Day 24 (and beyond)

Whoops!

I meant to update after the 24 day challenge ended.

Here's how it played out.

I lost a total of 11 lbs in 24 days. I also lost 11.75 inches!

That's craziness!!!

My challenge ended on May 10. Since then, I've actually lost an additional 2 lbs (and idk how many inches. I'll have to measure this weekend) and have maintained pretty well.

What I missed on the challenge and have since added back:

1. Coffee. I love coffee. I can't live without this. I only drink 1-2 cups a day now (vs. a pot or more) and I sweeten it with truvia. No calories, no problems!
2. Wine. There is a very strict no alcohol policy on the 24 Day Challenge, but I love a good glass of wine every now and again.
3. Shakeology. This might have been my biggest miss of the whole challenge (after coffee). I really missed drinking Shakeology for breakfast. I've got it back now!

I love the 24 Day Challenge as a good way to break all bad habits of the traditional American eating style - all convenience, very little nutrition. 

I don't like all of the "you can't have" that's associated with it.

What I really don't like - the price! Ugh.

Now, I'm not saying that it doesn't work. It DEFINITELY works. I'll honestly probably do another one in August. I love the challenge. It's a nice - albeit expensive - way to reset your system. And Spark is sooooo good.

However, when it comes down to it, I'm a Beachbody girl. I've converted my fiance into a Beachbody believer as well.

We finish PiYo on June 19th. Then, we are going to move on to another Becahbody program. Idk which one yet, but we're looking at a few - 21 Day Fix seems to be a big contender.

I'm also in a challenge group right now with a few coaches. I'm hoping to lead my own in a few months! We all come at this from a very truthful perspective and, above all, we remember to do this in a Godly way. We know that it's honoring God to take care of your body and to not let food addiction consume your life. We use books and scripture along the way. It's very spiritual and very insightful!

The most exciting part - I'm now a Coach! I prayed about it for so long. Nick even wanted to do it. Then, when my mom started showing interest in 21 Day Fix and Shakeology, I knew it was time!

If you're interested in any Beachbody products (and you want an honest opinion) ask away! If I don't like a program or if I don't think something is what you'll like, I'll tell you. I'd never compromise my morals to make a sale. Honestly, what's important to me is helping others achieve their goals while I'm achieving mine. I also hope to help my friends and family grow closer to God as we fight this battle together. I want to inspire them and I know they'll inspire me!

If you want to browse products, here's my link:

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/gardneab

I'll be updating continuously as I go through this journey with my fiance! We're taking our health very seriously! You should too! :)

It's Day 18 (7 more days to go!)

First of all, we're in the final countdown! :)


Yes, I'm a dork.


But really, there are only 7 days left of this challenge! That's including today! I'm so excited! We've almost finished!


Before I jump into that, let's talk about my new puppy!!!

Oh my goodness. Can you just look at this preciousness:

We got him yesterday! Nick picked him up as soon as he got back into town from work. I was at physical therapy, so I didn't get to go :(

Anyway, he's done such a great job! We got him home, he ate some food, went outside to use the bathroom (and has not gone in the house at all yet, other than a small piddle when my mean cat, Luna, smacked him), and played to the point where he passed out in the bathroom for an hour. He was worn out.

Then, I gave him a bath and he got all cuddly in a towel. Christian came home and got to love on him for a little while. We put him in his crate for "night-night time" and he stayed there all night! No whining. No using the bathroom in it! We are very impressed with him!

Back to the purpose of the post: the challenge!

Yesterday was easy! It's always easiest on days that you've planned out well or on days where you stay super busy. Yesterday was both. I ended up with exactly 1300 calories in, which, according to MyFitnessPal, will still have me lose roughly 12 pounds in the next 5 weeks! Yay for progress!

I was extremely tired yesterday, though. Like, more so than I normally am. I don't know why. I don't think I slept well the night before. Waking up at 4:30 takes its toll on you, for sure. I'm so ready for Saturday. I don't think I have anywhere to go, so sleeping will be happening!

