Well, all too soon, we have come to the end of this wonderful little book.  I am going to go a different route on putting this all together.  If you have read the blog, you know a great deal about how Sensa works and what it can do for you if you let it.  I want to tell you what it has done for me.

I am 47 years old, actually, I am two weeks from my 48th birthday.  At the beginning of 2009, I weighed 159 pounds.  My normal weight is 115.  I was absolutely disgusted with myself.  Every time I went to a store and saw myself in those try-on mirrors, I would cringe.  All I could see what this fat stomach, these huge thighs, jiggly arms, huge butt and I just wanted to cry, rant and rave.  I was constantly putting myself down – “you did this to yourself”, “how could you let yourself go like that”, “you’re fat”, “you’re ugly” and on and on it went. My self-esteen was shot.   I had gone from a size 3  to a size 14.  I hurt all the time and was always sick.   Thank God my husband loves me.  He never made me feel the way I felt about myself.  He always makes me feel like I am the most beautiful woman in the world.

I had tried every diet there was – the points, the meals sent to you, the other meals sent to you, the dangerous carb diet, the no-eat, just drink diet, cabbage soup, juice, and even the pills that make you too humilated to leave your home.  I would drop a few pounds and then just feel so deprived that I just “went back” to the way I had always ate.

Over the years I have been diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, degenerative disc disease, arthritis, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.  I also have a fused ankle that has always prevented me from doing any strenuous exercise.

Last March my doctor told me that if I didn’t get my A1C under control (this is the blood test that doctors use to determine your blood sugar), that I would have to go on medication and if I didn’t get my cholestrol lowered from over 200, I would have to double my statin dose.  I was just so depressed and I didn’t know what to do or what to try next.  I was trying to eat healthier, but I couldn’t get the cravings under control.  I was a grazer and I ate sweets all day long.  In April, I was opening up my e-mail and I saw a sidebar ad for Sensa.  I had seen Sensa previously on one of the morning news shows and had always wanted to try it, but was afraid that it was just another “scam”.  When my eyes went to this ad, I thought “what do I have to lose”.   I figured I tried everything else, I’d try this too.

I ordered it right then and there and then joined the online community the same day.  I was immediately enfolded in this cocoon of love, support and encouragement.  While I waited for my Sensa to arrive, I browsed the message boards, “talked” to other people on the message boards and just learned as much as I could.

When my Sensa arrived, I tore open that box.  I had a sucker in my mouth that I took out and sprinkled.  When I stuck it back in my mouth, I felt this IMMEDIATE sensation of fullness.  I thought “no way, it just can’t be that easy”.  That night, I sprinkled my dinner and only ate half of what was on my plate.  By the third day, I noticed that I wasn’t eating between meals and within about a week, my cravings for sweets had disappeared.

I won’t go through my whole six month journey – suffice it to say, I’ve had ups, I’ve had downs.  I hit a plateau that left me so frustrated that had it not been for my friends on the forum, I probably would have just thrown up my hands.  But by sticking it out and listening to the moderators and other members on the Sensa forums, I realized that I was not eating ENOUGH food to facilitiate weight loss.  I was basically putting my body in starvation mode.  Once I hit upon the magic number of calories to eat, I have had a consistent weight loss weekly..

Now this is what Sensa has done for me in 6 months:   My starting weight when I began Sensa was 150 – I have lost 10 pounds.  I have lost 22 1/2 inches.  I have gone from asize 14 to a size 8 (and these are now loose),my A1C is normal for the first time in 5 years (a 5.8) and even though I will always be a diabetic, my blood sugars are normal just like a non-diabetic; my cholesterol is 8 points from being normal and I anticipate that at my next appointment in June, although I will stay on the medication, I have not had to double my dose.  I also exercise on a fairly regular basis.  I have found that even though I have some discomfort in exercise, I can do most exercise in moderation.  I have a Wii and I buy a lot of fun Wii Fitness Games that keeps me entertained and moving.  I am also discovering yoga because I love the way I can stretch my muscles.  And the best thing that Sensa has done for me is given me back myself.  I no longer have the self-defeating thoughts and attitude in my head.  I have learned to love myself, flaws and all.  I can look in a mirror now and not be filled with self-loathing.   I still have an additional 15 pounds that I want to lose and I am committed to doing that with Sensa.

