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.

:)

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!

I'm sleepy (Day 9)

I'm tired. I want to go back to sleep.

Yesterday, waking up at 4:30 was fine. I felt productive.

This morning, it sucked. I took my supplements, did yoga with Nick, ate breakfast....and now I want to go back to sleep.

But, alas, I'm awake.

Let me update you on how yesterday turned out:

Well, the day played out as I had anticipated. A few exceptions, of course...

1. Yesterday was my best friend's birthday. He's 29. His mom wanted to surprise him by having people over. We went and Christian got to play with Ryan's nephew, Aiden. (FYI: I went back and forth between Aidan and Aiden for like 2 minutes straight before I went with the latter...sigh).
2. At this little get-together, there was pizza. Nick and I refrained, but I think he got a little drooly. ;) It's hard not to eat it when it's there and you can smell it...and your son is eating it/inhaling it. He was so happy to not be eating healthy food.
3. I had class at 7 - a group meeting, I guess, not actual lecture. I had to run through my final presentation for my degree. Because of this, dinner ended up being at like 7:45. Wayyyyy later than I had anticipated, but what can you do?
4. PiYo wasn't even started until 8:45 and it was one of the longer ones last night - Sweat. 37 minutes of pure hell. The 11 minute lower body party sucks so bad. After about 2 minutes of it, my butt hurts. After the full 11, I feel it so much. I was shaking. (But of course, that's the 11 minutes in the middle of the workout. Chalene does sooooo much more.)
5. We were so tired that we forgot to take our last supplement of the day - the Herbal Cleanse pills. Oops. (Ummmm, I was so tired that I didn't want to watch the last 30 minutes of an episode of Buffy. That's how you know I'm tired. We finished it, but I was drained.)

So now, on to Day 9.

Nick had to all but push me out of bed at 4:35. I was very sad to leave those comfortable sheets.

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

Yoga: focusing on the IT bands for 16 minutes (and some seconds...)

Breakfast after a rest for a few minutes - Special K with Almond Milk.

And now here I am. Trying to convince myself that a shower would feel great. In all reality, I just keep thinking about how much I don't want to wash my hair because that means I have to dry it. Then I have to straighten it...or curl it. I don't wanna. It takes too long.

I'll get over the whining after I shower, I hope. We will see.

Also, Nick packed my lunch last night. Wonder what I have...lol

First Weekend on the Challenge! (Days 6-7)

This was supposed to be the hardest part.

This was supposed to be the "make or break" moment.

It's the weekend. I'm at home, where the food lives.

But it wasn't hard! 

Here's how the weekend has been so far:

Saturday

We woke up around 8:30, but didn't actually get up until around 9. Laziness at its finest.

Spark + Probiotic Restore, Catalyst, and ThermoPlus for me.
Spark + Probiotic Restore and CraveCheck for Nick.

Then, I was able to talk him into doing yoga. Trust me, he was not happy about it...at first. After the 20 minutes was over, he said "Wow. That was actually pretty good. I'd do it every day if you'd wake up earlier and do it with me." Of course, that makes me want to get up earlier and do it with him. I guess that means I'll be up at 4:30 during the week now. What's 30 more minutes.....sigh.

Breakfast was simple. Even better, Nick made it for us. I had two eggs and some oatmeal. Delicious.

Then, we made the big to-do list. Christian had his own list, as did Nick and I. Christian and Nick had 5 things to do, each; I had 12, surprise surprise. I always give myself the most.

Cleaning began. Christian went off to clean his room, and I got to work. At the same time, Nick went to mow the lawn.

Ok, ok. One of his 5 things was pretty extensive.

I digress.

I made lunch at 1 - Christian had a cheese sandwich. I had Shakeology with almond milk. Nick had ramen with shrimp...and some other things. He was starving.

Christian went down for a nap and we used that time to get ready for the day (because at this point, we were both gross and needed a shower). Plus, we'd promised Christian we would take him to the park.

