day 25: the challenge is over

I missed my dietbet by 2 pounds.  BOOOOOO!! I only have myself to blame as all those "little" slip ups along the way add up in a big way.  I am glad I did it, and will do it again but I sure hope I win some money next time.

I got up and kept my regular morning routine before bootcamp.  We boxed today.  Like legit boxing and sparring gloves. I have never hit anything ever and it was out of my comfort zone.  Fun, and I would do it again, but I am not signing up for boxing classes anytime soon. 

Today is cheat day in advo-world.  That means, indulge but not overly.  I started my cheat day with pizza for breakfast.  Then I had a coffee from Elianos.  Then I went to my parents and it was all down here from there.

My parents' house is a crux for me.  I just can't help but eat.  I had potato soup for lunch, we ordered Mexican for supper and I even ate ice cream and chocolate cake. Get me out of here-I'm going to gain it all back!!!

On the realz, I lost 7 pounds on this 24 day challenge.  I didn't get measurements because Quinn is out of town and it's just too hard to get good measurements by yourself.  Here are my "before and during photos" (during since I am not done yet)

Tomorrow, I am suppose to start Lean in 13 but I may have to wait till Monday since I have zero groceries and the boys are asleep so I can't grocery shop tonight.

24 day challenge day 24: new habits

They say it takes 3 weeks to make something a habit.  Isn't amazing that the Advocare 24 day challenge is 4 weeks?? It gives us plenty of time to break old habits and replace them with new ones.

That being said, I didn't make it to bootcamp this morning!! It IS a habit now, promise. But my little guy woke up while I was eating my apple this morning and got upset when I tried to lay him down with his daddy.  I thought I would be able to go this evening at 5:15 and everyone would win!! When I texted Maria that I would be there this afternoon, she let me know there are no evening classes on Friday! WAAH WAAH WAAH!! So, I laid in bed thinking about what I was missing and feeling guilty about not being there.  I'm so bummed!!

I had a shake on the way to work and energy bites for snack.  I had time to stop at Publix for a wrap this morning so that's what I had for lunch.  The.  Best.  My afternoon snack was carrots and hummus.

Quinn is out of town. The boys are at my mom's. I don't have to cook!! Yay!! So tonight, I think I will just make me a green smoothie and curl up with a book.  Weigh in tomorrow! Wish me luck!

24 day challenge day 23: the end is near

I can't believe it's been 23 days since I started.  Regardless of what the scales say, or even what my clothes say (even though they are saying I am a rockstar) I FEEL GOOD!!!


No gym again today because the dishwasher guy is coming back.  Ugh, so inconvenient but then, at least we have a dishwasher and the means to fix it.  He came and it literally took 3 minutes.  I drank my shake while I paid him:) I had to wait on a load of sheets, so I ran the dishwasher to be sure all was well.  It was not. 


I had a baby hissy fit.  Called Quinn and told him he should be there next time because I didn't know what else to do and I had already lost days of my life (can you tell PMS is kicking in) waiting to get the dang thing fixed.  I stopped by Eliano's (its better than Starbucks) and got a chai tea to feed my feelings.  Much better than the whip cream, caramel, fat filled goodness I would have chosen 23 days ago.  I counted it as my snack. 


Today was one of those weird days at work where I think my boss hates me (sad thing is, I am the boss) I had appointments stacked on top of each other.  I did manage to eat lunch in segments, but I brought the wrong lunch. It was still delish but it was the leftover spaghetti sauce, minus the squash.  I had a boiled egg for my afternoon snack.

Because I ate lunch late, and over several hours, I wasn't starving for supper.  And the dishwasher isn't fixed yet.  And Quinn is going out of town tomorrow. Sounds like a takeout night if ever there was one.  I stopped by the Main Squeeze and got a Tropical Superfood green smoothie and picked up pizza for the guys.  Pizza is on my top five favorite foods list, but I had NO problem not eating it.

One more day people! Thanks for riding along with me!

24 day challenge day 22: sticking to the plan

I feel disgusting.  I knew I would.  I'm bloated and yucky and all those things I used to feel everyday.  But, I'm up and I am back in action.  A new day with a million choices ahead of me.  I want them to be good...


