Challenge Days 5 and 6

Whew! This challenge has been...well challenging. I've been feeling pretty fatigued. I know part of it is that I keep forgetting to eat all of my snacks and meals. To prevent this from happening I started packing a bag each morning (even on the weekends) with food that I need to eat before 6:00 pm. This helps me gauge whether I'm eating enough.

I also wonder if this is in some part a reaction to eating the bread. I keep wondering if I'm over exaggerating the impact it has had on me. I do know that prior to the cleanse I spent a lot of time feeling fatigued and unmotivated. I have to say that I'm feeling much better this morning. We'll see how the rest of the day goes.

I am headed to a celebration today. I'm hoping that I can stick with the plan. Organization and preparation are going to be key.

On a brighter note...I found an exercise bike for $5 at a yard sale today! Can't wait to set it up and start peddling!

Challenge Day's 2-4

I had to take a whirlwind trip to Topeka and had some technical difficulties. I apologize for not being consistent with my posting.

I have another small criticism for the Challenge. There is no clear cut guide to what you should and shouldn’t be eating. We’ve been going off of a chart taken off line but it conflicts with information that we received when we started the challenge. So far it seems to be working.

Days 2-4

Day two was very similar to day one. The only difference in meals was my lunch choice of Chicken Azteca (from the cookbook) and dinner consisted of lean steak and a baked potato with pepper. Energy level was pretty good. Mom and I went out to the lake house and cleaned for about an hour and neither of us tried to make an excuse that we were too tired! That was a first for me J.

Day three was a learning experience. I had to be out of town for a meeting and was planning on meeting some friends for dinner. I called my “sponsor” and asked her for some advice. She encouraged a focus on salads with grilled chicken. After perusing the menu I decided to go with a choice of seafood fajita’s with light spices, light oil and hold all of the condiments (including the tortilla’s). It was delicious! I didn’t miss any of the cheese, tortillas or other fat laden items I would have piled on. There was a basket of chips and my FAVORITE queso but I was able to abstain. It was an exciting moment. I was also able to catch up with two of the most amazing women I’ve ever met. It was nice to be able to share all of our life changes as well as my experiences, however limited they may be, with the Advocare products. After dinner, I took my leftovers (Yay! I had leftovers) and went to visit a dear friend of mine. We caught up for a bit and discussed some of the many life changes that we were both facing. I always have to do a bit of introspection after talking to him. He makes me want to be a better person. When I got back to my friend’s house for the night I was starving. I realized that I had missed my evening snack. I heated up some of my leftovers, shared a bite with her new kitten and then visited for a bit about the products.

Day four was a bit more challenging for me. I took my probiotic instead of the fiber drink as directed. I then attended a meeting. I was able to bring my own lunch which was very helpful. The group had sandwiches, chips, cheesecake (my weakness) and soda. I ate my strawberries, carrot chips, almonds, cherry tomatoes and drank my water. I had a few comments about my healthy choices and was able to share a bit about our Challenge. One of the other Director’s shared that she had always loved the Spark. It was a bit validating to have someone else share that they had tried and loved some of the other products. After the meeting was dismissed and I was on my way home, I had on overwhelming desire to stop at McDonald’s.

I felt like I was going through withdrawals. It was one of the craziest impulses I have ever had. I kept telling myself that I was being ridiculous and there was no need to stop. I continued drinking water and chewing gum. Being that I was stuck in a car with nothing but my own thoughts did not help. I caught myself trying to justify stopping. Advocare encourages at least 80% compliance with the program. I tried telling myself that if I stopped I would still be within the recommended compliance rate. When I finally pulled into Kingman I decided I was going to stop, eat and then not tell anyone. I went to the restroom first, this was a necessity because I drank a ton of water to distract from the intrusive Big Mac thoughts. I go into the stall, use the restroom and look up…no toilet paper. Are you kidding me? I sneak over to the next stall…no toilet paper. Argh!!! I dig through my purse and find a packet of Kleenex. Thank you Lord! I go to wash my hands…no paper towels. At this point, I am so irritated I walk out of the restaurant and get into the car. As I start the car I start to laugh. I was so focused on getting out of that ridiculous bathroom situation that I forgot about my craving. I look up and see a Subway sign and decide that this would be a healthier choice. I go in and see that the current special is chicken on spinach. I place my order for a 6” chicken on spinach with tomatoes and cucumbers, no sauce or cheese on whole wheat. I abstained from the chips and snagged a bottle of water.

After eating, I got back on the road. About fifteen minutes later, I had a terrible headache and my stomach was upset. I could almost feel my mood changing from relatively happy to crabby. I realized that my crazy carb lady was coming out. It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I felt sluggish and tired. I continued drinking water all the way home. I made it home safe and sound. I laid down at 9:45, this is super early for me. I just felt janky. This morning I woke up and felt tired and sluggish. As I hit the snooze on my alarm for the second time I realized that this was how I woke up every single day prior to starting the cleanse. Since Day 2 of the cleanse I have been up before my alarm went off and ready to take the day head on. I was becoming one of those crazy happy morning people! What I should have done was stop at the grocery store to buy some tuna and a fruit of some kind. I’ll know for next time. I was warned that one of the hardest parts about this program is being prepared.

