Days 11-14 | 24 Day Challenge

Still here trucking along.  The 2nd part of the 24 day challenge is the "Max" phase, this is where I should see more weight loss.   It really isn't much of a change from the first phase as far as foods.  I still eat 5 meals such as:

Breakfast (Meal Replacement Shake)
Morning Snack - Fruit / Healthy Fat
Lunch - Healthy Grain, 5 oz Protein/Meat, Green Veggies
Afternoon Snack - Fruit / Healthy Fat
Dinner - Healthy Grain, 5 oz Protein/Meat, Green Veggies

Plus a variety of supplements, this is where it changes.  The 24 day challenge is kind of cool how they package the supplements, but during the 2nd part there are a lot of them.  You have 4 baggies.  1 - 30 minutes before breakfast, 1 - 30 minutes before lunch, and 2 packages to take with lunch.  Then there is also the evening 2 pills and the Carb Ease pills that I take once a day usually.  Each baggie has pill counts ranging from 1-5 pills.  I will try to remember to take a picture tomorrow.

To be honest I have not actually looked at ingredients of the pills or researched what they actually are.  I know shame on me, I should know what I'm putting in my body but I got so many good recs that I just didn't care to take the time.  Depending on what kind of progress I make during this challenge I will probably do some more research and see if I can find supplements that match the Advocare ones for cheaper.  We'll see though.

So days 11-13 I was actually on travel for work.  It was a lot harder to stay with my diet (not necessarily the right foods, but the right schedule).  the first day I spent all of the morning in the airport, on the plane, driving to my destination (1 hour once I got there).  Here are some things I did to try and be more successful while in route and on my trip:

Pack an EMPTY aluminum water bottle for the airport.  You can bring an empty bottle past security with your carry ons, you CAN NOT bring a full bottle, even a sealed water bottle.  Once you pass security you can fill up your bottle at any of the restaurants.  Ask with a smile!

Pack fruits like Apples / Bananas / Peaches and Snacks like Raw Almonds.  Snacks for the plane so you aren't tempted to eat the free salted peanuts or cookies.

At your hotel, snag fruit from your morning continental breakfast for daytime snacks.  They are free, take advantage.  It was SUPER hard for me to pass up the HOT continental breakfast our hotel offered but I did and just had my Meal Replacement Shake, luckily the Advocare Chocolate Shakes are DELICIOUS!

Day 7-10 | 24 day Challenge

Well we had a long weekend and I forgot to post, but as a quick wrap up I've done quite well.  I did 'cheat' a little bit here and there, had a little chocolate day 7 or 8, can't remember, and I also had a cheese.   Other than that doing pretty well.  I did an official weekly weigh in on Friday (day 9 of the cleanse, day 14 of the dietbet) and also took my measurements, noteworthy was I went down 2.6 lbs over the course of the week (friday to friday), and my hips lost 1.5 inches, also lost 0.5 inches on my waist.

Today is the last day of the cleanse portion and tomorrow I move into the rest of the 24 day challenge the "max" portion.  I hear this is where you really lose the weight so I'm pretty excited about that!  To lose 2.6 lbs on just the cleanse portion, it would be awesome if I could lose 5 or so pounds over the course of the next 14 days.  For my dietbet, I'm right where I should be at 2.5% body weight loss, I really only have 2 or so more pounds to lose in the next 2 weeks.

I'm leaving for a work trip tomorrow, it will be a little tougher sticking to eating healthy while on the road but I think I can do it.  But it does mean I won't be blogging day 11-14.  I'll try to catch back up when I'm back in town.

Day 6 | 24 Day Challenge

Woke up 5:45 showered and took my morning pills at 6:15.

6:45 - Meal Replacement Shake

9:30 - Apple with PB

OH and I made this crunchy snack for my desk a few evenings ago that I forgot to post about.  Chickpeas roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes with garlic and seasonings on it.  they are a little dry but sastify the crunchy snacky cravings here and there.  I'm keeping at my desk to crunch on throughout the day as needed.

10:30 - Brisk 2.5 mile walk at a 15:30 min/mile pace.

11:30 - Lunch:  Salad Greens with Carrots, Cucumber and Shredded chicken (no dressing no cheese) + Quinoa

2:00 - Snack - hard boiled egg and Peach

Day 5 | 24 Day Challenge

I'm so proud to make it another day.  I'm also kinda grumpy.