Once he woke up, that's exactly what we did. We were at the part for about 40 minutes and then these high-school aged kids came out. I don't like it when there are "big kids" at the park...especially when those big kids are being vulgar, so we left. 

We decided to continue our play date at Freedom Baptist. Luckily, our Church is one that is open and welcoming. We've gone to play there a lot, and they don't mind. Christian played with his action figures on the playground while Nick and I played basketball. (Not gonna lie, I totally beat him ;) lol).

Then, we needed to head to the store. We had eaten so much salad and so much fruit that we needed to restock. Not a bad problem to have.

After that, we came home and I started dinner. Honey Mustard Turkey Burgers on Whole Wheat Buns and "Healthier" Mashed Potatoes. So worth it. This meal was still pretty healthy...no butter, no processed junk, no dairy...but it was kind of like a "cheat" meal. It was absolutely delicious. The burgers were grilled on the George Foreman...they were amazing. I'll definitely be making those again.

Christian ate 1.5 burgers himself. That's how good they were.

After that, Christian had a bath and went to bed. Nick and I did PiYo - Define: Lower Body (21 minutes of "Oh gah, my butt hurts" and lunges, lol) and then we went to lay down and watch Sherlock Holmes.

Oh yeah, we cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom in that time as well.

We only made it 1 hr into Sherlock Holmes before I was so sleepy that I wanted to cut off my skin rather than stay awake.

And then I was asleep until 9 AM Sunday.

Sunday

We woke up at 9. I had vowed that we would make it to Church today, since we didn't make it last week. Honestly, we haven't been doing very good at making it lately. We have to do better. This is the "age of accountability" for Christian and we need to be there for him. That strong Christian foundation is very important for me and I want him to have one as well.

Started the day similarly to yesterday: Spark + Supplements + Yoga.

Breakfast was rushed. I have no idea what Nick had, because I was in the shower. I had Shakeology. I'm almost out, which is devastating.

We hurried and got ready, and then we were out the door for Church. 

Lovely service. Great sermon on suffering as a Christian. I've heard similar messages before and they are 100% true. Everyone suffers in this world. As a Christian, we should be prepared to suffer. Christians are called out for being Christians. Judged. Persecuted. It's not an easy road, but it's one we take up to defend and fight for our Lord.

After that, we came home and made lunch. Christian had a cheese sandwich and an apple, per his request. Nick and I had Turkey Sausage and Egg Muffins. 129 calories each, thank you! We also threw in a banana, for good measure.

We finished Sherlock Holmes. Nick has been trying to get me to watch that movie for weeks now and I kept coming up with excuses as to why we couldn't. It was great!! I want to watch the 2nd one now, but I'm sure I'll make excuses as to why we have to put it up. I'm complicated. (I'm a woman....)

Then, we did PiYo - Define: Upper Body. My arms are feeling it.

Now, Nick is cleaning his guns and torturing me with music that I really don't want to listen to...lol. I'm about to work on stuff for graduate school. Christian is finishing up a nap.

After that, we are off to my parents' house for dinner - Grilled Chicken and something....idk what.

Back here for some well-deserved pampering (face masks, for sure, - yes, he does them too. Men have to take care of their skin as well - a bath, and maybe I'll paint my nails, who knows?).

Gentle, relaxing yoga before bed...and then a good sleep before we start yet another week of work.

If this was supposed to be the hard part, I think that Nick and I can conquer any challenge presented.

We're even starting to make a plan for after. We're going to follow the 80/20 eating plan (80% clean/20% other) and finishing PiYo. We should finish the 8 week program on June 12. After that, we're thinking about picking up the 21 Day Fix. We'll see what happens. After that, maybe The Masters Hammer and Chisel? Not gonna plan that far ahead.