Anyway, time for some TMI: My bowels are starting to adjust again. I was having issues for a couple of days just due to being off of the "Cleanse" phase. Now, I'm good again, I think! Everything feels better and my body is digesting food like it should be.

Also, I think the healthy eating is something I can keep up after the challenge is over. My friend, Amanda, who is also my Beachbody coach, has me in a 7 Day Clean Eating challenge group on Facebook. Then, another group starts May 9th because I bought a challenge pack (I wanted Beachbody on Demand and I missed my Shakeology). We're going to go through a novel called Made to Crave. I am very excited about this! I think the challenge groups will help me stay on track! The next one, the one on May 9th, starts 2 days before my 24 day challenge is over, so it gives me something to hold on to.

PiYo: Core tonight. I think we've moved our rest days to Wednesdays. It's hard to get motivated in the middle of the week (hump day sucks). Plus, with my physical therapy on Wednesdays for my arm, I'm usually a little sore. I was on Monday and Wednesday, anyway. We're going to keep pushing play until we conquer our goals, though! We've got this!

I'll update more tomorrow (prepare for more puppy pics. I'm sure they're coming).

HAPPY STAR WARS DAY + Update (Day 17)

It's been a crazy week, thus far. It's only Wednesday.

Stahhhhhp. Time is going by so slowly!

On Monday of this week, I started going to Physical Therapy. I have tendinitis and PIN syndrome - both in my right forearm. I finally got in to see the therapist, and I'm now sporting this lovely Kinesio Tape (Rock Tape) down my right arm.

It looks like every Monday and Wednesday are going to be my "massage + ultrasound + electrical stimulation + tape" days. It is painful, but it helps a little. We'll see how it helps over the next few weeks.

Also, today we are getting our puppy! He's a black lab (probably mixed with something else, but it's so faint). Because it's Star Wars Day, we are naming him Kylo Skywalker (yes, yes, I know it's Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and he's not technically a Skywalker...but we're making it work).


Let's talk about the challenge:

Today is Day 17 of 24! 8 more days to go, including today, and we're done!

After the Cleanse phase was over, my body had to readjust to bathroom habits. It's finally starting to relax into some good habits, I think. It's a struggle, but it always has been for me (TMI, I guess).

Nutritionally speaking, it's been alright. For the past two days, I've been on the lower end of my calorie range. MyFitnessPal recommends that I get 1420, excluding calories earned from exercise. I've been somewhere between 1100-1200 for two days. I'm not trying to stay low; I'm just satisfied from eating less these days.

Nick and I both are still getting up at 4:30 for yoga and supplements. We are still doing PiYo 6x/week at night. Last night was Buns. I don't think I'm that sore, but man, it hurts while you're working it out! 30 minutes of sheer pain!

We've been doing mostly a good job with eating - except this weekend when I let Nick cook -_-

He also had an interesting, dairy-full Monday. I told him that I wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He can just watch his food himself. He's done better since!

Last night, I had two pieces of tilapia (cooked on the George Foreman, which might be my new favorite way to cook anything - especially fish) and some corn. I was satisfied after that. For me, that's a huge change because I love to eat.


I hope that I see some good results when we weigh and measure on Day 25.



As far as after Day 25, Nick and I have a plan in place, we think:

--Keep going with Spark
--Shakeology! I had to order more. It's so wonderful and makes me feel so good.
--Follow the 21 Day Fix eating plan
--Continue with yoga in the AM and PiYo at night. It's working, so why quit?
--21 Day Fix workouts after PiYo is over? Maybe?


Yay! I feel so good :)

Day 13-14 (and today...)

So, I didn't post at all this weekend because I stayed relatively busy, but here's a recap:


Saturday. Was. Awful.


Ok, ok, so it didn't start out that way.

I hung out around the house with my fiance and my son. We had a good breakfast and a healthy lunch. Then, I had to get ready and take my Beta Club kids to the Humane Society to volunteer. We had so much fun. The girls fell in love with all of the kittens and I - as much as it pains me to admit this - fell in love with a labrador retriever puppy. I held him for like 15 minutes, and now he's mine. I go back to get him on Wednesday. Nick is ecstatic. I have told him "no dogs" for months. Then, I surprised him with one. He had no idea, but he's thrilled! It's exactly what he wanted - a black lab.

