Welcome to Week 10 of my nutrition and weight-loss journey, in partnership with my terrific Blog Sponsors Mission4Nutrition.

One of the hardest things about most of the changes that people make in order to improve their nutrition and lose weight is that those changes often leave us feeling like we’re missing out on the ‘good stuff’. If sweets are your favorite indulgence, not eating that bowl of ice cream with the family can feel like a real sacrifice. If you lean more toward savory snacks, you might feel deprived when you have to avoid those potato chips when the afternoon munchies hit.

I know personally I do best when I feel like I can have a little treat, something to look forward to. It helps me to stick to the plan because I know there’s a reward at the end! With the Herbalife Program, I get my little treat just about every day, and it is possibly my favorite product that they offer – the Deluxe Protein Bars!

About Herbalife Protein and Deluxe Protein Bars

Protein Bars: Instead of grabbing a candy bar, treat yourself to a protein bar. Each deliciously chewy bar is packed with nutrition and covered in a delicious chocolate coating. So it satisfies your sweet tooth, and gives you valuable soy protein between meals for sustained energy and weight management. Available in Chocolate Coconut flavor.

Deluxe Protein Bars: These rich and chewy bars are packed with essential vitamins and 10g of healthy protein to keep you feeling full while helping build and maintain lean muscle. Three popular flavor combinations covered in rich chocolate coating satisfy your cravings. They come in Vanilla Almond, Chocolate Peanut and (my favorite) Citrus Lemon.

I have only had 1 Chocolate Peanut Deluxe Protein bar, but it was pretty good. I just can’t have peanuts in my house, so I’ve avoided those bars in particular.  I’ve also only had 1 Chocolate Coconut Protein Bar – it was not my favorite, though I’m just about the only one I know of who doesn’t like it!  My daily treats consist of either the Vanilla Almond or Citrus Lemon Deluxe Protein Bars.

The bars are not dry, gritty granola-type protein bars. It’s really like eating a chocolate bar (or, as you’d call them in the USA, candy bar).  The protein bars are SO yummy.  They are probably easily my favorite Herbalife product.  They are GOOD and good for me! With my Insulin Resistance it’s important to balance sugars (carbs) with protein, and these bars are a perfect balance. They make a perfect afternoon snack, or even a little dessert at the end of the day. I was surprised that I liked the Citrus Lemon so much – a sweet lemony taste with just enough chocolate – but it is my favorite, followed closely by the Vanilla Almond. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Herbalife Deluxe Protein Bars!

The fact is, this week I think I loved the protein bars a little too much. *blush*  I’ve been SUPER busy with my new business stuff (a VERY good thing, but a very busy time nonetheless) so I haven’t been planning my snacks well.  It’s easy to reach into the pantry and grab a protein bar for my morning snack and then have another one for dessert while the family is eating homemade chocolate ice cream. I did have one small bowl of ice cream one evening and an even smaller one for a snack on Sunday with the family – who can resist HOMEMADE ice cream on a hot summer day!?

Emily and Sarah from Mission4Nutrition were also away at their big Herbalife conference in sunny California, and they had a fantastic time of learning and motivation and inspiration!  But I didn’t realize they were going to be gone, and I didn’t plan well, so I ran low on my supplies. (My bad!) So for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I only had 1 shake a day instead of my 2 shakes.

Between the extra protein bars (and sitting a lot while working a lot)  and the missing shakes, I was counting on a big gain this week.

So, what did the scale have to say about that?  + 0.4 lbs

I did indeed gain.  My first GAIN of the 10 weeks though! I think it wasn’t as large a gain as I was expecting because Sweetie and I have been walking a lot in the evenings.  The loop around our neighbourhood is just about exactly 1.5 miles, so for 20-28 minutes we walk at a good pace (not strolling but REALLY walking) and talk. It’s been good for our bodies and for our hearts! 🙂

Total weight change over 10 weeks: -9.3 lbs

Emily and Sarah are back from their great trip, and I’m all set-up with my shakes again. I’m ready to keep pushing forward and get back on the losing track again! I’m not too discouraged, because this is kind of a wake-up call for me to pay attention and stay with the program!!

With the conference under their belts, and a great trip away together, Emily and Sarah from Mission4Nutrition are pumped!  They had some training, did some planning, and we’re all excited to see what the future holds!

Mission4Nutrition (Herbalife Lethbridge independent distributors) can be found at their Mission4Nutrition Page on Facebook, as well as their Mission4Nutrition blog, and they are now on twitter @Mission4Nutri.

Scroll all the way down to the bottom of my blog to see my weight-loss graph tracking my progress!