I'm so excited for our lifestyle changes. It's so much easier to do this when you have someone you love doing it with you. :)

We can do another 24 day challenge at the end of July (90 days is up on July 17 and you're supposed to wait that long between challenges). I know I'll do one more, at least, before we get married. They really do help reset everything! :)

I'll update again tomorrow!

Day 5

Yesterday was bad. To take a quote from Buffy, it..."sucked beyond the telling of it."

I walked into work yesterday and felt like I might cry. My anxiety is at 700% for some reason and I don't know why.

Or, maybe I do and I'm not admitting it to myself.

You never know.

Regardless, it took everything I had to get through my work day yesterday. To top it off, Tuesdays/Thursdays are my long days because of my second job at another school.

Everything was much better as soon as I picked up my son, made the drive home, walked in, and saw my fiance´. Nick and Christian always make me feel better. Grounded and centered. More like myself.

I went to bed very happy and at peace last night. That's what I needed.


As far as the AdvoCare challenge goes, here's what I did yesterday:

**Pre-Breakfast/Breakfast were in yesterday's post.
**Snack - banana at about 10:30
**Lunch - salad, tuna, and an apple at 12
**Spark at 2:50
**Snack - Grapes at 3:20
**Dinner - Eggs, Turkey Bacon, and Whole Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter

This brought me to about 1300 calories for the day.

Then, of course, Nick and I did PiYo: Define Upper Body. It's only 18 minutes and MyFitnessPal says it only burns like 61 calories, which makes me laugh. It's got to burn more than that, but oh well.

Nick weighed himself yesterday. He has already lost 3 lbs (he weighed without clothes on). I told him you aren't supposed to weigh until Day 11.

The temptation was too great, so I weighed myself too. The first time I weighed before the challenge, I was naked. I weighed myself in my clothes from work yesterday afternoon and it was right after dinner. I've lost 2 lbs so far...but that's in clothes and after a 500-600 calorie meal.

Not too shabby.

No more weighing until Day 11! Gotta make it through.


Today, so far, has been just like the others:

• Pre-breakfast: Advocare Spark (Grape today...which I'm not a big fan of, honestly) + Probiotic Restore, Catalyst, and ThermoPlus
• Yoga: DoYouYoga 30 Day Challenge, Day 24: No Sweat Morning Yoga
• Computer time for a few
• Christian woke up at 5:39. Whaaaaaat?! So much for my quiet time in the morning.
• He got dressed, put his shoes on, found his Relay for Life money, and asked for breakfast.
• Breakfast: Shakeology for me, Poptarts for little man
• Blogging (while Christian is on his iPad)

Now, it's time to get ready for the day. One more day of work...no tutoring today (I wish I got to keep her every Friday. She's progressing so well.)

Happy Friday! :)

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Cleanse Phrase Wrap-up

As you know, I've been doing the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge.

The first phase of this challenge is the Cleanse Phase. In this phase, you use the products below and work on ridding your body of toxins that will prevent the effective absorption of key nutrients.

Advocare Spark - I used Fruit Punch and Pink Lemonade

Herbal Cleanse - Fiber Drink, Probiotics, and Herbal Cleanse Pills

OmegaPlex - Essential Fatty Acids (like fish oil, but better)

Catalyst - Supposedly, it's like "liposuction in a bottle," or so I have read.

Ok, so those are the products you need during this phase of the challenge. It lasts from Day 1 - Day 10 of the 24 days you're on the challenge.

A few things made me nervous about this challenge:

1. Lots of products to remember to take at different times of the day.
2. I read a ton of horrible comments about the fiber drink.
3. The cost.
4. Clean eating when I don't like vegetables. 