His name will be Kylo Skywalker (this was set in stone when I reminded Nick that Wednesday is "Star Wars Day" - May the fourth be with you...hahahahahahaha).

Anyway, then we went to Fayetteville to go to Sam's Club for groceries. We go about once a month and stock up. I was so hungry by the time that we got to Fayetteville. Nick convinced me that we could have a "cheat" meal and we went into Red Robin for dinner. The wait was 20 minutes or less. Nick said no and we left. We were in a hurry.

Thus begun my bad mood.

I wanted a burger. Red Robin had healthier options. I wanted it!!!

We ended up eating cheese pizza at Sam's Club at the inClubcafe. -_- One freaking piece of cheese pizza was 580 calories. What the heck!?

Nope.

Bad mood extended.

Then, Christian acted like a crazy person the rest of the time we were there - I mean, he's 4 but WOW!

Bad mood can now touch the top of Sam's Club, and those ceilings are pretty high.

After we get to the checkout, Nick realizes one of the things is broken and has to go get more...leaving me alone with the cart and the checkout process. The total is ungodly and I'm ready to stroke out by the time he gets back.

Double what we had planned to spend.

Now, we can add stress to the bad mood.

We left there and went to Dick's to get my new yoga mat. That was a positive. I really like it thus far! I've used it for two days and it's nice!

Then to PetSmart for dog supplies (that we didn't get at Sams).

Now Nick's broke, I'm broke, and Christian is still acting like a crazy person!

I cried the whole way home. I was hungry, because the junk food had completely gone away. I was dehydrated. I was broke. And, because I was in a bad mood, I was scared that if I couldn't snap out of it, Nick was going to leave me.

^^Sidenote: Nick is not going to leave me. I'm irrational and I have panic disorder. I always jump to the worst case scenario before I rationalize anything out. Actually, I usually have to be forced to calm down and someone else has to rationalize things before I can see the clear picture. Nick loves me; I just have horrible relationship experience.

Luckily, by the time we got home, I was better. Exhausted, but better.

Definitely time for sleep...


Sunday was better (Day 14).

We didn't go to Church, mostly because I had such a horrible headache. Yoga made the headache worse. Inversions and blood flow reversal, ugh. My head was pounding.

After my parents got out of Church, they asked if they could come get Christian for a little while. He was so good yesterday while he was here, but they wanted to see him, so I agreed!

They all left and Nick made lunch. Velveeta (whole wheat rotini) and tilapia. One cup of the macaroni is like 310 calories, so it could be worse.

We watched Sherlock Holmes, did our face masks, showered, shaved, and got all pretty (<< hahaha. No. We don't do pretty after Church on Sundays. We do relaxed and comfortable)

Then, Nick's parents brought over a steam cleaner for my carpets. I spent the next 3 hours working. It was amazing. I've never steam cleaned my carpets. I've lived here for 4 years and they've never been done. I have two cats now and I've had two different dogs come through here. One of them peed everywhere and the other got sick and pooped all over one of my carpeted rooms. You can't even tell now. That was the best part of yesterday! The floors look amazing.

Nick tried to make a low-calorie dinner......He's never allowed to help me with "healthy" foods again. (One bowl of his dinner was 558 calories.) Lol!!!

Christian came home around 8:30 -_- Past his bedtime, but he had fun with his Grammy and Papa. We got him all clean and in bed just in time to do PiYo: Core. 30 minutes of "fun" later, it was time for yet another shower. So sweaty.

Then, bed.


Now, here we are, Day 15. Only 9 more days to go.

This weekend, we weren't perfect. We splurged, maybe a little too much. Saturday felt like a nightmare, but really wasn't all bad. We're getting a new family member - Kylo!

It's going to be a good week, although I'm exhausted now.

:)

First "Fail" in the Challenge (+ Day 12)

Whoaaaaaa, we're halfway there! Whoaaaa, livin' on a prayer!

Yeah, I'm a nerd.