Yes, all of these changes in me are due to a sprinkle.  Sensa really does work – and it is really that easy – I sprinkle everything I eat and I eat anything I want.  I just don’t want a lot of it.  That is the beauty of Sensa – no special diets, no special exercise, no special foods – you live your life and eat your food – but as you grow in the program and learn from others -  you will start realizing that it is better to eat fruit than cake; you’ll learn to love quiona instead of rice or potatoes and your body will actually start to crave vegetables instead of pizza.  And who knows, you may just want to exercise too!!!

Now, put it all together, pick up that phone or log in and be on your way to a SENSA-tional new you.

Sweetpea (Deborah)

In this final chapter Dr. Hirsch give us a brief break down of each level of the Sensa Weight-Loss Program and how we can incorporate it into our lives a bit at a time.  His hope is that he has provided each of us with a road map to begin our own journey to our personal weight loss success..

Dr. Hirsch is aware that the concept of using our sense of smell and taste to combat weight loss was strange to us and he is hoping that we have a better understanding of how these two senses are significant in our lifes and in many aspects of it. “Inch by inch it is a cinch, Yard by yard it is hard.” by Dr. Robert Schuller is a quote that Dr. Hirsch wants us to associate
with Sensa and know that Sensa Weight-Loss Program is an inch by inch program!!  He doesn’t promise us instant results or dramatic results in a short time span.  He does believe that Sensa will be the easiest, simplest and most effective way for us to achieve and maintain you weight-loss goals.

Dr. Hirsch wants us to remember that Sensa is composed of three levels and the timing of how we bring them into our lifes is entirely up to us.  It would be OK to start all three levels at the same time but it isn’t recommended.  The success of the program is based on easing ourselves into each level gradually.  The last part of the chapter gives us a step by step example on how to bring each part of the program into our lifes as easily as possible maximizing the success we will have on the program.

Following the final chapter is a brief description of Dr. Alan Hirsch.  Where he works, his research, some of his accomplishments and his degrees.  He has a number of other books out about scent from his more than 20 years of research in this field..There a several resources listed as well one of which is www.trysensa.com and the one I found very interesting to look into was The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation(www.smellandtaste.org).  This foundation was founded by Dr.. Hirsch and I enjoyed looking at the site to learn more about him.

If you are thinking about using Sensa, a new Sensa user, or have been using Sensa for a while I would recommend this book as a must have for your weight loss arsenal.  It is the ultimate users manual to the whole weight loss journey and has none of the pain and deprivation we have been told were the only way to loss weight for years.  You will need no other guide or manual once you have Dr. Hirsch’s book in your library.

10% lost since Sensa

Moondragon52 Pre Sensa

We have arrived to the the last chapter of The Sensa Weight-Loss System. Here Dr. Hirsch reviews the 3-part system. He reminds us that this program does not produce instant or dramatic weight loss. It is not meant to be a “diet”, but a journey that will lead you to a healthier, more sensible life. Sensa is an easy, simple and effective way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Dr. Hirsch also reviews the 3 part system, and lets us know that it is designed to ease into gradually. In my own case, I started with the Sensa Tastants System first. Within a couple months, I found cravings disappearing, and naturally began eating healthier, high satiety foods, thus moving into the second part of the program…the Sensa Satiety System. About fours months after I started the program, I began to think about exercise, both increasing my every movement and planned exercise consisting, consisting of cardio and strength training. This is the Fastercise System.

It is interesting to me, that I naturally found the 3 part system without having the benefit of the book. It was not published til I was more then 6 months into my journey. That speaks volumes to me, that Sensa really does help you find your way and put you in a place, where you can gradually and naturally walk into the the satiety and exercise part of the system.

It is important to understand that we are all different and will respond to Sensa in our own time. Our journeys may not be identical, but the end result will be the same if we stick with it. The Sensa Journey will bring you to a more healthy life!

