Bye Bye, Cleanse phase!

Day 11
lbs lost: 6

10 days and 6lbs later, I wanted to check in and report about some things I have noticed. The biggest thing is that I have developed a respiratory infection and at first, I thought it might have been caused by my failure to drink as much water as I should....but I held off on starting the MAX phase today - just to see if getting the Advocare out of my system would make me feel better. No luck, so the MAX phase shall commence tomorrow.

FEELING:
I have been feeling achey and tired - but that is because I am battling this stupid infection.

EATING:
I have been doing so-so on the eating. My daily food intake includes lots of fruit, some protein, whole grains and complex carbs. I've been trying really hard to avoid sugar. Sugar is my weakness, but it's been going well. No desserts or sweets or candies or fast food and being very conscious about my portion sizes.

EXERCISING:
Exercise has been so-so as well. Playing as much tennis as possible and walking on the treadmill along with a few weights here and there.

THIS WEEK'S GOAL:
Drink. More. Water.

The one really good thing I've noticed is that my clothes are starting to fit a little better. Shirts are a bit roomier etc.. that, coupled with being down 6lbs is good motivation to keep working hard. Even when I feel like crap.

Day 1. Almost in the books

Not a bad day. I ate relatively according to my plan, though I had to improvise in the morning because I didn't have any eggs.... after that, it was much smoother sailing!

So here was my day 1:

Spark
CatalystX2

30  min later, Breakfast of 1 piece of peanut butter toast
Fiber drink mixed with Sunny D

Snack - String Cheese

30 min before lunch - CatalystX2 & Spark

Lunch - Peanut Butter Toast (2)

Snack - Celery & Peanut Butter

Dinner - Pork Chop, Baby red potatoes, green beans, carrots and grapes
Omegaplex X2

Didn't need the night time snack (had a spark, though!)

CatalystX2
Herbal Cleanse Pill Packet

Bed

Farewell day 1!!

Sample Schedule - including food - for Advocare 24 Day Challenge

TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!

I've put together what my plan will look most days on the challenge. I've done this using lots of different websites and Advocare literature I have accumulated...I am confident it is within the guidelines of the plan. For more meal and eating ideas, check out Pinterest - there are tons of good ideas that are geared specifically for this challenge! You can also checkout Advocare's 24 Day Challenge website HERE.
You can find a comprehensive guide to the Advocare 24 Day Challenge HERE that includes a daily checklist, some basic food suggestions and tips and facts that you might find helpful.

I will be weighing myself on day 7, day 14 and day 24 and I will report back here. My (humiliating) starting stats are as follows:

Weight: 208
Chest: 45"
Waist: 45.5"
Hips: 45"
Thigh: 23"

So here goes...a glimpse of what my days will look like (for the most part) for the next 24 days....WOOOHOOOO!!!!

Day 1
5:30am - WAKE UP

• Spark
• Catalyst

5:40 - FREE WEIGHTS

I have to be able to hear if any of the kids wake up while my husband is in the shower, so I will spend these 10-15 minutes using free weights in our bedroom.

• Lunges
• Tricep Curls
• Bicep Curls
• Arm extensions

5:55 - TREADMILL

I am not able to sit down and eat breakfast at this time (30 min after taking spark & catalyst) because I lose my treadmill opportunity if I don't do it at this time, so I am stretching it to an hour-ish between my Catalyst/Spark and breakfast. If you can do it closer to 30 minutes in between, GREAT!

• 30-45 minutes walking/jogging

6:40 - BREAKFAST

• Fiber Drink (mixed with Sunny D - mix & chug!)
• AND

Breakfast Ideas:

(Complex Carb, Protein and Fruit)

• 1 scrambled egg w/ 1 piece multi grain toast with small amt of peanut butter, fruit
• 1 hard boiled egg, sliced apples
• Banana w/ 1 piece multi grain toast with small amt of peanut butter
• Fresh Fruit Cup (hand chopped pineapple, sliced apples, berries and grapes)
• Meal Replacement Shake, Banana and 1 piece multi grain peanut butter toast

9:00am - SNACK

Snack Ideas:

• Fruit
• Nuts
• String Cheese
• Low Fat Yogurt
• Atkins Bar
• Air popped popcorn

11:30am - SPARK and CATALYST

12:00pm - LUNCH

Lunch Ideas

(Complex Carb, Protein and Vegetable)

• Grilled Chicken & Spinach Wrap
• Spinach Salad with small amount of french dressing, multi grain bread with peanut butter
• Turkey Sandwich on multi grain bread with raw carrots
• 2 Hard Boiled Eggs, celery with peanut butter