Addressing the concerns:

1. Well, clearly, I decided the cost was worth it. I just wanted to give something a try. I knew I needed to boost my metabolism and reset my body. This was the way I chose to do it. I had seen how well it worked for a friend of mine and I knew that, if she could do it, I could do it too.
2. The challenge comes with a handy Daily Guide. I leave this out on my counter at all times and check things off when I do them. There is also an app on my phone that will remind me to take products at certain times (like, when I'm at work).
3. The Fiber Drink.....ugh, I'll explain more on that in a second.
4. Clean eating..........ok, this was the hardest part of the challenge. I already meal plan, but I had gotten so lazy about cooking. As a matter of fact, when I told my boyfriend that I was going to cook at home for 24 straight nights, he laughed at me. So far, so good, but it was hard getting the motivation at first. Also, I'm addicted to coffee. With the exception of my pregnancy, I've had coffee every day (multiple cups of coffee) since I was 17. I'm 24, almost 25 now.

So, here's how the cleanse went for me:

Day 1: 

• 5:30 AM - Advocare Spark and Catalyst first thing. Ok, Spark is really good. I'm not kidding. The fruit punch kind of tastes like Koolaid. I can handle this for 24 days.
• 5:35 AM - AM Yoga
• 6:00 AM - Breakfast. The dreaded fiber drink (and yes, it really is disgusting. I'll give tips for getting it down below) and food. I chose to drink a protein shake for breakfast for the first three days, just to make sure I was getting good nutrition first thing. 
• 9:45 AM - Snack time! I ate a banana.
• 12:00 PM - Lunch time. Salad with chicken. Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing. Delicious
• 4:00 PM - Snack time! I would eat fruit or veggies with hummus. Just depended on what I had on hand. Sometimes, I would eat a rice cake or two.
• 6:00 PM - Dinner time. Omegaplex (2 capsules) with food. I'm going to include my dinner meal plan for the first 10 days below.
• 8:00 PM - PiYo, day 1. Hello, Chalene Johnson. I've missed you.
• 9:30 PM - Bed. Yes, this is early but I was exhausted. I took my crazy pills with the herbal cleanse tablets and passed out.

Water intake for the first day was about 12 cups. I peed all day long. I had to get someone in to watch my class twice so I could go pee.

Nothing happened on the "cleansing" end. Not to worry. It's just day 1!

Day 2:

Went through the exact same process as Day 1. Same breakfast, same lunch, different food for dinner. Same products. Easy!

Bad caffeine headache today. It went away around 3:00 PM...but I had to teach all day long feeling like someone was cutting my head into pieces.

Day 3:

Went through the exact same process as Day 1-2. No headaches. No cleansing. My body is starting to get adjusted to the water intake.

Day 4:

• New product today! Adding in the probiotic at breakfast. No more Fiber drink either! Thank the Lord.
• Finally cleansed a little today. Nothing major. This cleanse is definitely gentle, as promised.

Day 5 - 7:

Same as Day 4. Body is starting to become more regular, which is something I've always struggled with. Didn't exercise at all this weekend. Way too tired.

Day 8:

• Return of the dreaded fiber drink. Three more days of this crap. I can do it.
• No more herbal cleanse pills at night.
• Everything else is the same!

Day 9 - 10:

Same as Day 8. My body has definitely become more regular throughout this process. No more bloating. I've been quite gassy though (TMI, sorry!). I looked it up, and this is a side-effect of all of the extra fiber I've been taking in. Remember, 6 of these days started with the fiber drink, AND I'm eating fruits and veggies...something my body is not used to doing.

Dinner Meal Plan:

1. Lemon Chicken with Herbs, Salad.
2. Baked Swai, Green Beans
3. Grilled Italian Chicken, Corn
4. Grilled Tilapia, Salad
5. Roasted Garlic & Herb Chicken, Green Beans
6. Olive Garden for my sister's birthday - I had Baked Tilapia and Shrimp with a side of steamed broccoli. Salad, of course, which was sad because I really wanted Chicken & Gnocchi soup. The saddest part of all? No breadsticks. This was depressing and very difficult.
7. Garlic & Herb Chicken, Green Beans
8. Baked Swai and Tilapia, Corn
9. Turkey Meatloaf and Light Mashed Potatoes (I really needed the extra carbs at this point)
10. Leftovers from the night before.

