My thoughts on the 24 Day Challenge

Well unfortunately my thoughts were just ho hum.  The challenge did get me to step back and evaluate what I was eating and clean up a few things.  Like really being strick on whites (white flour, white rice, white potatoes, and things like instand oatmeal, instant rice etc).  I also realized I can go without sweets if I choose to.  Giving up dairy was a huge struggle but even that I could do.

What I didn't like was all the pills and supplements.  I am just NOT a pill person.  I also didn't really get much benefit in the "Max" phase as I heard so many other people did.  Compared to the "cleanse" phase where I was feeling lighter and different and also seeing a change in my hips, waist and on the scale.

So all in all, I'd probably do the Cleanse Phase again, for only $30 I found it worth the money, the whole 24 day challenge (including the cleanse phase) was $190 (+ any added supplements you buy, like I bought the carb ease).  I don't think I'll be repeating this 'diet' I just do not like taking all those pills.  Eating healthier I hope to keep up with and perhaps repeating the cleanse every couple months would be good.

Day 16-21 | 24 day Challenge

Well today is day 21 and I'm still trucking along, I won't lie and say I miss carbs, chocolate, and dairy, I miss them terribly.  Although cutting carbs isn't necessarily part of this diet, I definitely changed the carbs I am eating.  I'm pretty much 100% rid of white carbs like white rice, white flour, white potatoes.  Its hard, I REALLY like white potatoes, but I can SEE a difference in my waist line, its visible.

Today was the last weigh in of my 'dietbet'.  and I'm happy to say I made it!!  It was super hard to lose more than 1lb / week, I had to lose a total of 6.2 lbs and total I lost 6.4 lbs.

 

For accountability we used a word of the day, first person awake this morning picked it.  I started the diet bet a week before I started Advocare though, so I still have 3 more advocare days before I can officially celebrate and eat something extra yummy.

 

So this week I went down from 151 - 148.6 which is 2.4 lbs, its awesome, I was really worried about making my mark this week but I stepped up exercising to get there.  Every night this week I did something, one night it was Turbo Fire, another night I did the elliptical, then one day I ran 1 mile (it was 96 deg outside I couldn't go further) then came home and did the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.  Last night I swam some laps at the pool.

 

Anyway, I hope to stay on this trend and keep going down (although I would be fine if my progress was slower, I want to enjoy eating more lol).  My current weight goal is a healthy 140 lbs, but I am not expecting to be there anytime soon, maybe by thanksgiving?  we'll see.

Day 15 | 24 Day Challenge

Well its Day 15, and weigh in Friday.  Kinda bummed because I lost ZERO pounds, but I do have to look back at the week and honestly I slacked a little on my exercise.  Although I ran on travel that's the only time I ran, today I did a pretty slow walk (2.5 miles) because I talked to coworkers during the walk.

I also did okay but not excellent on my food choices while on travel.  Although I had no fried food, and I also had salads without dressings.  I also got a Cheese Board one night with 4 scrumptious cheeses on it, that I almost polished off by myself.

I'm totally going to step it up because I still have 2.2 lbs to lose for my Diet Bet which ends next Friday.  I can do it!!!

As promised here is an image of all the supplements for the "max" phase of the 24 day challenge.  These are the basic ones plus 1 add-on, the Carb-Ease.  I put the "spark" in for the picture but I almost never take it.

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 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...

Week 1 as a family of 4

Wow, the week has flown by and with the help of family we got through it. Our first few days were uneventful. Cullen slept pretty good for a newborn, gave us some solid hours of sleep, well that and my mom was super helpful. She stayed the nights with us that first week to hold Cullen and lull him to sleep in between feedings.

Here are some Cell phone pictures of Cullen's first few hours. I LOVE HIM!

On our way home!!

Here's Cullen at only 2 days old, fresh from the hospital (or hobstible if you ask Caleb).