Regardless, today is Day 12 of 24!

Yesterday, I had a "fail." After dinner, I was over my calories for the day. I'm supposed to have ~1420 calories a day. That's before exercise.

After PiYo and Yoga, MyFitnessPal had me over my calories by almost 60 calories.

I know, I know. It's 60 calories. Not that many.

The perfectionist in my could not let that stand. I proceeded to do a 33 minute yoga sequence before I went to bed. That burned enough calories to have me at a deficit of somewhere between 80 and 90 calories.

I won! I beat MyFitnessPal. That's all I care about. I like seeing the green number.

I swear, I'm not obsessive. I just like it when I accomplish my goal. Honestly, I'm proud of myself for pushing play on just one last yoga sequence. Also, I was so relaxed after that. I slept like a baby.

This morning, I haven't felt that great. I woke up, took my MNS packet with Catalyst and ThermoPlus, and did yoga. The very first downward facing dog we did, I felt my stomach get all sloshy. Since then, I haven't felt right.

TMI: The bathroom also understands that I don't feel well. I had a small stomach issue this morning as well.

There's something going around at my school, but I don't think I'm sick. I just don't feel well (but it doesn't feel like a stomach bug). It feels like I drank too much water and then went upside down. Now, my body hates me.

We will see how I feel as the day goes on.

Also, I really struggled with my breakfast. It was a Meal Replacement Shake again. It's going to be that every day for the last part of the challenge. I just couldn't get it down. It was not what I wanted, apparently. I probably could've just gone without breakfast. I wasn't hungry.

I have no idea what Nick packed us for lunch today. I think there is a salad in there, but other than that, idk.

We're going grocery shopping at Sam's Club tomorrow. We go about once a month because the drive takes an hour, but it's so worth it. I've just got to make a list.

Well, hopefully I make it through the day. I, unfortunately, can hear the bathroom calling my name.

:(

The Results Are In! + Max Phase Begins (Day 11)

I finished the cleanse phase!!! That's the hardest part because of that disgusting Fiber drink. It's gone now. Woo hoo!

Want to know the results from just 10 days of hard work?

I lost 7 pounds and a total of 7.75 inches!! 

That's more than I lost last time I did the challenge. I think it's because I weighed more when I started, but Nick also pushes me to work out harder and not to give up.

As for Nick?

He lost 6 pounds and a total of 3.75 inches!

Nick is already very thin. He didn't have a lot to lose. His total goal was to get down 10 lbs and then tone up/gain muscle (which would probably result in weight gain in the long run). Those 3.75 inches have made such a difference.

This morning, we were talking about how our faces "don't feel as fat." I laughed and told him that I "don't have 12 chins anymore." Hahahahaha.

Let me wrap up the Cleanse phase with an update on how yesterday went. Then I'll get into the Max Phase that starts today.

Work was great yesterday. I was so scared to go to PLC. I just had a bad feeling, but it was absolutely fine. I don't know why I get all worked up about things that I'm totally prepared for (this is the theme of the day, just wait and see). My students worked hard (for the most part) and they're really growing and learning. 

We have been working on context clues and the impact of specific word choice. I was so proud of my classes today because they were able to discern the meaning of the word 'emaciated.' Now, context clues are something they are taught very early in school. I teach 7th graders. It's still a struggle. I know adults that still struggle with it. Our smartphones have made us less intelligent in some capacity. Rather than figure things out for ourselves, we just look it up and move on. In order to determine the meaning, they had to go back and look in the chapter of the novel we are reading - which is torture for them - and use the entire page plus the experiences of the character throughout the novel. It doesn't just come out and say "abnormally thin or frail due to hunger or starvation." They had to figure it out. The sentence said something like, "...some were emaciated, some hurt or sick, all exhausted." BUT, they figured it out! On top of that, they were able to tell me the impact of using the word emaciated versus just saying they were hungry or they were thin! By George, I think they've got it! We will see on Friday after their quiz on word choice/impact!

Anyway, I digress. Back to the challenge.

