat like” part – but, by George, we have the “How to Act Like” part down perfectly.

Have you read this??  Spill.

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We felt my Trav’lin’ Light Tour would be a great opportunity to educate my fans about something that’s important to me. Diabetes plagues so many people today, especially in the African- American community. In fact, I lost my great-grandmother to this disease that we now know is preventable through the very thing Jenny Craig provides…

Did you know that – if you’re overweight – losing just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight can lower the risk of developing type II diabetes by 58 percent?** It’s true! And taking even the smallest steps – including eating more healthfully and increasing your activity a little each day – can significantly improve your health.

How am I doing on ye old Jenny Craig, you might ask? Well, my illness last week knocked me back a smidge – but I am officially at minus 20 pounds, and going strong again. I am doing pretty well drinking my water, and getting some regular exercise (via brisk walks during soccer practice and the elliptical machine when I am home) and I got some new food to try this week – so I am looking forward to more poundage down soon! Yay for me! I am working on a video to post soon – and while I look horrific in it (as it always seems that skin care videos make me look!), maybe you can see an ounce or two out of my face. Not sure I can, but I can sure feel way more than an ounce or two out of my butt. I am happily out of my fat, FAT jeans, and down in to my fat jeans. Next jean size is my “Im starting to feel hot again” size. Whoop! LOL

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I have recently been pointed to a site that sells lovely lingerie, and sports bras – HerRoom.com – and they have (admittedly VERY humorous, BUT, very helpful) videos that demonstrate “the bounce test” on quite a few different sports bra models.  Now try to refrain from laughing (you won’t be able to at first…LOL) and if you are looking for a sports bra with the support you need, you will definitely find it here.  Ingenious, and entertaining all at the same time. 

After the jump is some more information from Her Room about sports bras and their benefits, as well as the winners of the Undie Awards (yep, you read that right).

It’s a fact of life that most women’s breasts will sag over time. The reason is that breasts have no muscles in them to be toned. Ligaments are what attach the breasts to the chest. If these delicate ligaments are not supported, constant motion will break them down and erode breast support and positioning. Since it is so important for women of all shapes and sizes to find the right bra, Tomima has put together some helpful tips:

• A good sports bra can reduce breast movement by at least 56%.

• When choosing a sports bra, consider the activity. It is very possible that you will need a wardrobe of sports bras depending on the number of sports you participate in – high to low impact.

• Breast size does play a part. Larger breasts are going to need more support. Therefore, the proper sports bra is going to give the necessary support to control breast motion and reduce the bounce force in each activity. 

• Whether you’re a 32A or a 42DD, you still need to support your breasts. Otherwise, constant motion caused by exercise will break down the delicate ligaments keeping your breasts in place and cause sagging over time. Small breasts can sag too.

• Determine whether you want a bra that offers encapsulation or compression. Encapsulation models are constructed with two cups (just like typical bras). Compression models, on the other hand basically press your breasts flat to your chest (in an attempt to reduce motion).

So you might be asking yourself what bras will provide me with the support I need? There are four in particular that received rave reviews this year when they won the first annual Undie Awards. The Undie Awards is an annual awards program inaugurated by HerRoom.com with the express mission of seeking out and awarding excellence in underwear design. The experts behind The Undie Awards also gave the “Undie Select” Award for outstanding designs that have yet to receive mass acceptance or appeal in each category.

The Winners of The Undie Award for best overall sports bra:

Champion Double Dry Seamless Sports Bra 2893 (average figure)

Enell Sports Bra 100 (full figure)

The Winners of The Undie Select Award:

Natori 34439 Sports Bra (average figure)

Lunaire Coolmax Underwire Sports Bra 11111 (full figure)

In the consumers’ mind, these bras proved to be supportive and minimized the “bounce.” But, interestingly enough, the highest voted sports bra, Champion, had more breast movement than many of its competitors. The videos are so important because, as proven here, many women really don’t realize how much they are bouncing. Take a look for yourself and see what bra produced the least amount of bounce and the most support.