Bootcamp was tough but nothing like Monday! I love it!  Kept with my normal routine of pills and shakes and water.  Work was a good day. I got a little emotional because one of my client/friends is moving and today was the last day that I know I will get to see him.  Hopefully, we will see each other again but it's still just so sad!! Snack was a boiled egg. I had leftover spaghetti for lunch.  Afternoon snack was energy bites. 


We had balsamic chicken and veggies for supper. Seriously yummy!!


It's life group night! So after supper, we rushed to lifegroup.  I made a deal with the boys that if we finished all our homework before life group we would go to Sonic for milkshakes on the way home.  So, that's what we did.  Both boys got ice cream while Quinn and I just watched them eat:(


It feels so good to be back on the plan and it always make me wonder why I ever get off in the first place?!?!?

24 day challenge day 21: my worst enemy

It happens every time.  Usually its on day 23 or maybe when I am a pound or less away from my goal, but for some reason, I sabotage myself.  I am sure that lots of therapy would give me some time of answer, but the fact is: I am my own worst enemy. 


I started out ok.  Had my catalyst and water.  Before breakfast pack.  The dishwasher repairman was coming at some point today so I didn't get to go to the gym.  The responsible, fit thing to do would be to do my Zumba Wii thing, or any other one million exercise videos.  But who wants to be in the middle of twerking when a stranger rings the doorbell?? So, I opted for the safer route, tucked into the couch reading a book.  I didn't really want a shake for breakfast so I opted for a banana first.  Then I really wanted something crunchy.  Since I was confined to the house, I snacked mindlessly.  I had a few cheese-its (only 25- at least I kept it to one serving)


The guy finally showed up and surprise surprise, he didn't have the part.  He was going to go get it
 and come back so that meant more sitting around.  I stayed out of the kitchen but I was anything but active.  He finally called and said he had to order them. By this point I was so hungry I wanted to eat anything and everything.  My plan all along had been to go by Publix and get a wrap but since I hadn't had a shower and was still not very presentable, I took Georgia with me to Sonic.  I love their grilled chicken wraps. If you get it without dressing, its only 350 calories.  Well, Georgia has been having a hard time getting around, so I treated her to some chicken tenders.  I may have eaten a few of them.  Uh oh.


Since I hadn't done anything all day, I was not motivated to start. I did do some laundry and take a nap? I managed to go get the boys on time...We got home and I ate my no bake energy bites, and then a rice cake with peanut butter, and then a tangelo. I AM OUT OF CONTROL PEOPLE!


We had spaghetti squash with meat sauce for dinner.  It was so good, I nibbled from the pan.  I have not been happier about bedtime in a long time.  I need to start over.  Tomorrow is a new day!

24 day challenge day 20: Manic Monday

Bootcamp day: I am actually starting to look forward to these early morning workouts.  Same routine as before.  Catalyst.  Apple.  Spark. 

Today is the first day in long time I was pretty sure I was going to throw up.  It was a circuit day.  3 exercises for 30 seconds a piece times 3 rounds.  Small break, then 3 new ones.  When I got home I could barely lift my arms to wash my hair.  Before breakfast pills. Shower. Shake.  You get the point. 

I had a slow day at work but had several errands that I needed to run and they kinda fell funky for lunch.  Ate a late snack of string cheese and boiled egg before heading out to deliver some Spark to some folks.  Took my before lunch pills with me and took them while running around.  Then to Sam's to pick up stuff for work.  Oh the free samples!!! I have to admit I did try a teeny piece of chicken quesodilla because I thought it might be good to have on hand for my kids.  And it would be if I didn't have to buy 300 of them at the time.  Victory alert: I always get a coke while I shop at Sam's.  Not today!!

Once I finally got back to the office, I ate leftover taco salad with my during lunch packs.  My afternoon snack was the heaven that is no bake energy bites.  I went for a walk after Quinn got off just because I haven't gotten all my steps in.  I listened to my daily reading Bible plan and walked around the neighborhood.  It was so cold, but I got to enjoy this:

 

Love me some God. Quinn cooked pork tenderloin with roasted broccoli, and roasted butternut squash/sweet potato.  I would have taken a picture but I devoured it before I thought about it. 

 

Another good one.

24 day challenge day 19: Sunday Funday with my Guys

Ahh. Got to sleep late this morning. No workout planned for today. Just going to meal prep for the week and hang out with my little people. 