In closing, I would like to say, that even though I don’t know Dr. Hirsch personally, I feel like I know his heart. It is clear to me, he is a man of compassion, who cared enough to pursue the answer to the increasing obesity problem in our nation. There are many “diets”, products and books out the market. Many of us have tried most or all of them and felt we failed and failed again. Sensa will not fail you.

If you asked me the most important thing I have learned, so far, in my own journey, I would say……

“Get past your :”diet” mentality. Skipping meals, starving, deprivation and denial are part of that mentality. Sensa is not even in the same world with all that. Just sprinkle, relax and embrace the changes as they occur with your journey. You will find it easy and easy to stick to. In addition, you will learn alot about yourself and find that you will develop a new healthy outlook on food.

And please read this book. It will give you a clear understanding of how you got where you are and give you a clear view of where you are going.

Try Sensa and start your journey to a Sensable Life!

Thanks, Dr. Hirsch!

And thanks you Sensa for giving me the opportunity to be a Sensa Book Blogger. It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of this group.

Haven’t missed a sprinkle,

peggems

50 weeks, 55# lost so far

Sensa Tastants, Supplements and Book

P.S. You will notice in the picture I posted, I show all the Sensa tools……including book, Sensa, a sample of high satiety food, fastercise example and Sensa Supplements. Though the supplements were not mentioned in the book, they are an important part of the journey for me. They are the only supplements I have ever tried, that didn’t cause an upset stomach. I notice a such big difference in my energy level since I started the supplements. Sensa, the Sensa Book, and the Sensa Supplements are a winning combination and will change your life and health forever.

Here we are at the final chapter of the Sensa Weight-Loss program book review.  This book has opened my eyes as to how Dr. Hirsch had accidentally discovered this new way to lose weight.

It was stated in this chapter by Dr. Robert Shuller that inch-by-inch, it’s a cinch.   Yard by yard its hard.  The Sensa weight loss program is an inch-by-inch program, he hit that on the head, with this program, the weight comes off slowly, inch by inch.  Unlike other diets that promise to take it off quick (yard by yard), the are harder in the long run due to the fact you are limited on what you eat and that is what makes other diets fail in the end.

As you may remember from all the previous chapter, it was discussed that this program is composed of three levels and each level is up to you as to when you start them.

Level 1 is the Sensa Tastant System.  What this level is about is using the tastants with everything you eat except liquids.  Everyone will see results differently than others.  Some will feel the effects of fullness right away while others may take longer to start feeling the effects of Sensa.  If you are taking a while to feel this, stick with it and you will have that full feeling causing you to eat less.  You will start to feel motivated after some time by losing weight, having your clothes start to get loose.  With this motivation, you will then move to the next level.

Level 2 is the Sensa Satiety System, Step 1 is High Satiety foods.  When motivation kicks in you will want to start substituting high satiety foods for the low satiety foods you are eating.  This means you will want to make healthy choices for foods compared to your unhealthy ones that are with you now.  Your motivation picks up more because of more weight loss and possibly having to buy new clothes.

Level 2 Step 2 is High Satiety Recipes.  You have made substitutions for healthier eating, now you will want to start cooking high satiety meals.  You may just start with one meal at first then move on to two then three.  Your friends are noticing you are eating differently when going out and may also want to try Sensa for them.

Level 3 the Sensa Fastercise Program  Step 1 NEAT Activities.  This is when you are starting to implement NEAT activities like parking at the last spot in the parking lot to walk farther, walking at lunch, or just using the stairs instead of the elevator.  You start to have more energy than you have had in the past.

Level 3 Step 2, EAT Activities.  You will now want to start exercising a few days a week.  Work slowly to bring your self up to perhaps 5 days a week over time.  If you try to incorporate a to stringent exercise plan, you will set yourself up for failure.  You will quickly tire of exercising and will make excuses as to why you can do it today.  Take it slow and build up gradually.