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I had my weekly consultation with the Jenny Craig counselor this afternoon, and it went well. Rebecca is as sweet as she can be, and I know I can rattle on a little during those meetings – I guess that is the way of the blogger – we can go on and on sometimes about nothing, no? LOL Anyway, last week at our meeting my goal was to integrate some exercise into my mundane computer chair butt, and I started off easy – 10 minutes on the elliptical machine I bought in January, 3 days a week. Well, I almost made it. I went 5 minutes for the first and third day, and 15 on the second – thats almost good. But not quite good enough – so I committed to doing it right this time – a small baby step kind of a goal, but it will work for me. I also set an ambitious 3 pound goal for this week.

I found out this morning that I am going to be heading to Toronto to work in a real office for a week Oct. 1 through the 5th, so I chatted with Rebecca a little bit about that, and we will come up with a strategy to deal with that next week at our meeting, as I don’t see myself dragging a suitcase full of dry ice and food up there. But, staying in a hotel, it makes it a little difficult to cruise the pantry anyway, so it won’t be too big a deal – except for the necessary Tim Horton’s coffee – but maybe I’ll go small instead of big. Who knows.

All in all it was a good week this week. I lost 2 pounds and it is “that time” that we women don’t lose weight very readily, so 2 pounds is something to speak of. Grand total of 13 – so far the Jenny Direct program is getting a big thumbs up from me – great food, and exquisitely convenient. I would love to hear from anyone else who might be going through this struggle and especially if you are doing Jenny Craig too, so speak up!

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As you can see from my *oh so lovely* videos, we have a problem. I have never, ever been truly skinny – at my skinniest as an adult, I was around 140 pounds (and am 5′ 9 for reference). Which, compared to now, was damned skinny. *Oh* to bring back those days – but they came along with lots of partying and what I call the beer diet – beer and bar food and dancing til the bars close. Awesome exercise!

So fast forward 15 (or so – ha) years – I was still pretty skinny (for me) 8 years ago when I met my hubby for the first time – about 165. That still feels way skinny to me now, although it doesn’t sound so skinny! Then I fell in *luv* and quit running the bars and dancing and not drinking… So up we go. Slowly creeping on up there. I was about 185 when we got married, and hung on to that pretty well for awhile. When my hubby got sick with MRSA is when I really started to go up (or down, depending on how you look at it…lol). So after that ordeal, and a good 20 stress pounds, I got skin cancer. No stress pounds there, but since then, along with being an indoor goddess with a life behind a computer and a fear of the sun, I have now seriously attempted quitting smoking about 6 times. Have you tried that before? I have whined about it a lot on eBeautyDaily over the last couple of years, but I watched my weight go up a solid half a pound a day for two full weeks all the while I was eating minimally, drinking lots of water, and exercising daily to try to avoid the weight gain. I quit watching after that.

I have been on soooooo many diets over the years. I have been to numerous weight loss centers, have done Weight Watchers, Protein Power, Dr. Atkins, soup diets, cookie diets, juice diets – just about all of them. The one thing I have never really tried were diet pills – no Phen-fen for me (or is that Fen-phen – I have no clue…lol) – not sure why I never did those. Some worked for me, some didn’t, but obviously none of them were a long term solution.

So, right now I am working on 60 pounds that I desperately need to get rid of. Desperately for ME, and my health, and my vanity. I am sick of being the fat girl (surely you have seen enough of that in the recent months that I don’t need to show more pictures…lol). So after months and months of consideration, I have chosen the lovely Jenny Craig to do it. I think it was that darling Valerie Bertinelli to be honest. I just love her – I always have! I am still upset she and Eddie Van Halen got a divorce, but I suspect that she is long over it now, I should be too. If you are unaware, Jenny Craig is one of the programs that you eat their food for awhile, and then eventually you wean off their food and onto your own. Ideally in much smaller proportions than you were eating before! You also have to meet with a counselor for 15 minutes, once a week. I am on their Jenny Direct internet program , so I do everything from home and have my weekly meeting via telephone. I thought our little town was sort of half grown, but I was shocked they don’t have a Jenny Craig here. Maybe sometime before too long…

My initial impressions of Jenny Craig so far:

1. 85% of the food is really good.