Moral of the story…what we put into our bodies can have an impact on everything from mood to physical wellness. I will be sticking with the plan. This has to be a lifestyle change. It starts with a challenge but the purpose is to change the way that we look at fuel for our bodies.

Next Challenge…Moving my slowly slimming booty. More on that tomorrow. Have a healthy and fabulous day!!!

Day One-Challenge!

My mom and I are doing the Advocare 24 Day Challenge as a kick start to our weight loss. I will attempt to blog daily so that you can make an informed choice about whether this is the program for you. I am going to be as real and honest as possible. This may be a bit TMI for some so proceed with caution!

First off, a little bit of information. It was really hard to find consistent information on what to eat and when. Our sponsor sent us a food list and some instructions. It does leave quite a bit up to the individual. Everyone agrees on a few things.

The Big Rules

Drink plenty of water, a ton of water, shoot for 96-120 ounces per day. You will feel like you are going to float away.

Eat fruits and veggies as close to their natural state as possible. Raw or lightly steamed is best. You will feel slightly rabbitish.

No sugar, sweeteners (except stevia or splenda), salt, dairy or wheat during the cleanse.

Be as natural and lean about your eating as possible.  

Day One

Today is the first day of our challenge. It started off with a fiber drink that is provided in the kit. Fortunately, I did a little research so I was ready for it to be the most disgusting thing that passed through my lips. I can’t lie…it was not pleasant. However, it was doable. If you utilize the program try mixing the fiber drink in 12 ounces of really cold water. Use a blender, this prevents any chunks. Lastly, chug like your life depends on it. The drink is gritty and tastes like citrus mixed with dirt. Follow this with 8-12 ounces of water. In about 20 minutes things were moving J.

Thirty minutes after I drank the fibrous fluid it was time for my first meal of the day. During the cleanse phase breakfast consists of fruit. I snagged a banana and continued getting the kids ready for church. As we headed out the door, I mixed a jug of spark to take with me since we were driving to Greensburg for church. Spark is the energy drink that comes with the kit. It is supposed to help with energy and mental acuity ( I need plenty of help in that department). I completely forgot that I was supposed to eat a morning snack. Yikes! I’m already sabotaging my metabolism.

I drank my Spark and felt plenty of focus during church (the message was very engaging). We trekked home and made lunch. My meal consisted of water, one cup of carrot chips and 3.5 ounces of tuna. Claudia decided my lunch looked much more palatable than her macaroni and cheese so we had a grand time sharing carrot and tuna sandwiches (a bit of tuna sandwiched between two slices of carrot). I have to say the combination was pretty darn good.

After laying Gage down for a nap, Claudia and I made four crockpot meals that would be considered allowable. I grabbed all of the recipes from:

http://www.advocareistheanswer.com/upload/24%20Day%20Challenge%20Cookbook.pdf

The recipes that we tried this week are as follows:

Azteca Chicken

Warm Pineapple and Chicken Salad

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Sweet Potato Chili

These are all so delicious! This was a really neat experience to have with Claudia. We discussed why each ingredient was healthy and she tasted each one. She loved the minced garlic! I appreciate that this plan is allowing me to eat healthier with my kids. After the meals were prepped we decided to take a brief snooze.

After a 45 minute siesta, I made another Spark and grabbed one cup of cherry tomatoes. Claudia and I then divvied up snack bags for the week. Carrot slices, cherry tomatoes and grapes were all bagged into single serving sizes. Claudia now has a healthy snack drawer that she can have any time she wants. Everything else has to be asked for. I also have a go-to drawer for munchies. Claudia then took pictures for my “before” shots. She did a great job and was so proud of herself.

Mom came by and we worked out a game plan for the week. She plans to start her challenge tomorrow. We put all of the food into single serving packages and discussed the importance of snacks. She sounds excited to start! I ‘m excited that I have one of my biggest supporters pushing me towards a healthier life.

Dinner consisted of water, 4 Omega Plex pills (which are HUGE), grilled fish and a baked potato with pepper only. This was about the only time that I had any issues with cravings. Everyone was having an ice cream treat and it was very tempting to dig in. I decided to do the dishes so that I could still be a part of the family togetherness but was not sitting there watching everyone else eat sweets. This was great. I got the kitchen cleaned, did not feel excluded and managed to pack my lunch for tomorrow.

Night snack consisted of grapes and water. Right before bed I took an herbal supplement and drank, you guessed it, more water!

My biggest issue right now is remembering to eat when I’m supposed to. It gets so busy that I have to stop and remind myself that it is time to eat and drink.

I have to say that I felt a bit fatigued throughout the day. It was a busy weekend so that may have been part of it. We’ll see what day two brings us.