At this point, I'm about salad-ed out. I've had a salad 8/10 days for lunch AND sometimes with dinner. 

Now, for the best part of this whole cleanse - THE RESULTS:

Over the course of these 10 days, I lost:

• 6 pounds!
• 5 inches!

Average weight loss on the challenge is anywhere from 5-15 lbs. I've already lost 6 on the cleanse! That's exciting!

Do I think the products alone caused the loss? No. I'm a realist. I changed the way I was eating, completely.

Do I think the products helped a lot? Yes, absolutely. Without them, I wouldn't have gotten off of coffee/soda. Without them, I wouldn't have been inspired to make these lifestyle decisions. The strict schedule of this cleanse pushed me to do things that I normally wouldn't have done.

Hopefully, I'll see even more results with the rest of this challenge. There are a lot of pills that go with the next part of this challenge. I might have to set alarms on my phone to remember to take them all at the appropriate times. I'm hopeful!

Starting the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge

Losing weight sucks.

Like, no joke. It sucks.

A friend of mine has recently done the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. She lost 15 lbs with the challenge. I was so impressed with her before and after pictures and results that I decided I would give it a shot. I have tried just about every fad out there, just to see what the hype is. Call it a natural curiosity, if you will. I've done Body by Vi (which, to be fair, I loved) and Plexus Slim (not a fan, honestly).

I received my package in the mail yesterday. Pretty quick turn around, actually. I ordered it on Wednesday and received it Saturday around midday. Not too shabby!

Here's what it looks like:

It was a nice sized package, about 6 lbs total. I went ahead and unboxed it (and of course, took the obligatory photo of the products stacked up way nicer than they will be for the next few weeks):

With the 24 day challenge, you get 5 products:

1. Spark (two boxes - enough for the whole challenge) - kind of like their energy drink. This is what I am most excited for.
2. Herbal Cleanse - for the cleanse phase (days 1-10) - contains probiotics, herbal cleanse pills, and the dreaded fiber drink (the part that I am least excited about)
3. MNS C - vitamins and other supplements that you take during the Max phase (days 11-24)
4. Meal Replacement Shakes - for breakfast during the Max phase (days 11-24)
5. Omegaplex - you take this during the entire challenge.

I added on another product - Catalyst. Supposedly, this product is amazing. I've even heard it called "liposuction in a bottle." I'm skeptical, but we will see. I start taking that tomorrow morning and take it for the whole challenge.

The package also came with an insert that explains the challenge and tells you exactly what to do each day. It's laid out nicely. Pretty simple, I think.

After I got all of the products, I realized I needed a plan. Now, I'm usually pretty good at meal planning, but I have sucked beyond the telling of it here lately. Boyfriend is always teasing me about how little I cook. When I told him I meal planned and went grocery shopping, he laughed. Now I have to do it, just to prove him wrong ;)

Here is my meal plan for the week:

Currently, I'm baking chicken for the salads every day this week. We will see how that actually turns out.

I'm also starting PiYo again tomorrow. The farthest I've ever made it is Week 3. I love it; I'm just lazy. Sigh.

I have a plan. I have the products. I have the correct mentality. I have everything I need. I will be posting regularly to keep track of how I'm doing on the challenge. Part of me really doesn't think it will work. The rest of me really wants it to work. It takes 21 days to make a habit. This is 24. Hopefully I will form some good habits that I can take with me long after the challenge ends.

I'll keep you posted ;)

--Andi

I'm back (for the millionth time)

There has been so much that has changed since the last time I wrote a legitimate post (other than the ones for graduate school....those count, but who wants to read that ;) lol).