5:45: Woke up and Showered.
6:15: Took morning pills
6:50: Meal Replacement Shake
9:30: Apple (I was in a meeting or else I'd have eaten PB with it)
12:30:  Salad from Lenny's - no cheese, no dressing.
2:30:  Peach and Egg
5:30:  Today is TBall day so I quickly rushed home to make something for the kids and avoid getting drive thru.  Ended up making some Whole Wheat Pancakes.  So I had 2 myself and 'cheated' a bit, but still not bad.  Used half of the called for sugar, and yes there was dairy involved.  I topped mine with some organic homemade (by my boss) real maple syrup so at least the 'sweet' was a healthier one.
Finished all my pills and stuff for the day and had a lot of water throughout.

Didn't have time to exercise at work today, had a 4 hour morning meeting and lots of work to catch up on in the afternoon.  Will make up for it hopefully though!

Day 4 | 24 Day Challenge

One great thing about this challenge, is it really encourages me to pack my lunch at night.  Here's what was packed for today (not pictured is my healthy carb, Quinoa, I've never tried it before and not sure I'm gonna like it).

5:50:  Probiotic Restore --- YEAH for a reprieve from the Fiber Drink, I don't have to endure that until Day 7.

6:45:  Meal Replacement Shake

9:15:  Morning Snack - I had frozen Grapes at work so I'm eating those and maybe 1 egg.

10:30:  Exercise:  Couch to 5K - Week 5 day 1:  Completed 2.5 miles in 33 minutes with fastest pace at 10:30 min/mil

11:00:  Spark Drink

11:30:  Lunch - Salad (no dressing) with Carrots and Cucumbers topped with shredded chicken + 1/2 cup of Quinoa and roasted almonds.

2:30:  Snack - Apple and PB

So here's where it gets a little rough, I had planned a dinner of shredded chicken with taco seasoning in the crock pot so I could have a little something different.  Have lots of green veggies and brown rice, the kids could make it into a taco or something.  Well I got home and it was burned to a crisp.  apparently I didn't put enough water in the crockpot.  UGH!

So at 6pm I finally ate some Quinoa, Steamed Green Beans, and an Egg.  I don't think I hate enough food, but I was upset, we didn't even have any beans that I could have quickly made up or anything and all our other meat was frozen.  Worst part is I had to order pizza for the rest of the family.  Day 4 is rough cause you just start getting mad that you can't eat what you want to eat.  All I really wanted was a slice of cheese and a piece of chocolate.

I had the rest of my pills and stuff and made it through the night.

Day 3 | 24 Day Challenge

Woke up pretty tired this morning, but didn't go to bed until after Midnight, which is pretty late for me.  Did the whole, 'you get up', no 'you get up' dance with Tony and mercifully he got up with the kids when the 'just go in the livingroom' line didn't work anymore.  SO I officially got up at 8am, even though my kids and my bladder wanted me to get up before then.

I did an unofficial weigh in first thing this morning, totally unofficial and I'll try not to get my hopes up, but I'm down to 150.8 (from 153.6 on Friday) so an almost 3 lb loss from the first 2 days of the cleanse. I really need to try and resist the urge to get on the scale until Fridays.

Anyway,

8:00 - Fiber, AH the worst part of the cleanse no doubt.  Today I tried it with a couple TBSPs of Apple Sauce, you know the organic, no sugar added, just plain Apple Sauce, Sauce.  I think that has been the best way to take the Fiber so far.  Its still gross, but my stomach didn't turn over as much.

8:30 - Meal Replacement Shake (MRS).  I feel like I should add, I didn't buy extra of the Advocare MRS, I didn't realize the program only came with 14 for the 2nd half of the challenge, so I just went and got some of the Meijer Brand Slim Fast Shakes.  They are dairy based which isn't great for the cleanse, but o'well.  They work and I know they are taste.  We'll see if it sabotages my challenge or not, so far I don't think they are doing anything negative.

11:00 - Morning Snack - Banana + 2 TBSP of Peanut Butter

1:00 - Lunch at my parents house.  this is a hard one for me but I was good, no gravy, no bread, no dressing, no dessert:  Roast Beef + Roasted Carrots, Onion, and Potatoes + Side Salad and Corn.

3:00 - I was feeling like I needed a little pick me up, so I had a Spark.

I totally forgot to do my afternoon snack, Sunday's are lazy days and for me that also means I forget to eat.

