Before and After

Don't get too excited...I'm not sharing bikini pics!  (Thank God!)  In fact, I was so embarrassed by my weight, I don't even have many pictures of me that I could use for a "before" shot.  I suppose I could wait until my husband gets home and have him take one.  But I may lose my nerve by then.  So I'm sharing the best available.  That's me on our recent trip to the Everglades.  And if you look closely, you can see I'm still sporting a few rolls under that jacket!  But I don't care.  Because for the first time if ages I was able to actually DO things with my husband and grandkids.  Like kayaking, snorkeling, hiking.  It was the best vacation in a long time! 

If you hang out on Facebook with me then you know that most of my selfies are only from the neck up.  Although I have gotten braver as the pounds have come off and so you will find a few others now.  Not many - but a few.

But you know what?  It doesn't matter!  If you are relying on a "before and after" shot in some ad as the way to gauge whether a particular weight loss product works, you might want to think twice!  It is so easy to manipulate photos today.  Why simply changing your posture or camera angle can make a huge difference.  And if you want a more dramatic change, there is always Photoshop!

And what about pictures of people showing their scales with the weight displayed.  Surely that is reliable, right?  Not so much.  I can make the weight shown on my scale change by as much as 5 pounds simply by changing how I stand.

Reviews and recommendations?  Well, these can be good - providing they are real.  Unfortunately, many companies pay people to write reviews for products they've never even used!  Or competitors will write negative reviews to sway you to use their products instead.

So how do you know if a particular product works?  Good question.  Almost all of the products sold today will work for someone.  I tried many based on recommendations from friends who were also trying to lose weight.  What worked for them did not work for me.  And vice versa.  I have two friends who tried my product, the one that worked so well for me.  Didn't work for them.  So how to choose?

Here's some guidelines:

Cost - if you can't afford it without making some cuts somewhere else, it isn't going to work.  You probably won't stick with it long enough.

Lifestyle - if you don't like to cook and this requires you to do so every night, don't bother.  If it requires unusual foods that are not part of your regular purchases, forget it.  If you are a busy mom or entrepreneur and it requires a strict schedule for meals, won't happen.  If you get bored easily and you are having to eat a very limited range of foods, you will quit before long. 

Healthy - have a doctor or nutritionist evaluate it to make sure it is a healthy diet plan.  There are many out there that aren't.

Family - if the meal plans are so strict that you can't modify them to feed your non-dieting family members, it won't last.  It's hard enough without having to prepare two different meals each time you eat.  Not to mention the torture of watching your family enjoy lasagna while you have cottage cheese and a salad. 

How does the Slenderiix plan stack up?

Cost - varies.  The drops alone are very reasonable.  But if you sign up as a preferred customer, you can get them even cheaper with your 15% discount!  There are programs you can follow such as 3X and Family, Fun, and Fitness which do incur some additional costs.  It all depends on what you want.

Lifestyle - 3X is very extreme.  I can't stick to it.  But it works!  Family, Fun, and Fitness is much more flexible.  And if you don't want a regimented plan, the Slenderiix drops are just that.  Two bottles of drops that you take before meals.  Can't get much easier than that!

Healthy - all natural, non-toxic, homeopathic products combined with clean, healthy eating and exercise.  And yes I had my doctor and a naturopath and a holistic medicine practitioner
all check it out.

Family - no problem. If you are just using the drops, you can make whatever you want for dinner, as long as it's healthy.  So no - no lasagna.  At least for a while.  But last night I made grilled salmon with salad and broccoli for myself and added a baked potato for my non-dieting husband.  We basically eat the same meal.  I just add an extra or two to his.  And sometimes I don't even do that!

Want to know more?  Check out my website!  Ready to try Slenderiix for yourself?  Click here!.