When Cullen was 6 days old we went to his first BBQ at our friends house, he got to meet a lot of our close friends and there were lots of little kids running around to play with Caleb. It was great for Caleb to get to interact with other kids for a while.

Later that evening Tony started to feel a little bad, we later found out that he came down with pneumonia. UGH it was rough but we got through it.

And without further ado - I introduce Cullen Robert - 7 days old:





And his birth announcement.

Some of my 2 favorite people...

I didn't post yesterday but I do want to say Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there. I hope you got to spend some great time with your families yesterday and got a little relaxation time too. I love when I have a nice afternoon to go to the park and enjoy a walk with Tony and Caleb. Caleb really loves to be outside and to explore so that's what we did. And all the while, I took a couple pictures of them. I love looking at these and seeing Tony interracting with Caleb. Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Learning more about myself...

Ok so I already posted a couple times about the Leadership Class I took last week, but I have a couple more evaluations that I haven't shared yet.

I already told you about the MBTI (Meyers-Briggs) that I am an ENTJ. Well we actually took the MBTI Step II test which goes a little more into the different facets. So here's the breakdown for anyone who cares. I think it super helpful in getting to know each other, I wish I knew this about all my friends and loved ones.

I will first list the MBTI step one category, then under that the 2 different describing words on each side of the spectrum.


E - I am high on the overall 'E' scales
Extraversion vs Introversion
Initiating vs Recieving: I am very much an Initiator.
Expressive vs Contained: I am very much expressive.
Gregarious vs Intimate: I am in the midzone for gregarious.
Active vs Reflective: I am very much active
Enthusiastic vs Quiet: I am enthusiastic more than quiet.

N - I am mid to high on the 'N' side (iNtuition)
Sensing vs Intuition
Concrete vs Abstract: I am very much abstract
Realistic vs Imaginative: midzone for imaginative
Practical vs Conceptual: very conceptual
Experiential vs Theoretical: theoretical
Traditional vs Original: original

T - I am more mid range to low range for 'T' (Thinking)
Thinking vs Feeling
Logical vs Empathetic: I am Logical
Reasonable vs Compassional: midzone for reasonable
Questioning vs Accommodating: I am out-of-preference and accomodating.
Critical vs Accepting: I am WAY out-of-preference and Accepting.
Tough vs Tender: I am a zero so I could go either way.

J- I fall mostly on the Judging range except for one category.
Judging vs Perceiving
Systematic vs Casual: Systematic
Planful vs Open-Ended: Very Planful
Early-Starting vs Pressure-Prompted: High Midzone for Early Starting
Scheduled vs Spontaneous: I am a zero so I could go either way.
Methodical vs Emergent: I am out of preference and Emergent

So yeah that's a little more in depth for they Meyers-Briggs - fun stuff.
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Next evaluation was the TKI Profile (Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument). Basically it tests your conflict resolving methods that you most use and have preference for using. The 5 different ways to handle conflict is Avoiding, Accommodating, Compromising, Competing, and Collaborating. All are good and proper ways to handle conflict if done in the right circumstances. And you should be able to utilize all of them.

Here are my numbers: The percentage was the percentile from a representative sample that scored the same as or lower than me.

Avoiding - 65%
Compromising - 58%
Competing - 57%
Collaborating - 41%
Accommodating - 30%

So basically I'm pretty well rounded when it comes to handling conflict. I probably avoid more conflicts than I should and I should try to be more accommodating.
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And Finally the Change Style Indicator - this shows your preferences about change. The three categories are: Conserver, Originator, and Pragmatist.

Conservers prefer current circumstances over the unknown.
Originators prefer a faster and more radical approach to change.
Pragmatists prefer to explore the existing paradigm in an open and objective manner.

The scale is 0-66 in both ways, I scored a 32 on the Originator side. A pragmatist is between 13 on the Originator side to a 13 on the Conserver side.