6:00 - Took my Omega Plex, Dry Salad with Chicken, Cucumber and Carrot + a Side of Steamed Asparagus.

I'm feeling pretty good today but I had a dull headache most of the afternoon.  I think the no sugar thing is starting to get to me.  I'm a little fearful of tomorrow cause I hear day 4 can really get to you but we'll see.

Day 2 | 24 Day Challenge

I slept pretty good last night, even though I didn't get to bed till pretty late because of the kids.  Before bed I took the recommended pills for the cleanse.

I woke up at 6:30 and choked down the fiber 'drink'.  This morning I dumped the pouch into a little bowl and added a bit of water then ate it with a spoon.  It was still pretty gross but because its not water soluble (the citrus) it just turns int a paste.  Anyway it was easier to eat because it was a lot less than a full glass of the stuff.

7:30 - Meal Replacement Shake

10:00 - Banana + 1/4 cup of Almonds (meant to eat this sooner but I completely forgot cause I really wasn't hungry.

11:30 - Spark Drink (Mandarin Orange) - this tastes like Orange Juice.

12:00 - Lunch:  Fresh Picked Romaine Lettuce and a Radish from the garden + a couple carrots and topped with 5oz of shredded chicken.  This was pretty good even without the dressing.  Fresh lettuce and Radishes taste way better than store bought.
--- I decided to skip my lunch carb because we're going out to dinner for my birthday tonight.  I'm gonna try super hard to make good eating choices.

3:00 - Snack of Apple + 2 tbsp Peanut Butter - good and satisfying :)

5:30 - I took my CarbEase Pills in anticipating of a dinner out at PF Changs

6:00 - Dinner out for my birthday, went to PF Changs one of my favorite places.  Started with Lettuce Wraps (gluten free version), I had 2 lettuce wraps not too much filling and a splash of soy sauce.  For my meal I ordered Ginger Chicken with Broccoli and Brown Rice.  I tried to fill up on the broccoli and drain as much of the sauce away that I could.  It was delicious, I ate half of my plate and was satisified.  I also took my Omegaplex pills.  I only drank water with dinner and probably had about 6 glasses.  I skipped dessert even though everyone around me had some, and I even skipped the fortune cookie.  Feeling pretty proud of my self-control.

After dinner we all went to the Movies to see World War Z.  Good movie if you like zombie flicks.  I skipped Popcorn and wasn't even tempted when I had to hold Tony's large bag for him while he ran to the bathroom.  I had so much water at dinner that I was completely and utterly full.

Before bed I took the recommended pills that I can't remember the name of.

Day 1 | 24 Day Challenge

A week ago I started a challenge with some friends.  We made 'bets' with ourselves and accountability with each other and put a little money on the table.  The Goal:  Lose 4% body weight/fat in 28 days.  The Bet:  $20.  We all put $20 into a pot, if you lost your goal you got your money back, if you didn't  you didn't get your money back, and everyone who did meet the goal got an equal portion of your bet.  We each took pictures of ourselves on the scale on day one.

My scale said 155 lbs.  Kinda upsetting seeing as I was at 148 a couple months ago back when I was running consistantly and really working towards weight loss goals.  But this is what I need, a kick in the butt.

Monday I placed an order for the 24 day challenge from Advocare, I've heard so many people have success with the program and I knew I needed to get my eating under control again.  I also wanted to do a cleanse for a while and the program starts off with a 10 day cleanse.  So I ordered it.  Really wanting to utilize it during the Bet we had going on.

The Advocare products came in the mail yesterday so I immediately went out grocery shopping for the foods I'd need to stay on track... lots of veggies, fruits, and some good grains and proteins.

This morning - 1 week into the 'bet' - my scale said 153.6.  A 1% loss already and I'm on track!  I also took my measurements and hopefully I'll remember to take a picture tonight.  Started the Advocare this morning and here are my thoughts, in real time, as I go through it.  I'll update throughout the day.

5:45 - Fiber Drink + Spark Drink:  I decided to mix them since I've heard the Fiber drink isn't very tastey, and oh my they were right, I had to fight off the feeling of puking for the next 2 hours.  I drank 4 glasses of water before I arrived at work.  I'll be trying new ways of taking that fiber drink over the next couple days.  1 down - 5 more to go (the drink is for days 1-3 and days 7-10).