Now you have gone through all threes steps and no one forced you or told you that you had to eat healthy or exercise to lose weight.  Just by sprinkling on everything you eat, Sensa does it all for you and before you know it, you are eating less, making healthy choices, cravings have disappeared and you are losing weight.  So if you are new to Sensa or have been using it for a while, Sensa works.  Who ever thought that you could sprinkle something on your food, eat the normal foods that helped you to gain weight but lose weight.  Everything else seems to come all by itself without any one saying, that today we are now going to eat healthy, or now you will start to exercise.  Sensa does it all for you and you decide when to move on to the next step.  Enjoy the journey, I am.

So, here we are at the end of the book.  It went by quickly because of the simple, common-sense nature of the program.  That’s the beauty of Sensa.  There’s a very nice quote at the beginning of this chapter – “inch by inch, it’s a cinch.  Yard by yard, it’s hard.”   Sensa is an inch-by-inch program that starts with you just sprinkling the foods you normally eat.  It doesn’t require huge changes or promise crazy overnight results like some programs many of us have tried and failed at before.

Here’s a summary of the three levels of Sensa:

• Level 1 of the Sensa program focuses on sprinkling the foods you’ve always eaten with Sensa.  You can stay at this level and achieve great success with Sensa or you can incorporate additional levels.
• Level 2 introduces a satiety index, and incorporates high-satiety foods and recipes that help you feel full for a long time.  Just sprinkling Sensa on foods helps you feel full faster.  Combining Sensa with more satisfying foods (whole grains instead of white flour, crackers instead of croissants, etc.) helps you stay full longer.  I like to think of it as a one-two punch against hunger.
• Level 3 involves the Sensa Fastercize system, and teaches us about incorporating various levels of exercise for quicker weight loss and better long-term health.  Non-exercise related activities (abbreviated NEAT) such as parking further from the store or walking around while talking on the phone were touted as good long-term, calorie-burning habits to develop.  In addition, slowly incorporating more traditional exercises aimed at cardiovascular fitness and strength training will help to increase energy and overall health.

I’m very happy with my results so far – 29.75 pounds and many inches lost in 5 months – and hope that those of you who stick with this program are also seeing good results.  I feel better mentally and physically than I did when I started and just recently got the happy news that my cholesterol levels are so good that my meds are being cut in half and might be eliminated by the end of the year.  That’s the sort of important, long-term health result I was hoping for.  I still have a long way to go, almost 60 more pounds, but with Sensa I feel confident that I can reach my weight goal, it’s a matter of when, not if.

EXERCISE (okay – I heard the collective groan from everyone).  For some reason, when a person begins a weight loss program, they immediately think “I have to eat less, exercise more and the weight will come off overnight” and then get so frustrated when their weight actually increases (because of muscle buildup) or there is no weight loss at all.

 When I began using Sensa, I did not exercise.  I was focused on trying to get the weight off first.  As I slowly started to change my lifestyle, I wanted to incorporate a little exercise into my life.  DID YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY “I WANTED TO……”.  Sensa made that kind of impact on me.  I was losing weight, now I wanted to tone up a little, feel a little healthier.   Through a friend I made on the Sensa Forums (hello Wendy-Girl),  we started a little challenge with each other.   15 minutes of exercise, three times a week.  That was it.  Sprinkling Sensa and incorporating 15 minutes of exercise three times a week were the lifestyle changes I made at that point.

 If you think you have to spend hours in a gym, or a lot of money on fancy exercise equipment, this Chapter will dispel those myths.

I loved how Dr. Hirsch explains the way your body burns calories, whether you are sitting still, eating, or exercising.   We have all heard so much about the calorie burning theory that it gets so confusing – if you eat this much and burn this much you should lose this much????  Dr.. Hirsch explains this so cleanly that I finally came away with a thorough understanding of how calories are burned (expended).

 I have incorporated many of the small changes from his NEAT list into my life, such as carrying in my groceries one bag at a time; I park my car further away from Wal Mart’s doors and walk as fast as I can to get to the door;  I walk around my house more – especially when I am doing laundy – which I now fold and put away each load separately.  It’s small things – but it does add up to an additional 300-500 steps a day and probably an additional calorie burn of 350-500 calories a day (which, in the long run, will help me shed weight).

