First Impression ... Thrive DFT Patch

As most of you know, I've been at a stand still with my weight for some time. I have been trying to lose another 25 lbs, however, am not having much luck.

I have been eating healthier (YAY), I've been drinking my Shakeology every day for the last few years, and I've tried just about every gimmick out there - until last week. A friend who knows I am trying to lose those last few pounds, asked me if I had heard about Thrive. At first I thought she meant Thrive Life the dehydrated food company but soon realized she was talking about Thrive from Le-Vel. oooops LOL

Apparently, the Thrive experience is "an 8 week lifestyle program" which encompasses a vitamin supplement, a shake and, the thing I am most interested in trying, a "derma fusion" patch. This might be a good time to mention I DETEST having to take pills of any sort - and most vitamins, at least to me, are huge and hard to swallow. That's one of the reasons I drink my Shakeology every day - so I don't have to take a vitamin pill. The Thrive DFT patch seems perfect for me.

According to the website, the Thrive DFT Patch is a 24-hour transdermal delivery of vitamins and minerals geared towards boosting your metabolism instead of a drug. The patch is supposed to help with weight control, mental clarity, appetite control and metabolic support.

Let's look at the ingredients:

~ Forslean
Forslean is standardized powdered extract from the roots of the Coleus forskohlii plant and is said to help with weight management and circulation support.

~ Green Coffee Bean Extract
Green coffee beans are coffee beans that have not yet been roasted. These coffee beans contain a higher amount of the chemical chlorogenic acid. This chemical is thought to have health benefits. For high blood pressure it might affect blood vessels so that blood pressure is reduced. For weight loss, chlorogenic acid in green coffee is thought to affect how the body handles blood sugar and metabolism.

~ Garcinia Cambogia
Developing research suggests that garcinia might prevent fat storage and control appetite; however, whether these effects occur in humans is unclear.

~ CoQ10
CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant, which protects cells from damage and plays an important part in the metabolism.

~ White Willow Bark
White willow bark acts a lot like aspirin, so it is used for pain, including headache, muscle pain, menstrual cramps, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis, gout, and a disease of the spine called ankylosing spondylitis.

~ Cosmoperine
According to the manufacturer's website Cosmoperine is obtained from black pepper using a proprietary process. When included in formulations with other biological actives, it enhances their bioavailability and utilization. Our studies with various products like Green Tea, Coleus Forskohlii Extract and Tetrahydro-curcuminoids showed increased topical permeation. So in English, this basically enhances the absorption of the other ingredients in the patch.

OK, since it seems there is nothing really "bad" in the patch, I decided to give it a go. There is no discount for becoming a member, but signing up as a member is free. They also offer the "refer 2 and yours is free" whether you are a customer or promoter. Customers don't seem to get any other rewards though (like commissions off customer purchases) but because I don't know what the product will do for me, I decided to just sign up as a customer for now.

Most of the products come in "packages" which include everything you will need for a month on the Thrive experience, or you can purchase products separately - which is good for people like me who don't want the shake and vitamin pill. Cost for one month of the Thrive DFT patch is $62 - which works out to just a little over $2/day. They do offer an "ultra" version which is 82% larger and apparently has 300% more ingredients for $88, however, I think I'm going to see how my body reacts to the regular one first (I am a fairly petite gal) and feel those may be better for men or larger ladies.

I'll keep you posted ... my first patch went on today just after my Shakeology.

Cool Things You Can Do With an Extra $500 a Month

You are surviving on your current income, right? So if you made another $500 every month, this could really be used to buy anything!

If you look around at the hype on the internet about starting a business, all you read about is making an extra $5,000-10,000 in 30 days with very little effort. Now, I am not against that nor do I believe that there aren’t people doing that.

In this post, I would like to get you to think about the possibilities of what you could do in your life by just making an extra $500 a month. I think you will be shocked … and hopefully inspired.

Pay off Debt

It is no secret that debt destroys marriages and relationships. Having debt causes massive stress in the lives of individuals. Also, by having debt, you miss out on business and investment opportunities that could really change your life. The quicker that you get a plan to pay it off the better.

Listen, $500 extra per month thrown on your debt can make a big difference in your life. That is how I got started. And Lord willing, I will be debt free within a few years. I can tell you, those times when we didn't have enough to make ends meet were stressful for me.

Remodel Your House

Have the pictures in 'This Old House' created the desire to make a few changes around the old homestead? Are you simply tired of the way your house looks—both inside and out? Is your kitchen from the 1950’s, but you are still using it in the 2000’s? Or has your family outgrown your house, but you do not want to move?

If you earn an extra $500 a month that can be dedicated solely to your remodel project, you have the potential to get a great return on your investment when you go to sell your house or just provide a nicer atmosphere for your family to enjoy.

What would you remodel with your extra money?

Invest for Retirement

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the cash reserves readily available to take advantage of a good investment when it comes along?

If you had an extra $500 a month to invest in mutual funds, real estate, or the stock market, you could start building a portfolio that would allow you to make more investments, travel, or retire.

A simple investment of $500 per month could earn you interest for number of years. That would be your extra money working for you to help you create the life you only dream about now.