I was so sad when I got to lunch and realized that I made this lovely salad, and I forgot to pack dressing. There isn't any dressing in the break room either, so oh well. I had an apple, almonds, and a squeezable applesauce (apple pineapple blend). Good, just not enough calories.

I was also very thirsty yesterday. I didn't have time to refill my waters and thought I was going to die of dehydration (hyperbolic speech is allowed...).

Nick cooked dinner because I had my final graduate school class last night! All that's left is to graduate! Woo hoo!

I ate a lovely meal - chicken that I had marinaded over night, brown rice, and corn - and got out of class (online) at 9:00. By 10:15, I had "officially" submitted all of my assignments for both classes (my thesis class and my internship) and had received word that I passed my thesis class (called a Product of Learning at Appalachian).

Then, it was so far past bedtime....oh man. I was exhausted.

PiYo didn't happen yesterday because I seriously worked from the time I got home around 5:00 until we went to sleep at 10:30-ish. We declared it our rest day and we will just push through until our next rest day (next Friday).

So that was yesterday! I had roughly 1200 calories and burned right at 75 with my AM yoga.

Oh! And I have a wedding date! :)  I'm getting married on November 19th of this year! Places have been booked!

Needless to say, yesterday was good!

Now for the Max Phase introduction:

During the Max Phase, there is a shift in what you are doing for your body. The Cleanse Phase (days 1-10) prepare your body to absorb all of the nutrients and supplements in the Max Phase. You drink the Fiber drink. You take Herbal Cleanse pills. You change your eating to be very clean. It's strict.

In the Max Phase, that all stops (except the clean eating. That should be a lifestyle change, not a "cleanse" change.). Now, you start with the MNS system. There are three to choose from:

• MNS-3 (the most comprehensive. It targets appetite and energy and everything. Very balanced. Advocare recommends starting here if you don't know which one to choose).
• MNS-C (you get more appetite control here)
• MNS-E (you get more energy boosting with this pack)

Nick and I chose to both use the MNS-E system because we stay so busy. The extra energy sounded wonderful. The last time I did this program, I used the MNS-C because I needed a little more appetite suppressant. I was worried about willpower.

In the MNS-E system (and with all of them), there are four "packs" of pills to take each day. Honestly, the best way I can describe the way the packs look is to tell you that they are all in these little tearable white packages hooked together that makes them look like a strip of condoms. Hahahahahaha, but really. Nick said the same thing this morning.

For the MNS-E system, this is what is in each pack:

• 30 minutes before breakfast: Metabolic Enhancer (2), Thermo P (2), Probiotic Restore ULTRA (1) - This is when you took the Probiotic during the cleanse phase. I also add in Catalyst and ThermoPlus. Nick adds in Crave Check.
• 30 minutes before lunch: Metabolic Enhancer (2), Thermo P (2)
• With lunch (the last two packets): CorePlex (3) and OmegaPlex (1)

Here is the link to the MNS-E system. The other systems are also going to be linked below:

MNS-3

MNS-C

I've had my white packet before breakfast and all the other supplements. I've also done yoga - started the 7 Day Detox challenge - and had my Meal Replacement Shake for breakfast. The Meal Replacement Shakes are 220 calories, made with 9 oz. of water, and don't taste bad at all. We have the chocolate ones. The 24 Day Challenge requires you to use the Meal Replacement Shake at some point during the day, although it is suggested that you do it for breakfast.

I miss my Shakeology, but these are good too!

For me, the hardest part of the Max Phase is remembering to take all of those darn supplements at the right time. I am teaching before lunch, so I have to remember to take my vitamins in the middle of class. Lol. It's a struggle. Nick has reminders set in his phone and a more flexible schedule, so he will be alright.

I'll update tomorrow with how it goes!

I can't wait to see the results in another 14 days!

Last Day of the Cleanse Phase (Day 10)

We've made it to the end of the cleanse phase!

Today is Day 10!

Tomorrow starts the Max Phase of the challenge (aka the "let's take all the pills" phase). There are so many supplements to take for the last 14 days. It's very disciplined.