2. The other 15% isn’t awful, just not my favorite (I have already made one reorder and could nix the food I didn’t want and replace it with something I did).

3. I LOVE a diet where I can have an occasional dessert (and their deserts are YUM).

4. I am sick of going no carbohydrate and relish eating things like what I had for dinner tonight – macaroni and cheese!

5. I like meeting with the counselor once a week – it keeps me on my toes and keeps me from cheating knowing that I have to report in.

6. Damn, my mother was right. It’s all about moderation.

7. I like fake chicken (Chick’n), turkey burgers and Veggie sausage! Who knew??**

**Now, just a few products have meat replacements in them – not all, by a long shot (in case you were scared). The meatloaf is awesome. I might even say better than mine. Oy.

Ok, if you haven’t fallen out yet, I will wrap this up. As of today, I have dropped 11 pounds in about as many days – no doubt its water for the most part and will slow down dramatically from here, but so far, so good. I have been a little hungry on a couple of days – but I think its emotional hunger (I figured out I eat when I get mad!) and a little of that “time of the month” need for munchies. I am going to use eBeautyDaily to help me stay on track, so if you don’t hear me give a report every few days, I hope that you will poke me and ask!

I would sure love to hear from any of you that might be on JC or have done it in the past and how it worked for you, so please speak up – I need all the support I can get!!! And if you are in to weight loss, please keep an eye on Claire over at Burning The Scale – she is writing a wonderful blog over there that is chock full of useful information!

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Um, yeah. I’m not sure if Stephen Tyler can *blame* his looks on a good beauty routine, lots of makeup or bad plastic surgery, but this is what he says makes him look so good at 59 (OMG Stephen Tyler is 59):

“I have a beauty regime. I have special cream I put on under my eyes every night. You have to look after yourself. “I stay slim by having sex – and sweating a lot while I’m on stage.” [Source]

So what do you think – plastic surgery or not? He sure does look odd to me… And I hope hes not planning on having an exercise session with Dita, she doesn’t look too interested to me. LOL

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Please welcome Claire and Burning The Scale to the Beauty & Style channel – Claire will be writing about my biggest nemesis – my butt. Ha ha ha – really, she is writing about diet and weight loss (which really is my nemesis) – and we are so happy to have her! Please stop by and welcome her, and be sure and subscribe to her feed so you can keep up with the latest news and trends in making your body beautiful!

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This test is all good and all – but it seems like it was missing something. Especially the “happy the way I am part.” I am not, but not psychotic to change it either. I guess that means my image is 84% ok. Who knows.

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I have been a proponent of a low carb diet from the first time I ever tried it – breaking that craving for sugar/carbs was every bit as horrid as quitting smoking. Well, darned near that bad. With withdrawals that are that bad, I have NO doubt that sugar must be truly awful for your body. And mine. Of course, I am sucked right in to a sugar addiction at the moment – the worst thing for me to give up is milk. I LOVE milk, and always have. Way too much. So anyway, I have been thinking about getting regimented here.

In December, when my dear friend Hsien was recognized by Dr. Manny at FOX as one of the best health blogs, I discovered another blog and podcast that haven’t been around for too long, but have been getting amazing traffic – the Livin La Vida Low Carb blog and podcast , by Jimmy Moore. I have been reading the blog a bit, but listened to the podcast today for the first time, and its interesting – Jimmy is quite lively and the podcast is long enough to give valuable info, and short enough so you arent stuck listening for what seems like forever. Good stuff, check it out if you haven’t.

And tell me what you are doing to shed those unwanted pounds. I am shopping around for something that works – cause I need it!

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