I don't really know where to begin with what's changed, so instead, I'll tell you what's going on with me right now. BTW: These items are not ranked in order of importance, but in order of what comes into my head at the time:

1) Exercise: I'm combining two of my really favorite things when I exercise now: PiYo and Hula Hooping. So fun! I do a hoop workout 5 days a week and PiYo is done 6 days a week. Today's workout: Lower Body Ballet (hoop) and Sweat (PiYo). All together, that's about one hour of working out for today...which isn't terrible AT ALL.


2) Work: I will be at Hamlet Middle School again this year. There was some question of where I would be, but I think that God has me right where he wants me - 7th grade ELA.

I'm really, REALLY excited about the changes in curriculum that have been made for the coming year. I'm even more excited about the fact that instead of six 6-week grading period, we now have four 9-week periods. In 7th grade, we're pairing one major text - a novel or play - with each 9-week period. That makes so much more sense to me. I'm ready to get in there and start planning, although, I'm not about to wish my summer away either.


3) Church: Where do I start with this? I've had mixed feelings about going to Church in my hometown. Do I want to go to Church with people I know in the community? Would I rather have a Church community that is completely separate from what I do outside of Church (obviously, that would not be good)? Should I make sure that the Church that I go to is one that my family attends? Should the Church I attend have friends for Christian? Should it be people he already knows? And on and on and on....

I realized that it doesn't really matter where I go as long as I GO and take my little boy. He needs to be in Church, as do I. I know people at the Church where I am joining. I have friends who go there and the children that are Christian's age are wonderful, well raised children. He goes to day care with some of them (his "girlfriend" is at this Church and his day care...lol). He loves it there and begs to go back each week! That's a good sign for me.

I feel at home at Freedom. I feel like there are millions of opportunities for me to get involved - whether that is by attending a small group or teaching Campus Worship Series to 3 and 4 year old children. Either way, I know that it is a way for me to stay focused on God throughout all that I do.


4) Spirituality: I have this fire in my soul, a burning in my gut, something inside me that is yearning for closeness with God. It's not always the thing that I am focused on most, but it's always there, gnawing away at me. It's like someone whispering at all times, "Shouldn't you go read your Bible?" "Shouldn't you pray and ask God about this?" "What would God want for you?" "Are you sure that skipping Church is smart? Won't you feel better if you go?" etc. This yearning is extending to the books that I'm reading, the songs that I'm singing, the shows that I'm watching....it's into everything I do - which yes, I know it's good, but it can be annoying and overbearing too - and I'm shocking myself by the things that I'm saying or doing. It's good!

My favorite Christian author, Beth Moore, is a wonderful, brilliant woman. I want to be her when I grow up. Not too long ago, there was a deal on Amazon where you could get all of her books, almost, for free on your Kindle Fire. I jumped on that instantly. I want to start reading one of them, but I can't decide which one to start.

My iTunes/iPhone/Mac/CD in the car is constantly set to either a Fireflight mix, a We As Human mix, or it's on my Jeremy Camp Pandora station. It depends on my mood...but I can pretty much hit all of my moods with those three. I have them on rotation for the most part. Now, I still listen to my other music, of course...but that's what I've been listening to the most.

I've been watching 7th Heaven on Hulu Plus. I watched this show religiously (pardon the pun) when it was originally airing on TV, and I have been so excited to watch it again as an older, hopefully wiser, woman. I thought it was just a good TV show...but now I'm seeing the value in each episodes - the lessons we were supposed to learn from watching the Reverend Camden interact with his family and the members in the community. It's just an inspiring series, and it makes me want to be a better person.

But do you see what I mean? Everything I do seems to come back to God. Now, what I really REALLY want is a devotional that is also a journaling assignment. Suggestions? I'll even take one that starts January 1, 2015...but I want something that forces me to write my own thoughts on it.


5) School: I just want it to start back. I want to get back in class and have work to do. It makes me feel like I'm really accomplishing something for myself. I know that, once it starts back, I'll be ready for it to be over again. However, right now, I miss it. When school, work, and life in general are all going on at the same time, I'm sure I'll regret saying all of that.