I woke up and had my catalyst, followed by my before breakfast pack and Meal Replacement shake.  Not kidding, I am still not tired of it.  Since I had breakfast later than normal, I skipped my mid morning snack and starting meal prepping for the week.  Boiled 1/2 dozen eggs for me and the hubster to enjoy over the week.  Then made no bake energy bites.  These things are the best things since candy bars.  They are about 100 calories a ball so I try and save them for high intensity workout days (because I HAVE to eat 2)  Quinn had a dude thing with some guys from the church so it was just me and my littles for lunch. I had leftover chicken enchiladas while they survived off hot pockets.  Don't judge.  The four year old literally eats 3 things and hot pockets sometimes is one of them. 

The ladies were also getting together, but my oldest needed some mom time so I planned on heading out to Grand Bay, getting some mileage in while looking for any type of animal we could find.  I packed up some snacks for the top of the tower and was very excited to spend the day with the boys and Georgia. 

Well, when we got there, this is what we found.

FAIL!!! So, we ate.  I brought a whole thing of Pringles (not for me), 3 tangelos, and 5 strings of cheese.  Also, 3 bottles of water (along with a gallon for the pup) and 2 Capri Suns. Bennett, who seems to be in the middle of a NEVER ENDING growth spurt, ate all of the oranges and 3 string cheeses before diving into the chips; leaving me with cheese and chips.  I didn't waiver. I only had one string cheese and a bottle of water. Why oh why can't I have the metabolism of my 6 year old boy?

After snacking, we headed to Freedom Park Dog park to let Georgia at least have little fun.  She's so old.  She got along pretty good with all the other dogs, but no way was she even attempting the agility course.  After a few minutes we headed home.

Quinn was there when we got home so we played outside for a little while longer.  Then started supper of a taco salad.  No recipe here, but we just brown ground beef (lean) add black beans and taco seasoning, serve over a bed of romaine with onions, salsa and plain greek yogurt.  SO Yum!!

Almost there folks!

24 day challenge day 18: smoked

Ahh. The weekend.  Time to relax.  WRONG! Bootcamp was at 8:15 this morning so I treated it like any other day, except with an extra two hours of sleep. Woke up, had my normal morning fuel and went on to bootcamp. I think Maria really likes Saturday's because she is killer!! We did a workout called "smoked" today and it was sooooo hard.  We had 11 exercises, mostly strength but some cardio.  Each exercise was done 50 times.  Between each exercise, we had to go outside and run a lap.  There's a nursing home next to the gym and it looked like to folks had "fallen into eternal sleep" because two stretchers with body bags were outside.  Let me tell you, if there is anything that can motivate you to keep running and get in shape, a bodybag will do it.  Once we were done with all our exercises, it was time to finish up with a group sprint.  At this point, I was thinking I may at least need the nursing home, if not the body bag. 

Once home, I had my before breakfast packet and showered. Then came breakfast of another shake.  Normally, I let myself have a "real breakfast" on the weekends to keep from getting tired of the shakes, but it's what I wanted. Today was cleaning day of sorts.  Now, all three guys are home so it's like torture to try and clean.  I pulled sheets off the boy's bed and got everything picked up to be vacuumed.  After coming back from the laundry room, they had pulled the mattress off the bed and made a fort!! Now who am I to ruin father/son bonding time so I just let it go, had some lunch (leftover chili again), and relaxed.


Once Quinn was done bonding with the boys, it was my turn.  A local ballet school was doing a production of Sleeping Beauty, and I am trying my best to turn my little men into well rounded human beings. So, we went on a date to the ballet.  Bennett loved it but Levi, not so much.  I think part of it was he was tired.  Once great thing about it was, I had Quinn take a picture of us before we left.  The one on the left is us in April 2014 seeing "Honk" from our kid's theatre. The one on the right is today.  Really puts all the hard work into perspective.  Makes me proud that I haven't given up on myself-like usual. 

After the ballet, we went to Bruster's for ice cream.  You know, just to torture myself.  Once we got home, I had a snack of rice cake and peanut butter.  We were going to Saturday evening church service again so Quinn put together our chicken enchiladas, We tweaked the recipe by changing out greek yogurt for sour cream, only used 1/2 the amount of cheese. Once that was prepped, it was time for church.  Took a leptilean and a bottle of water for the service and got my worship on.


Once we got home, it felt like forever before our enchiladas were done.  In reality, it was only 30 minutes, but I was starving!! They were really good.   A little higher in calorie than the link says ( I put our ingredients into my fitness pal) but I was still able to eat 1 and 1/2 and felt very full.  Today was a good day!