However, do you know what this also means? NO MORE FIBER DRINK! I will probably switch back to MetaMucil in the mornings instead. I like drinking extra fiber because I usually don't get enough, even when eating clean. We are going to Sam's to shop this weekend, and I'll pick some up there because it is much cheaper.



Anyway, onto talking about how yesterday ended up.

Yesterday morning, I was exhausted. Almost in pain, I was so tired. It stayed with me through the shower, which usually wakes me up, and followed me to work. I was tired all day long. Luckily, my students were very, very good. Yesterday was a day that I can truly say I was proud and impressed with 95% of them. They worked so hard to double check and improve their answers.

Lunch was fine - Salad with chicken breast, granola bar, squeeze fruit thing (fruitocracy Apple Pineapple).

I did need an extra Spark, though, before I went to tutor my 5th graders. Then, I had an apple for a snack around 3:15.

My 5th graders were INCREDIBLE yesterday! We "visited" the Eiffel Tower - read a pretty extensive passage, pulled out the central idea (or main idea in elementary school), did EOG style questions, watched videos, and completed our "passports" for our trip to Europe. They were so interested in it. It was amazing.

Then, I came home and cooked dinner - breakfast: eggs, turkey bacon, and peanut butter toast.

I ended up right under my calorie goal for the day.

We did PiYo: Define Lower Body (21 minutes) and I'm so proud to say that I did the whole 21 minutes without stopping. No modifications! In just 9 days, I feel that much stronger. Nick did an amazing job as well. I had to push him once to keep going. He was feeling a little off, but he jumped back in and finished strong! It's nice to be able to encourage and push each other. (He does the same thing to me whenever there are pushups involved - "Get it baby! You've got this!")

Then we meal prepped for day (lunch and dinner), watch 1/2 an episode of Buffy, and we were done. Asleep.

Side note: Christian goes to bed around 8:00. At about 8:15, he got back up and cried because we were going to do PiYo without him. Good habits pay off! He used to do it with me (during the summer) and he loves to exercise. He also really enjoyed his dinner. He's been eating healthier foods and he doesn't even realize it. #winning



Now today:

Woke up at 4:30, just like I have for the past three days. It's really not that bad, although it sounds like it sucks.

Spark + Probiotic Restore + Catalyst + Thermoplus for me.
Spark + Probiotic Restore + Crave Check for Nick.

Day 30 of the 30 Day Yoga Challenge - Full Body Flow. Only 14 minutes, but it felt great.

Breakfast:
Shakeology for me.
Oatmeal for Nick (he also grabbed a granola bar on his way out. Must be nice to be able to eat 1100 more calories a day than I can....sigh)

He left at 5:15 and here I am. I love my quiet time in the morning.

Today is going to be a little insane. Teaching all day, because that's my job. We have PLC during planning and that can take anywhere from 45 minutes to the full 1.5 hours of planning. Hopefully it's on the shorter side today so that we can get some planning done. I/E starts on May 2nd (school-wide remediation) and we have to take and present our materials today during our meeting.

After that, I have Beta Club until 3:30. Just going over convention stuff. No big deal. Informational meeting. I'm also going to talk to my animal shelter kiddos about Saturday.

I have to come home and finish up putting together my final portfolio for my internship - LIB 5910.

Then, I have my final class meeting for LIB 5525. This is also my final class for my Masters degree! (6:00 - 9:30, though) I'm giving my final presentation on my Product of Learning...essentially a thesis.

Nick is going to take care of dinner and get Christian all squared away. It's so wonderful to have him here. He really does a great job of taking care of us.

Is it bad that I kind of just want to stay here? I can feel my anxiety becoming an issue already. Panic attacks are absolutely no fun.



Last little note: Tomorrow, I get to weigh and measure as soon as I get up. You aren't supposed to weigh until Day 11 (until the cleanse is over). I hope I see results. I'm so nervous. Last time, I lost 6 lbs and 5 inches. I do have to remember that I can't compare myself to Nick. Men lose weight and their bodies change faster and differently than women. My progress is MY PROGRESS. I need to remember to be proud of what I've accomplished.

I'll update tomorrow!