Well, that's pretty much where I am at the moment. I want to do better posting on here...but I want the posts to mean something and not just be random thoughts, like this one.

I'm off to watch Pirate Fairy with my son. He loves Tinker Bell right now.

Thank you Yoga and FlyLady!

I've always been someone who hates waking up early...or....in the morning at all. I'm NOT a morning person. Because of this, I end up hitting the snooze button 10 times, dragging around, realizing I'm going to be late, and then rushing...forgetting stuff along the way.

I've recently started back doing my routines (thank you FlyLady) and also decided that I needed to do yoga first thing in the morning because of how wonderful it makes me feel. I have an "All Day Yoga" DVD and it starts with a 20 minute AM yoga segment. Still...this means I now have to get up at 5:30 in order to do it, eat breakfast, get ready, get my 2 year old son ready, and leave for work by 7 at the latest.

I always have these great plans to get up early and workout. They always fail.

Today, I won!

I set two alarms instead of four. I got up at 5:30 and came straight into my living room, started the DVD, and did my workout. That hunch that I had about yoga making my day start out wonderfully - I WAS RIGHT! From there, everything went so smoothly. I also attribute that to doing my before bed routine :)

Because of the routines (before bed and morning) plus waking up for my AM yoga, I was able to get ready, get Christian ready, and leave my house at 6:50. I was at work by 7:20 and was completely ready for my students at 7:45! Amazing.

This is what all I've able to accomplish today:

1. Got to work by 7:20 instead of 7:40. 20 minutes makes a difference!
2. Graded notebooks and tests for one of my classes. I usually put this off until the day grades are due. Lol!
3. Computer training and a faculty meeting.
4. Home by 4:30
5. Finished cooking dinner (it had been going in the slow cooker all day).
6. Did my Weekly Home Blessing Hour (dust, change sheets, vacuum, mop, polish mirrors and doors, empty trash, purge mail/magazines)
7. Zone Mission for the day: Dust corners and high shelves/ceilings in kitchen
8. Ate dinner and cleaned up after - cleaned the whole kitchen
9. Helped Christian do his FLY Kid's Challenge: Clean his dresser
10. Did stress relief yoga (20 minutes)
11. Most of my before bed routine is done at this point! This means that I can pretty much roll out of bed and do yoga in the AM without worrying about anything!

If I can keep this up, my life is going to be soooooo much easier!

What a great day!

Hi all of you marvelous people that actually read my blog! 

I've had a really good day overall. This is awesome. I love having days like this. 

I started off my day with my baby boy coming to play with me in my room. He loves to come and cuddle with me in the mornings. I have to go get him out of his crib, change his diaper, and all but FORCE him to come in my room...but once he's there, he loves to play! 

Then, we watched Monsters Inc. for the millionth time and had breakfast - Dark Chocolate Muffins. So good and not terrible for you. He loves his "nuppins." 

He was so tired after the movie went off, so I put him down for a nap. While he was napping, I drank some coffee and recovered from last night. If you read my blog or watched the video blog from last night, you'll know that I got SICK after dinner last night. I threw up everything that I had eaten since 4:30 pm...which sucked. I felt ok after that, but still felt a little weak. I didn't recover completely until about 5 pm today. I guess it really was a 24-hr bug or something. 

We had a light lunch - Christian ate chicken nuggets and I had a No Bake Energy Bite from my fridge. I wasn't incredibly hungry and that helped to tide me over until dinner. (Lunch wasn't served until 2:30 pm...lol). 

We then needed to get out of the house, so we went to the grocery store. I was completely out of milk and Christian was running low on apple juice. We went and picked that up, gassed up my vehicle, and came back home so I could cook dinner. We had Egg-Battered Fried Chicken. Sounds like it's really bad for you, but actually comes in at about 288 calories per serving. I made rice too. Christian ate every. last. bite. That always makes me feel good. Boosts my ego when the 2 year old approves.  