24 day challenge day 17: That's what I'm talking about!!

TWO. POUNDS.  Once I regrouped I lost two pounds.  Now, I'm not going to sit on this for very long because it can fluctuate either way, but it's just what I needed at 5 AM.  So, Spark is mixed. Apple is eaten and to Bootcamp I go!!

Remember how I said I was glad I had taken some time off? Scratch that.  Even two days of no exercise makes a difference. And today was not fun.  Well, maybe a little when it was over. It was a circuit workout- mostly strength exercises.  Of course I had to modify a good bit of it but I felt strong.  I felt good. 

Came home and had my before breakfast packet.  Got dressed.  Drank my chocolate mocha shake.  Be proud. I actually bought some berry shakes to mix things up during the Lean in 13.

Work was blah today.  It's a good day to be a massage therapist-rainy. But after an early workout and being hooked to a book with some pretty sad parts, I was feeling yucky. I ate a boiled egg for my snack.  My massages fell weird today so I actually had to take my before lunch pills during a massage.  I would just slip one in my mouth and drink a sip of water every time I went to that side of the table.  Lunch??? Leftover chicken chili.  Oh yeah. I didn't eat my afternoon snack until late because I had to put our Christmas décor in the attic while someone was there to help me.  By 5:00, I was starving.  I only ate the apple I brought since we were going to dinner pretty soon.

The boys picked Cheddars, and I was ok with that.  Pretty ok choices there.  I looked at my fitness paly before we went to check calories for possible meals.  Little tip: sometimes the "healthy choice" options on the menu are not the healtiest choices on the menu.  I opted for the key west chicken and shrimp.  This is where it gets complicated: sauce on the side.  Green beans and carrots (because Bennett loves carrots) no rice.  It was very good and a little higher in calorie than what I would eat at home, but overall I was happy with the choice. Confession:  the kids didn't eat all their honey butter cresent rolls. Before I could even think about it, I had a piece.  And then a piece of chicken tender.  GAHHHHH!  Not worth it people!!

I started guzzling the water as soon as we got home because even though I made the best choices I could, I know that the food was high in sodium.

24 day challenge day 16: more of the same

I feel good.  I am glad I skipped the gym and will skip again today.  I missed it, which is good. And I feel rested.  As soon as I got up, I took my catalyst and spark, just like always.  Then came the before breakfast packet and shower.  Another chocolate mocha shake for breakfast.  So far so good.

Since I didn't go running this morning, I came home and cleaned.  It was a little bit of a challenge not to snack on something, but I was strong.  I started supper, advorunner's white bean chicken chili.  I don't know this chick, but I love her.  We've tried her chicken tortilla crock pot soup and loved it.  Tonight is a late night at work so the crock pot idea is always a winner. 

I had to be at work at 10:30 so I ate my snack on the way into work.  A handful of cashews and an apple.  Lunch was a leftover hamburger with raw carrots and celery.  I know it doesn't sound appealing but it was very filling and pretty tasty.  Snack was a boiled egg.  I go with easy here folks. 

By the time I left work, I was pretty dang hungry.  That chili was calling me name.  And it didn't disappoint.  Oh my.  I am so glad that there's enough for leftovers!!  

Now, I've had plenty of time to regroup.  Tomorrow, the tough stuff starts again.

24 day challenge day 15: time to regroup

I have broken up with my scale.  It's not changing even though I am.  Its been several days since I weighed so I thought today would be a good time to check it out.  Nothing.  I got so discouraged I turned off the alarm and got back in the bed.  Now, I did think about this last night so it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. I have been working out, hard, or running 6 days a week for 3 weeks.  I am tired.  I decided last night if I didn't see any results on the scale, I would take today and tomorrow off from exercise, continuing with the challenge and then start over Friday.


I did get up and continue with my MNS, taking catalyst first then my before breakfast packet about 15 minutes late.  Breakfast was a shake-chocolate mocha is my favorite.  I like taking my thermoplus after breakfast and then having a snack later.  My snack was a boiled egg.  Then lunch was a wrap from Publix.  My afternoon snack was a banana and a handful of cashews.


It's  lifegroup night so that means an early supper. Quinn did a great job cooking baked chicken, roasted asparagus and roasted sweet potato/butternut squash.  I wanted seconds but since I am not exercising, no room for extra calories. 