I have slowly started to incorporate some small floor exercises into my everyday life.  Nothing too organized, but I have started stretching my muscles some and trying to build up a little endurance.  Dr. Hirsch has some wonderful exercises noted in this book.  I will be incorporating several of these exercises into my exercise routine.  These are very simple exercises that anyone can do, regardless of size or limitations.  They require no special equipment, only a wall and a chair.  They don’t take long, just a few minutes and can help you to feel so much better.  Last night I performed all of the stretching exercises – and my body felt so relieved of the stress I had been under, with just a few minutes of stretching!!

Next week we wrap it all up!!!

In this chapter Dr. Hirsch shows us how to start incorporating more exercise into our routine.  How we have to be careful about getting out
our “comfort zone” so that we don’t begin by setting ourselves up for failure.  Here we learn the different types of energy expenditure (EE) and
how they effect us. 

The first is the BMR (basal metabolic rate) which is what we burn just to maintain our bodies in a listless position, which accounts for
about 60% of our EE.  The second type is thermic effect of food (TEF) which increases the EE in association to the digestion, absorption and
the storage of food and accounts for about 10% to 15% of our daily EE..  The third type is activity thermogenesis (AT).  This third type is
composed of two items, exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT) and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).   EAT relates to exercise routines

you take part in to burn calories, lose weight, and have better health.  NEAT relates to normal daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs, getting up

from a chair, doing dishes, etc.  NEAT is comprised of a variety of activities centered on occupation, leisure, and fidgeting.   AT contributes 25% to 30% of the EE for the day.

The importance of understanding the different ways we burn calories so we know how to build an effective exercise routine that will not take
us to far from our comfort zones so that we have a better chance of success with it.  We also can learn how to use our everyday NEAT activities
to our advantage and these are all ready part of our comfort zone so we have a much better chance of using these for our best calorie burning
activities.

This chapter gives us a list of neat activities and way to increase their calorie burn and improve our health.  Then there is a place for you to
list your NEAT activities so that you can see where you can add to them and make them more effective in burning more calories without pushing
you to far out of your comfort zone.  Next Dr. Hirsch talks about EAT activities and the importance of exercise and how it not only is good for
us but how it makes us feel good to do exercise because of the endorphins and hormones they release.  Exercising builds stonger bones and
muscles, gives us higher energy levels, and delivers better sleep patterns, all of these improve our lives in endless ways.

The exercise plan in this chapter requires no special equipment and can be done in less than 20 minutes a day.  There are 4 main groups which
we choose one exercise from each and start off slowly.  He then tells us how to increase the intensity by building on these.  We then get a 5th
group to add to the routine to add more intensity and add more to our workouts.  We are told to start each session with a short warm up and
a short stretching period for a cool down and there are some stretches included with demos for doing them.

Dr.. Hirsch concludes this chapter by letting us know he understands how hard it is to carve time out of our busy routines and tells us how
important it is to find “me time”.  These minor changes will have major effects on our lives for a long time.

Stay tuned for the final chapter of putting it all together!!! 

Below are pictures of my Wii fit and exercise games and my grandson Travis bowling.

Wii Fit

Grandson Travis Bowling with the Wii Fit

Blog – Level 3: The Sensa Fastercize System by Cellofan (Mair)

We’ve discussed two levels to the Sensa system to date: Level 1 of the Sensa program focuses on sprinkling the foods you’ve always eaten with Sensa.  Level 2 introduced a satiety index, and listed high-satiety foods and recipes that would help you feel full for a long time.  This chapter introduces Level 3 of the program, the Sensa Fastercize system, and teaches us about incorporating various levels of exercise for quicker weight loss and better long-term health.

As with other aspects of this program, Dr. Hirsch emphasizes gradual lifestyle changes.  Something that I found very interesting was the amount of discussion devoted to non-exercise related activities (abbreviated NEAT) and his comment that you have a better chance of burning more calories on a daily basis by changing these activities than with specific exercise activities.  Dr. Hirsch lists 25 examples of NEAT activities include sitting up straight in a chair, parking further from the store, walking around while talking on the phone, manual channel changing, playing with kids or pets, taking stairs, walking to a restroom on another floor, walking after lunch or dinner, carrying in grocery bags one at a time, etc.  How easy are these?!  After reading this list, I am now making a conscious effort to park further from the store (see photo) and have brought a stationary bike out of storage and plunked it next to the living room rocker.  Now it’s easy to get in a little exercise while watching TV or a movie and easy to put away if necessary.