It was funny to see in the room when we lined up according to the scale I was the furthest on the Originator Side, right next to me were the other younger people in the class, so I kind of wonder if this changes with age and position. I definitely agree though the "N" in me is always looking for new ideas to solve every day problems and I am definitely one to try a new change without much probing.
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If you made it this far - THANKS! I hope you had fun learning a little bit more about me. I have another week of this training in May, and I will get results back from a 360 evaluation of me. I am still looking for more people to answer some questions about me so if you want to fill out an evaulation on me let me know! It is all anonymous, but it will definitely help me grow!

Leadership Class Day 2

So today, among other things, we went over our results for the FIRO-B test. (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior ) Basically talks about your tendencies for interpersonal relationships. So the parameters are "inclusion" "control" and "affection". They ask a series of questions that will determine what you express to others and what you want from others.

So I actually left my results at work but I pretty much remember my numbers. the scale is 0-9 for each of the boxes across and down. For inclusion my numbers were pretty high (7 & 8), obviously showing how I'm extroverted and want to be around people. I want to be with people, talk to people. If I'm not included in something, that's okay cause I'll just include you anyway! LOL

My numbers for Control were not to surprising. Control isn't what you think of it, it is more of how much info you give to people to do a task (or how much info you want from people to do that task). My number for giving people info was a 7, being an ENTJ I have high expectations of myself and others so I tend to give a lot of info and direction. The number for what kind of control / info I want from others was a 2 or 3, basically my i'N'novation side wants to figure out the problem, maybe do it a new or innovative way.

My numbers for Affection, were pretty consistant with my other tendancies, I don't tend to give a whole lot of affection out, and I don't really want a ton of affection back (but I do want some), I think my numbers were a 3 and 5.

The FIRO-B test can be dependant on your situation when you take it, it can change depending on your current mindset, but for some people it doesn't change much.

Can't wait to see what my next results are!!

Leadership Class

So this week, and a second week in May, I am in this Leadership class called "Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness." Its part of my developmental assignment. Anyway today was the first day of the class. Before this week we had to do numerous self assessments online. Basically a bunch of surveys asking the same questions in different ways. It was a pain in the butt, but I'm so glad we did that. They are pretty pricey evaluations but tell you sooo much about yourself and your professional and personal 'preferences' and traits.

Today we went over our "MBTI Indicators" These are Preferences that you tend to, not really charateristics per say. Anyway, it really tells you a lot about yourself and what you tend to like.

So I am: ENTJ - which stands for Extraversion, iNtuition, Thinking, Judging. I got a bunch of pages about the preference and what it means so I'll just share a little bit of it. This is all quoted from, Otto Kroeger Associates, "Type Talk at Work", 1992/1988.
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ENTJ's are Life's Natural Leaders

For the ENTJ, all life unfolds through confrontation, arguing, and engaging with one another in the name of learning.

The special combination of preferences gives this type the right mixture of basic leadership qualities: enthusiasm, vision, objectivity, and accountability. So natural are these qualities that it is almost difficult for an ENTJ not to step in and take charge.

An ENTJ might listen to another's tale of woe with genuine empathy, then moments later say something totally unrelated and seemingly uncaring; it's not that the ENTJ doesn't care, it's just that having gotten the problem out and "solved" it is time to move on.

ENTJs pride themselves on their independance.

ENTJs biggest drawbacks are their arrogance, their impatience, and their insensitivity. Their objectivity and love for the abstract provides them with a healthy amount of intellectual competence; they usually do well in academic pursuits.

They make excellent teachers, CEOs, and strategists. Their inquisitiveness makes them natural scientists, lawyers, and journalists.

[ENTJ] learn by challenging any authority or source.
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I just think its amazing, it really explains a lot of things about me that people may not understand. Of course not everything is spot on (There were pages and pages of info, I just picked the parts that really stood out to me - actually that was my 'homework' tonight). I agree with the negatives as well as what I perceive to be positives (but maybe others would see as negatives).

I really see that this class will help me in my professional life as well as my personal life. I have a few more assessments and when I get them maybe I'll share.