Take a look at many of the financial calculators online and start playing with some numbers. You will be amazed at how just a little investment of $500 can add up to thousands of dollars.

Have you figured out what your number is so you can retire?

Buy Your Dream Car

Is your car about to give up the ghost? Maybe there is a car that you have been wanting for a while but couldn’t afford it on your family budget. An extra $500 a month coming in should help to cover a car payment and insurance.

What type of vehicle would you buy if you had an extra $500 a month coming in each month?

Go on a Family Vacation

I know of one family that goes to Disney world each year. It costs about $5,000 and they do it every year. Imagine all the memories that they have created on those family vacations. That could be you if you have $500 a month extra you could put towards saving for that epic vacation.

Where would you go to create memories?


You can actually change your life by just making an extra $500 per month in extra income. It’s true!

Instead of getting a brand new car on a loan, what could an extra $500 do for you and your future? Do you have some student loans that you’d like to see disappear? Or, maybe you’d like to pay for your next car with cash? How long would it take you to accomplish this?

Once you succeed in paying off your loan or paying cash for your car, guess what? The $500 is still coming in each month! Pretty soon, the necessities will be paid off and you can start investing in your future!

If you'd like to get started on making an extra $500 a month, contact me.


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Favorite Beauty Products - December 2011

It's that time again ... time for December's favorite beauty products outlining the products I used most often for the month ... so here we go

Mally Beauty - Poreless Face Defender

Now this is definitely an interesting product. Mally totes it as a finishing “powder” of sorts that locks makeup into place while diffusing the appearance of pores and fines lines and offering a smooth, matte finish sans that dry, ashy look that setting powder gives skin! You’re supposed to use it after full makeup application but you can also use it prior to makeup as well as a prep of sorts. I get the best results when using it on my completed, made up face. I was a bit worried that it would completely screw up my make up but you simply take the sponge, swipe it over the product, and just pat it into place. It’s not uncomfortable to wear and feels incredibly lightweight more so than powder actually plus the finish doesn’t accentuate my dry areas unlike powder which indeed makes those areas worst.


Sun Shades Lip Balm - Cranberry Tangerine

This is Melaleuca's brand of lip balm. I admit when I ordered this, I was just curious as to the flavor, but as I've been using it every day, I've come to prefer it over all my other lip balms. It definitely keeps lips smooth and hydrated with natural moisturizers and SPF 15 sun protection. I love it so much, I've ordered another couple so I'm never without!!


Affina Moisturing Shampoo & Conditioner

Another of Melaleuca's products I fell in love with. Both the shampoo and conditioner are sulfate free and safe for color-treated hair. I had never tried sulfate free shampoo or conditioner before and I have to say I and my hair love it. Best of all, they don't cost an arm and leg - as a preferred customer, I can get these at under $5 a bottle!!


So there you have it ... my short and sweet December favorites. Until next month ...

New Beauty Products to Try

I recently just signed on as a preferred customer with an environmentally friendly company that manufactures all-natural products called Melaleuca.

What I like about Melaleuca is they don't use any sort of chemicals, especially formaldehyde, peroxide, ammonia and phosphates. They adhere to the FDA's rule very seriously, and market products that provide consumers with safer, less toxic products at superior quality and better prices! What's not to like?

Melaleuca has everything from vitamins, cleaning and laundry products to weight loss and pet products. What I'm most excited to try are their beauty, bath/body and hair care.

I placed my first order last week and it arrived today ...


Sei Bella Mini Eye Shadow Palette

I love the colors in this palette (Raisin, Blushing Coral and Brown Sugar) and can see this becoming a favorite. We'll see how easy they go on and if they last throughout the day.


Body Satin Hand Creme

With living in Western Canada and with our cooler fall and cold winter temperatures, I am obsessed with finding a good hand cream for my annoying dry itchy skin. According to their website, this hand cream has a "blend of shea, cocoa, and mango butter with firming Egytian blue lotus flower and powerful antioxidants found in white tea and vitamin E"

I did try this as soon as I opened the package and was pleasantly surprised. The lotion wasn't greasy at all and absorbs quite quickly. It has a super smooth texture with a really light scent.


Renew Intensive Skin Therapy

This is supposed to be Melaleuca's Holy Grail moisturizer helping provide relief to conditions such as eczema, and is scientifically proven tο bе more effective thаn Eucerin. Hmmmm ... I'll give it a whirl and see how great it really is.


Sei Bella Repair Hair Masque

With my hair being color treated, it often feels dry and brittle (I'm sure the cold winter weather doesn't help LOL) so was looking for a good deep conditoner. According to the information on the website, this "hair masque" is supposed to help by providing color protection, anti-breakage protection, and thermal and UV protection. I'll give this one a try also and see how well it works.


The last product I purchased isn't a beauty product, but one of Melaleuca's soy candles. I love candles and figure you can't go wrong with a burning a candle that gives off a nice scent - this one is their Cranberry Orange scent.

I will report back in a short while to give my review of these products.  If you've tried any of Melaleuca's products, what did you think??

If you'd like to know more about Melaleuca, this blog will answer most of your questions.