Cleanse Phase… complete!

Today is my 10th day of the Advocare 24-Day Challenge, which means that the CLEANSE is complete! Since I've already eaten dinner (deeeelicious hummus-crusted chicken with broccoli), I can honestly say that my cleanse is complete.

I've read a lot about cleanses over the last year or so, and have tried, well, I've only tried one (it was all fruits, veggies, and water - no seasonings or oils or anything), but generally speaking, they make me nervous. What I loved about the Advocare Herbal Cleanse is that you still eat REAL FOOD. I mean, real food…. chicken, fish, peanut butter (okay, just as a treat), hummus, fruits, veggies, cook with olive oil. I mean, there are so many possibilities. The only thing that has been a real challenge was adding in the morning fiber drink and supplements at mealtimes. That's just hard to remember. OHHHH and coffee. Not drinking coffee was hard. Not hard because of a caffeine addiction (I have SPARK for all of my caffeine needs), but simply for the routine and comfort of it. Here in Ohio, I haven't had a full week of work since before Christmas due to weather, so there are just times that it would be nice ti snuggle up with some blankets, a book, and a cup of coffee.

I've seen some great benefits to cutting dairy and gluten. My digestive system feels so much better and without any of the trouble that it normally has (this is how I tell you my problems without telling you my problems). The boyfriend thinks that my skin has cleared up, since I typically have *some* skin troubles. I've never cut dairy before, and my skin has never been quite completely cleared up, so there's a definite correlation.

Some of my favorite meals:

• Jamie Eason's Meatloaf Muffins (great for lunches, and they're loaded with protein)
• Hummus Crusted Chicken (my favorite, has so much flavor)
• Chicken and Rice soup (lesson learned, be sure to add enough liquid for it to actually be soup, not just very hearty rice, haha)

As for snacks, I ate a ton of fruit, edamame (yum, yum, yum), and rice cakes with natural peanut butter.

I had some weight loss; not loads, but enough to be proud of! 

I started the 24 Day Challenge at 151 lbs. 

By Day 6, I was at 145.5 lbs. 

Today, Day 10, I was at 147. So whatever that's about. 

But the EXCITING part is that the pants which were definitely almost too tight are now my go-to jeans. I honestly could care less about weight; it's how I feel, how things fit,  my confidence. And I am LOVING this right now. 

So, ten days into a 24 Day Challenge, and this is where I am. 

On my way...

Well, I've just about completed Day 2 of my 24-Day Challenge. The scale didn't reflect any change - but honestly - who expects change after one day? This is why I've never owned a scale. My current gym doesn't have a scale, so I felt like I needed to have one in order to give more consistent and accurate results of my Challenge. So I bought a scale… and now I want to know what I weight, like, all of the time. Ridiculous.

Anyway, my workout this morning was amazing - I could not believe the energy! I workout at a boxing club, and I powered through the entire hour. I had half of a banana, water, and some Spark beforehand, and it was absolutely the perfect mix.

My snack finished up the banana. Lunch was a spinach salad with strawberries and an apple. I munched on some edamame at the end of the day, and made some yummy lettuce cups with chicken, tomatoes, and beans. Seriously delicious.

I also tried my hand at chickpea snacks - coating them in EVOO, chili powder, and chipotle seasoning….. Not too bad, but also not quite flavorful enough. Next time :)


Keep it up! Stay focused!

The Beginning

Good morning and Happy 24-Day Challenge!

That's right, folks, the time has come for me to kick start nutrition, reset my system, and return to a more healthful and mindful me. 

Some of you know my history and my story, but to those of you who are new friends, let's do a little history. About two years ago, this was me:

I went to a dear friend's wedding, came back and saw this picture. I was appalled. When in the hell did THAT happen? Well, over the course of my Master's program, that's when. Any time you combine easy food with limited movement, well, that's when fat Gab shows up.

Anyway, I signed up at a cheap gym near my house, and decided to take advantage of the free personal training session. And I was hooked. I worked out with Austin, an amazing trainer who checked my food journal each day and kept my choices in check. It's amazing the choices that you make when you know that someone is checking in on you!

I started at 172 lbs. and a tight size 12, and by the end of my 7 months with Austin, I was down to 135 lbs. and a size 4. It was an amazing journey. I learned so much about myself, my capabilities, and my body. Here's an after picture from the first leg of my journey:

As is normal, after I stopped working out with Austin, I allowed myself some freedom with food. And after a few too many Christmas cookies this year, I decided it was time to start fresh. I loved the way I felt when I was making healthy choices all of the time, so there was no better reason.

A couple of friends have had some great success with Advocare, and since I don't need to lose a *ton* of weight, I decided to give it a try. I signed up as a Distributor, so that I could get the discount. If you're interested in the amazing Advocare products, click here to check out my site! (ps-SPARK is amazing!)

So that brings us to today, and the purpose of this blog. I started the Advocare 24-Day Challenge this morning, weighing in at 150.4 lbs. and a size 6. Here are my Day 1 pictures:

I didn't blog my first leg of this journey, and it's something that I regret. I went through such a change, both physically and mentally, it would've been great to "share" that with the world. Keeping this blog through Leg 2 of my wellness journey will help keep me focused and honest.

Let's do this. Let me know if you're doing the challenge, too! I'd love to connect!