Dr. Hirsch goes on to discuss exercise aimed at cardiovascular fitness and strength training and how it increases energy, builds strong muscle and bone and improves sleep.  He talks about creating an exercise plan and gives many well-photographed simple exercises to choose from.   He has grouped them into legs, arms, shoulders and abs plus a fifth group of optional bonus exercises to add intensity.  You choose an exercise from each of the 4 basic groups and, along with some warm-up and cool-down moves, you have a complete workout in less than 20 minutes without leaving home and without any special equipment.  After a couple times, you probably won’t need the sample photos as reference but if you do, you can photocopy the page and put it on the floor or wall in front of you.

These exercises, combined with the NEAT activities above, are a great way to ease into getting more activity into your daily routine.  Dr. Hirsch quoted a small study comparing activity levels of lean and obese people.  The study showed that obese people sat for 164 minutes (more than 2.5 hours!) longer each day than lean people and that lean people burned an average of 350 calories more a day (36 pounds a year) just by walking and standing more throughout the day.  Let’s get moving!!!  Here’s an area where every little bit really helps.

Parking further from the store!

 This week we have reviewed chapter 11 that covers the third and last part of the Sensa weight loss system, which is the fastercize system.  One thing that causes failure when people start an exercise program is when they start off from zero to full speed.  When this approach is used, you will find that the exercises will be too difficult at first and will end up giving up. 

  Human energy (calorie) expenditure (EE) is the amount of energy expended or calories burned by the body and can be broken down into the three basic types.  The first is Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR).  This is the amount of energy that your energy uses up on a daily basis if you remain sedentary all day.  If you work in an office your BMR could make up 60% of your daily EE. 

  The second type of EE is the thermic effect of food (TEF).  The TEF is the increase in EE associated with the digestion, absorption, and storage of food accounts for approximately 10% to 15% of total daily EE.

  The third type of EE your body uses is activity thermogenesis (AT).  This type is composed of energy that is expended from exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT) and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).  EAT relates to designated, specific exercise and NEAT relates to normal daily activities.  There are various activities that are NEAT, I will only mention a few which many may already do without knowing they are doing exercise.  Sit up straight in a chair, this expends more calories than slouching due to making your muscles work to sit up.  Walk around while talking on the phone, park your car at the end of the parking lot and walk farther than you normally would, walk faster than you normally would to expend more calories.

  I use my treadmill daily and walk 2 miles, I also use a stationary bike and ride for 5 miles.

Dave on Treatmill

PartIII of the Sensa Program is the Sensa Fastercise System. The great thing about the entire Sense Program is that it promotes gradual lifestyle changes. That is why Sensa recomends that you don’t drastically change what you eat when your start sprinkling with Sensa. The changes in your eating habits, cravings and outlook on food change gradually over time. It is important to note the this is not a fast weight-loss system. It is a lifestyle change.

Sensa Tastants, Satiety Foods and Fastercise System

In this chapter, we see that it does not work to go from being sedentary one day, to running a 5k the next day. Personally I have been using Sensa several months and did not start an exercise program or even think about it til about the 3 month into the program. Just as it is better to get into the food changes gradually, the same holds for exercise.

The Sensa Fastercise System consists of two types of activities. The first group is called NEAT. These are non-exercise activities that range from sitting up straight to walking around when on the phone to parking farther away from your destination to making any extra movements you can, during the course of the day. The secnd group is called EAT. These are the structured, repetive movements that we plan. They can include Strength Training and Cardio.

Minor changes will have a major impact on your weight and weight-loss. In addition, when you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, which make you happy and give you a natural high.

The lesson to learn here, is that you don’t have to start this program at top speed in the exercise department. It is better to start adding more movement in your everyday living activites, with a gradual increase in both Neat and Eat activities.