6:45 - I had a Meal Replacement Shake.  I typically drink the MRSs on my way into work anyway so this was no change to my normal routine and easy to do.  I'm still fighting down the puking sensation though.  Talking to friends I think it might have been the Spark drink, I'm not use to caffiene in the morning since I'm not a coffee drinker.

9:30 - Morning Snack - Apple.  Wasn't very hungry yet but I ate it per recommendation anyway probably to keep energy levels up I guess.

10:00 - Brisk 2.5 mile walk.  Didn't want to run today and deplete energy stores since todays the first day and its recommended to do only Veggies and Fruits for a good cleanse kick off.  Walked at a 15 min/mile pace, got sweaty.

11:45 - Lunch - 2 eggs (decided to have some protein, but trying to avoid carbs today), Bunch of Lettuce, A cup of Broccoli steamed, 1/2 cup of Carrots.  This plan says you can add in as much green veggies as you want so I did eat a little over the recommended veggie.  But I didn't have a complex carb and I ate a lot less protein than recommended for a normal day (this because its day 1 of cleanse).  Still feeling a little jittery from the Spark.  Didn't take the 2nd optional one.

2:30 - Afternoon Snack - Peach and Peanut Butter.  So maybe I should have saved my apple for this afternoon, would have gone better with the PB, o'well, I digress.  I wasn't super hungry but the afternoon lull from lunch to dinner is the worst.  AND I've had to pee a lot (had 9 glasses of water already today) and had to walk by the 'snack' table at work numerous times, so I decided to have the full 'recommended' snack including the 'healthy fat / PB'.  But then when I finished I kinda didn't want to eat all the PB.  o'well.  I most concerned about dinner and the rest of my evening.

5:30 - Dinner - Salad i.e. iceberg lettuce + cranberries, no dressing, a few pieces of mangled chicken on top.  Took the boys to Java Jungle, I ordered a salad, no dressing, and cheese on the side.  it was feta I just didn't know how strong I could be, so I used half the cheese.  I thought it would have grilled chicken on top, nope breaded/fried chicken it was, so I peeled away all the breading part and had that on top of my salad.  It was ok.

Getting home I realize just how strong/weak I am.  The boys had potato chips with their dinner, I was jealous but didn't even try to sneak one.  Then as I get home and put my lunch bag away I see the bag of York Peppermint Patties, I love those things..  but I didn't eat one.  Evenings are hard but its only the first day so I'm trying to do my best.

I realize that today I was able to do ok because I was at work all day, tomorrow is going to be super hard, being at home with all the temptation.  Hopefully I make good choices.

Oh and my total water consumption is near 100 oz so far, and I still have to take some pills tonight...

Fun in the Sun | May Springtime

Once the sun started shining more and the snow FINALLY went away my boys immediately gravitated to outdoor activities.  One evening Tony grabbed the baseball T from the basement and brought it outside.  It was fun for a little bit but we eventually broke that one, we had so much fun with it though that we had to run out to target to get a sturdier kind.  Here's a couple shots before it bit the dust.

 

We spent one evening at our friends house for dinner, and played outside there.  As I was taking pictures of their sweet 10 month old my boys kept jumping in front of the camera acting silly as usual.

Teacher Appreciation Week | DIY Gifts

Teacher Appreciation Week (or Provider Appreciation Week as our daycare calls it) is coming up next week - May 6-10.  Our daycare is actually closed on the 10th for it.  This year I decided to DIY a little something to save some money and put some thought into the gift.  I really hope the teachers like it.

I made these Lanyards, all the providers at the center have to wear their badges, so I thought a pretty lanyard would be nice.  Then I wanted to put something at the end so I printed off this Subway Art that I got from eightteen25 blog that I follow.  I can't remember where exactly I got the lanyard instructions from, but I know I searched Pinterest then kept looking till I found one that I could understand!  I'm definitely a sewing novice, but these were easy enough to make.   The Rough Dimensions for the fabric and the interfacing is 4" by 44".  Then you just attach your interfacing (wrong side) then fold in half (longways) then open it back up and fold both raw edges into the center.   You'll have no raw edges that way to worry about.  Then just sew both sides all the way, and attach in your keyring or whatever, and sew, then flip around so the Raw edge goes in the middle and sew again above your keyring. 

The Flowers are made with scraps and hot glue, and they are removable.  I have a few more I might attach or I might take them off completely, haven't decided yet.

And here's the final product!