It’s been awhile since I posted about my experience with the Sensa Weight Loss System. After six months, I’ve drawn some conclusions to whether it works or not.

Any guesses?

See if you’re right in my Sensa roundup: six months and beyond post at This Mama Cooks! Reviews.

Don’t know what Sensa is or want to learn more? See all my posts on the Sensa Weight Loss System to read what it’s all about.

(And thanks to RocketXL for supplying me with a complimentary six month supply – and nothing more – so I could try out Sensa and share my experiences and opinions with my readers.)

My six months with Sensa round up post is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Another month and a half have gone by since I started using the Sensa Weight Loss System and it’s time to share my results.

Want to know if I lost more weight or maybe gained some back? Go here to read about my weight loss results using Sensa for months three to four. This post includes info on entering the Most Dramatic change contest that’s going on this week.

Don’t know what Sensa is or want to learn more? See all my posts on the Sensa Weight Loss System to read what it’s all about.

Sensa Weight-Loss System update – month three and four is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Another month has gone by since I started using the Sensa Weight Loss System and it’s time to share my results.

Want to know if I lost more weight or maybe gained? Go here to read about my weight loss results using Sensa for two months.

Don’t know what Sensa is? See all my posts on the Sensa Weight Loss System to learn what it’s all about.

Sensa Weight-Loss System update – month two is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

It’s been one month using the Sensa Weight Loss System.

To see how I did, go here to read about my weight loss results using Sensa after one month.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? See all my posts on the Sensa Weight Loss System to learn what it’s all about.

Sensa Weight-Loss System one month update is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Life has its ups and downs, and so does my weight it seems. I’m back on the heavy side again, even though I’ve been working out regularly when I haven’t been traveling. I’ve decided I’m in a diet and exercise rut and need to change it up to get back to where I want to be with my weight, eating habit and fitness routine.

Here are five things you can get out of your diet or workout rut:

1. Start a different exercise routine.

Last year I was working out at the rec center down the street from my daughter’s preschool. Over the summer, I only used the exercise bike and some free weights. I’m not challenged anymore.

To change it up I started working out to Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred. The real title of this exercise video should be “Jillian Michaels comes to your house to kick your ass.” Besides that it’s challenging, I like it because it only takes 20 minutes a day (thank goodness!) and Jillian has you use big and small muscles at the same time for maximum calorie burn.

2. Eat something different.

Are you one of those people who eat the same thing for breakfast every day? Trying new foods that fit your diet or weight loss plan can help you get out of a weight plateau.

I’ve been exploring polymeal cooking based on the book Healthiest Meals on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What Meals to Eat and Why. (You can read my two posts on it at More polymeal cooking: antelope tenderloin with blackberry sage sauce and Healthy holiday polymeal cooking with the Healthiest Meals on Earth.) Even if you’re on a strict weight loss diet, you can use some of the recommended foods like fresh vegetables, garlic, fish, nuts and even an occasional nibble of chocolate or glass of wine in your food plan.

Try looking a old things in a new way, too. Maybe you want to get out your old cookbooks and modify some recipes. One book that I’m going to do this with is Margarita Mama: Mocktails for Moms-to-Be. No I'm not pregnant! However, the book is full of non-alcoholic mocktails that you can modify to make even healthier and lower in calories. Here's a sample:

Basil Pomegranate Lemonade

Pomegranates contain high concentrations of polyphenols, which are antioxidants and have been shown to inhibit the development of certain cancers.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 basil leaves
• 2 oz. of pomegranate juice
• 4 oz. lemonade (substitute a sugar free lemonade or make your own with stevia and fresh lemon juice)
• 2 oz. lemon-lime soda (substitute a sugar free soda or use a lemon-lime flavored seltzer water)

Directions:

1. Mix basil and pomegranate juice in the bottom of a tall glass.
2. Fill the glass with ice.
3. Add the lemonade and the soda/seltzer and stir.

3. Try new diet and exercise products.

I’ve been trying out Sensa for a few days. (See my post Sensa: a new approach to weight loss to learn more about how sprinkling Tastants on your food can help you feel full faster, stay satisfied longer and lose weight.) Now I know all about placebos, but I think this product is different. I am feeling fuller faster, and not stuffing my face until I burst because I’m still hungry. Plus, I’m not hungry a hour later. Maybe it’s only working because I’m paying more attention since I’m using a special product. Stay tuned.

There are so many new products to try from protein bars to exercise equipment. I’m hoping that Santa will bring me a Wii Fitness and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 for Christmas or maybe earlier for my birthday. Treat yourself to get out of your rut!