The bad thing about eating early is that before bedtime, I was starving.  I took my catalyst and a big glass of water to the bedroom where I wouldn't be tempted. 

advocare day 12-14: keep on keeping on

Whew. Time has gotten away from me.  I am staying the course.  The last two days have consisted of vitamins, water, and exercise. Nothing really exciting.  No new foods, etc. 

24 day challenge day 11: traveling while on the challenge

So excited to be back on MNS today.  Those things really help with cravings.  We are going to visit my favorite Aunt and Uncle today so I had to plan very carefully how the day would go:

I started out by taking my Spark and Catalyst before 8:15 bootcamp.  I really wanted to get a workout in before having to sit in the car for several hours.  While I was at the gym, Quinn took the boys to pick us up some sandwiches (me a wrap) from Publix to have to eat on the way to the beach.  I came home, took my "before breakfast" pack and headed for the shower.  After the 30 minutes had passed, I went to mix my meal replacement shake.  Ohhh, chocolate mocha I love you!! I read a suggestion to take both "with meal" supplements at breakfast so you wouldn't forget to do it later, so that's what I did.  We packed snacks of apples, peanut butter, cashews, and rice cakes, along with snacks for the boys. I took my thermoplus before getting in the van to help keep me full so I wouldn't mindlessly snack on the way down there. 

Well, I think I had too much of a good thing.  I was queasy.  Bad.  Now, I get carsick so it could have been a combo but this felt more like too many vitamins and not enough food.  I skipped my first snack because I just didn't feel like eating.  I did manage to take my "before lunch" pack and wait long enough to eat my wrap.  Once I got it down, I felt so much better.

We had great visit.  I went for 2 pretty long walks on the beach, one with Aunt Gail and another with Bennett.  Nothing strenuous, but I was moving.  About 3:00, I sliced an apple and brought out the cashews.  Bennett and I shared the apple while Levi and I shared the nuts.  After everyone had a snack, Quinn, Aunt Gail, the boys and I went to find a geocache while the "old people" stayed at the house. It was our first time finding one with "stuff" inside. So fun. 

When we got back to the house, it was time to eat.  This was the hard part of the day.  There are not many choices in Panacea to eat and what there is serves mostly fried food.  We went to Coastal, a local seafood restaurant and I did the best I could.  Grilled grouper and scallops (which aren't grilled at all- more like sautéed) a salad, and green beans.  I feel good about my choices, but I did nibble more than I should. I am sure that will come back to bite me.

I tried to drink a good bit of water on the way home to offset the sodium intake but it's hard to balance getting enough water with not having to stop every 15 minutes to pee. 

Not the most ideal way to spend the first day on the max phase, but my family is very important to me and since they are only here for a few months, we want to see them as often as we can. 

24 day challenge day 10: cleanse over

Ok, so day 10 is the day everyone weighs in and talks about the amazing amount of weight they lost on the cleanse.  I gained AGAIN!!! Not a huge gain, but still the scale is moving in the wrong direction.  I am hiding the damn scale for now because it's doing nothing but making me want to quit. 

I got up, had my last probiotic restore, some catalyst and some Spark and got ready for work.  Now, this morning, I had to skip my 5:15 gym sesh because my guy is still out of town and leaving two kids home alone is "frowned upon"  Just kidding. I don't even let my kids play in the chik fil a play ground without supervision.  Luckily, Maria offers an 8:15 class so I was able to make that after dropping everyone off.  Confession time: I liked the 5:15 class better.  Not the people or the workout, but the way I feel.  I was dragging today. 

Came home, ate another English muffin with peanut butter because I'm gonna miss that junk starting tomorrow.  Work was super slow today- only 2 appointments so I went in a did some paperwork. Ugh.  So much sitting.  I didn't eat a snack because I ate such a "late" breakfast.  Lunch was grilled chicken nuggets from Chik fila and fruit.  Afternoon snack was a banana in the car line waiting for Bennett. I never get to pick up the boys from school on Friday so I wanted to take them for a treat.  And torture myself a little.

We went to Small Cakes and Bennett got a cupcake in shake.  I don't even like ice cream but these things are the best milk shakes I have ever had.  Levi got a cookies and cream cupcake and then we picked one up for Tal since we were meeting them at the park.  I wanted to cry looking at the forbidden tower of icing. 