2:30 - SNACK

5:00 - DINNER

• Omegaplex
• AND

Dinner Ideas

(Complex Carb, Protein and Vegetable)

• Grilled Chicken and steamed veggies
• Spinach Salad with grilled chicken and french dressing
• Broiled Fish and steamed veggies
• Roasted Chicken, baked potato and cooked veggies
• Whole grain penne with chicken and veggies

7:00 - SNACK 

• Fruit
• Raw Veggies

9:00 - BEDTIME

• Herbal Cleanse Pills
• Catalyst

CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR STATUS UPDATES, PROGRESS REPORTS AND GENERAL INFO AS I MOVE THROUGH THESE NEXT WEEKS!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge Breakdown - Third Time's a Charm!

This year, instead of hitting the challenge at the end of the summer, I've decided to do it in the beginning. I am doing it with a woman at work who would like to drop a few pounds. I'd like to drop a few pounds times 10 - but we'll keep each other on track and encouraged. August 23rd marks a new era for me in my life's journey here on this planet. I am going to compete in my first Triathlon. GULP.

No Pressure.....

But I don't want to get ahead of myself here. The 24 Day Challenge (third annual).

I ALWAYS do well on these challenges! and then gain everything back and start over the next year. It is a stupid, wasteful, glutenous way to exist, so I am committed this year to putting that cycle behind me for good and stepping onto the bath of better health and wellness for my entire family! But first things first, I need to get my body into gear.

If you would like to join us in our 24 Day Challenge, you can purchase the package HERE.

The Advocare 24 Day Challenge is simply a way to prime your body for weight loss, detoxification and wellness. It is not meant to be maintained on a daily basis for long periods of time. It was designed with very very specific guidelines that maximize nutrient absorption, increase the health of your gut and jump start your metabolism. There are some parts of this challenge that are not pleasant (see the aforementioned fiber drink), but there are things that aren't pleasant in EVERYthing we do. Atleast this has a very positive impact on your health and wellness! So let's break it down and keep it real, shall we?

CLEANSE PHASE

I have never found this to be a very harsh cleanse. Although, I've never done anything else that has been classified as a "cleanse", so I guess I don't have a baseline from which to measure...I didn't spend my days on the toilet at all. The worst parts of the cleanse phase for me are drinking the fiber drink (I have to mix it with Sunny Delight or I literally gag so hard that I cannot swallow it!) and feeling hungry a lot. Let's talk about each.

The fiber drink isn't terrible - if you drink it mixed with SUPER COLD water and drink it all RIGHT NOW. The first time I ever did a cleanse, I came downstairs, mixed up the fiber drink and then got distracted with one of the kids. I then came back and tried to take a gulp of the drink..... it had turned into an applesauce-like slurry that made me instinctively gag and unable to swallow. My body LITERALLY would not let me swallow it. I am not a gagger - the ONLY other time I have ever gagged on food like that was back in college when I was offered $10 to drink the neon yellow "chicken gravy" in some school cafeteria (hey - times were tough! $10 is $10!).  So that time, I just skipped the fiber drinks altogether. The second time around, I did some super official research - cough *google* cough - and stumbled upon someone who had suggested that you mix it with Sunny Delight. I tried it and what do you know - delish! I understand that Sunny Delight is NOT a healthy drink - AT ALL. I consider it a vehicle for something much, much healthier to get into my body. Win.
As far as feeling hungry a lot - I just deal with it. I've found the key is preparation. Have a schedule handy at all times so that you know when you should be taking the supplements and when you should be eating. During the MAX phase, you have to eat OFTEN - so having nutritious snacks on hand is KEY! Almonds, pretzels, fruit, string cheese, veggies, crackers and healthy snack bars (I love Atkins bars...yummy!)... snacks are ESSENTIAL if you are going to be successful. Hey - the cleanse phase is only 10 days. You can do almost anything for ten days, right????

MAX PHASE

The max phase is all about eating and taking your supplements at the right times. Don't eat often enough, and you are probably going to feel a little nauseous. That has happened to me several times. It's like being pregnant! ha! You need to eat every 2 1/2 hours or so and that is much harder than it seems!! This time, I am literally going to set my watch alarm to go off when I need to eat or take pills. I will also be writing out my eating plan - and I will post that as soon as it is finished! This may have just turned you off to the challenge, but the whole point of the challenge is to do it EXACTLY RIGHT for 24 days. 24 days of staying focused, committed and disciplined.

What happens after that is completely up to us......