4. Find new rewards to motivate you.

Find a non-fitness or diet product to reward yourself with, and remember it’s not necessary to break the bank. Buy a new bath or hair product. Suave products are terrific and usually under $3. Download a few episodes of your favorite TV show on iTunes to watch during a break in the day – only $1.99 an episode. Or go to your library’s website and reserve that book you’ve been wanting to read – FREE!

One slightly more expensive treat I’d like to recommend is pzizz. It’s a downloadable software program that generates random soundtracks that you can listen to that will help you get a good night’s sleep. You can even use it while you power nap during the day. Read my review of pzizz here.

5. Revisit your goals.

All the gurus out there from business to health tell you must write down your goals in order to achieve them. For example, Weight Watchers has you set a 10% weight loss goal, and they have you note it in your materials. If you wrote them down, good! If not, it’s a great time to do it.

Then after you’ve reviewed (or finally wrote down) your goals, write down all the benefits you can think of to losing weight, working out, eating healthier, or getting more fit. It can be as frivolous as, “I want to fit back into my wedding gown.” or as important as, “I want to improve my blood pressure.” (If you’ve done this before, review them and add a few more.)

Put away your goals in a safe, private place. Then on your calendar set a time – maybe a month or two – to review your goals, the benefits of your getting healthy journey, and to track your process (or maybe lack of it) again.

I hope these five things will help get your out of your fitness and diet rut and get you motivated!

Read more of my 5 Way/Things Advice articles.

5 ways to get out of your diet or workout rut is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Now that I’m working full-time from home, it seems I have even less time to eat properly and exercise. I’ve been on three trips in 10 days (which explains why I haven’t been blogging much) and snacking on the run. I can barely keep up with the laundry, let alone my workout schedule, and the pounds are creeping back on.

So when I was contacted by the folks at Sensa, I was intrigued. Maybe their product would fit into my hectic lifestyle better than measuring food and counting Weight Watchers POINTS.

What’s Sensa?

Sensa is a six-month system of Tastants that are sprinkled on your food to help you feel full faster, stay satisfied longer and lose weight. (This is a big problem I have. I can eat enormous amounts of food before I feel full.)

It is not a diet. Instead, Sensa uses your senses of smell and taste to control appetite. Although many people think the feeling of hunger or fullness comes from your stomach, it is actually governed by the satiety center in your brain.  When Sensa Tastants are sprinkled on food, it triggers this satiety center, so you feel satisfied with less food.

Sensa contains Maltodextrin (Derived from Corn from the USA), Tricalcium Phosphate, Silica, Natural and Artificial Flavors, FD&C Yellow 5, and Carmine. Sensa also contains Soy and Milk ingredients. Sensa is sodium-free, sugar-free, calorie free, gluten-free, and MSG-free. Sensa is not a stimulant or drug.

You can learn more at Sensa’s FAQs page.

Intrigued? Read on to get an online code for 15% off your order and free shipping!

Scientifically proven

Sensa was created by Alan R. Hirsch, M.D., F.A.C.P. Dr. Alan Hirsch is a neurologist and psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of smell and taste loss. He is the neurological director of the Smell & Taste Research and Treatment Foundation in Chicago, IL. He is also a faculty member in the Department  Medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Department of Psychiatry at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Sensa’s patent-pending technology was proven to be effective in one of the largest clinical studies ever conducted on a non-prescription weight-loss product.

You can learn more at Sensa’s FAQs page.

Does it work?

I like the mind-body approach and believe this connection is important in being healthy. Will it work with weight loss? I’m going to try it and see.

Sensa is sending me a free two-month supply of their product to try. They’ve asked me to give them my honest review and track my results, so you’ll see more posts in the future about this product. I’m a cynic at heart, so I want Sensa to show me that their product really works. If it doesn’t, I’ll let you know. You can check back on my Sensa posts at www.thismamacooks.com/sensa.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to scarf down gallons of ice cream. It means I’m going to go back to my usual healthy eating and exercise routine and hope their product helps me achieve better results.

Read Sensa user testimonials.

Intrigued? Join me!

Join me in trying Sensa. Go to http://www.trysensa.com/link/A0B089 and use the promotion code ROCKETXL to get 15% of your order (no minimum) and free ground shipping. Or you can use the ROCKETXL code upon checkout at www.trysensa.com.

Like they say on TV, what do you have to lose but the weight?

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Sensa: a new approach to weight loss is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!