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.