Christian went to bed at about 7:40 pm. That's 20 minutes early for him, but he was EXHAUSTED after the short visit from Grammy and Papa after dinner. Once he was down, I did Insanity - Pure Cardio. This was the first time that I had done this video and WOW! No water breaks!? I took two, which isn't bad. I pushed through the workout, but I did start feeling a little weak after the first 5 minutes of it. I figured it was remnants of last night's sickness. I kept going though. Be proud!  

Now, I'm watching Buffy and trying to relax. I think if I could be any fictional character, it'd be Buffy. I'd even accept the fact that I'd have died twice if I could be her. She's awesome. Haha. I watch Buffy and am inspired to change my life so that I can be as active as a slayer  It's a little lame and embarrassing to say that, I know, but it's one of my many inspirations to keep going with my lifestyle change. I'm in it for real this time around. I'm over feeling bad. I'm over being overweight. I'm over feeling insecure. I'm over it and ready to change! 

      

Cussing Out Shaun T and CURRICULUM HAPPINESS! :)

Do you see me? 

Do you see my face? 

I just cussed out my TV. Like, Shaun T has now been thoroughly cussed out. People, if you know me at all, you know I RARELY use vulgar language. I think for 40 minutes, I rarely said something that was nice. 

Phew.  

Other than that boss workout I just did, it was a pretty good day! I ate fairly well. I tried a new salmon recipe from SparkRecipes. So delicious. I also tried couscous for the first time. It was also REALLY good!  

My curriculum is done for the school year. Another teacher and I planned everything. We have all of our resources for the ENTIRE year! We are going to get back together around the 15th and write specific lesson plans for the first few weeks of school. I already feel SO much better about this year, despite the transition to a new school. 

On another note, I am so nervous that I'm not going to lose any weight this week. I'm getting back in routines. I'm eating better again. I'm working out. I'm drinking my water. I just still feel like I'm going to weigh myself on Sunday and have gained weight...or measure myself and have gained inches. I'm so terrified to gain weight. I'm scared that I'll quit if I have zero results after a week of working so hard. Then, I feel stupid for feeling that way...which then makes me more nervous. Ugh. I hate this cycle of badness.

Insanity Day 2 - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Today was the first "real" workout for Insanity. 

I fit it into my day pretty easily...it just sucked. Actually, at one point, he said we had 30 seconds for a water break, and I giggled a little. I grabbed my water and sat out that entire next circuit. I joined back in for the 3rd circuit of basketball drills. This is just the hardest workout program I think I've ever done. I hear it's that way for most people. 

I was so sore this morning from just the fit test alone. However, I'm going to keep pushing every day. I can only get better. :) 

--Andi

Insanity - Day 1 - Fit Test

OMG. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?!?

That sucked.

I just finished my Fit Test for Insanity. Also counts as today's workout. The video is about 25 minutes long and it sucks. I wonder if I'm going to feel like this every day. I'm proud of myself for getting up to do it....but I hurt. My chest is cold. My legs feel like jello. Wahhhhhh.

Anyway, here are my results from the very first fit test. I almost feel like I should be ashamed....except I know that this is somewhere for me to start. It can only get better from here.

MOVE	FIT TEST 1 (day 1)	FIT TEST 2 (day 15)	FIT TEST 3 (day 36)	FIT TEST 4 (day 50)	FIT TEST 5 (day 63)
1. SWITCH KICKS	64
2. POWER JACKS	27
3. POWER KNEES	60
4. POWER JUMPS	8
5. GLOBE JUMPS	5 (pause)
6. SUICIDE JUMPS	8
7. PUSH-UP JACKS	5 (kind of)
8. LOW PL ANK OBLIQUE	25

I had to pause after doing globe jumps because I thought my chest was going to explode.

Push-up jacks were also interesting because I can't even do a dang push-up...so, tell me how I'm going to do push-up jacks?! I tried though. Phew.

Fit Test - Check!