We took our cupcakes to the park for a playdate with Tal, Carlyn and Aunt Desta.  Of course, Tal was too busy playing to eat his cupcake and Levi only ate the icing off his.  Holy heck.  Now I have to take one and a half cupcakes home with me.  I thought about giving it to Deaven since she is the competition and everything but didn't want to be cruel.  While we were at the park, Bennett and I were able to find a geocache so that was fun and took my mind off chocolate.

Once we got too cold, we headed to Chik Fila to eat supper. Both our husbands are out of town so anything to keep the kids occupied right? This time I had grilled nuggets and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup.  Nice and filling.  But there are still cupcakes in my van...

24 day challenge day 9: another day, another fiber drink

Today started with Probiotic restore, spark and Catalyst.  Ate a banana for preworkout snack and then hit the gym after getting the kids ready for school.  Quinn is going out of town today so he took the kids to school for me.  It's a nice treat not to have to beat them out the door, but it felt kinda weird not seeing them to their class. 

I really want to run outside again soon because I feel so out of shape, but it's so cold.  So, another day of me and ole Jeff on the treadmill.  Did better today, but still not where I was when I stopped before Christmas. 

Once I got home, it was time for the fiber drink.  Really, it's not that bad this time around. I think I have gotten used to it.  I ate a 1/2 of a whole wheat English muffin and peanut butter because I love it.  For snack, I ate a boiled egg.  Lunch was leftover chicken and asparagus.  With omegaplex.  My afternoon snack was a handful of almonds and Catalyst.

Because Quinn was out of town and I was working late, I had to pick up supper.  My parents are great about cooking or feeding the kids but I didn't want them to have to do it again. So, chili and a baked potato from Wendy's for me and burgers for the rest of the family.  (insert sad face here)  And of course omegaplex. 

I don't usually sleep good when Quinn is gone so I expect tonight to be the same.  Let's just hope I stay out of the kitchen for those late night snacks I am used to. 

 

24 day challenge day 8: Trust the Process

I was feeling like I lost at least 30 pounds since I have been busting it physically and following the plan nutritionally.  Sooo, I weighed...


WHAT?!?!??!? I am up A WHOLE POUND since yesterday. I know I'm not suppose to weigh everyday, but I have a dietbet to win so I am trying to stay on top of things.  Talk about being discouraged.  True, I have lost 3 pounds in a week. True, I feel better than I have in months.  True, my belly isn't poking out as far.  But I wanted the number to change!!


This is not my first Advocare challenge, nor will it be my last.  Since getting serious with my challenge in August I have lost 20 pound, gone down a pants size, and can tie my shoes without feeling out of breath.  I know it works. I just have to trust the process and forget the scale.  For now.  So, I will stay the course and know that the end result will be much bigger than this morning's disappointment. 


So, banana for a quick snack before Bootcamp this morning- and of course, my Spark, Catalyst and probiotic restore.  Bootcamp kicked my butt, literally, this morning.  Lots of booty action-lunges, squats, rainbows, leg lifts, you name it. Came home and had another 1/2 of English muffin and some peanut butter.  Snack was a boiled egg and couple of pieces of watermelon.  Lunch was leftover spaghetti squash with sauce.  My afternoon snack was a slice of Boar's Head turkey with hummus.  That junk is legit!


We have Life group on Wednesday nights.  It's similar to Sunday School, but we meet in homes and have it on Wednesdays.  Anyway, that meant an early supper so we wouldn't starve before we got home.  We ate a delicious new recipe tonight! It will be making a regular appearance on our menu.  it's chicken and asparagus stir fry and you can find it here. I served it over a tiny bit of brown rice just to give it some "staying power."


We had a great time fellowshipping and spending time discussing the sermon from this weekend.  By the time we got home, it was time to rush through the bedtime stuff, take my Herbal cleanse and hit the hay! Another day of success behind me!

24 day challenge day 7: 0H, THE INSANITY!!

I'm really feeling like I am in my groove.  Got to "sleep in" today, but I still took my probiotics as soon as I woke up.  I waited a little while before taking my Spark and Catalyst since I was running later at the gym.  I ate an whole wheat English muffin with a little Peanut butter to get me started since I was starving!  The kids were great this morning so we got off without a hitch.  Next stop, the gym...

It's been at least 6 weeks since I have walked vigorously, much less ran.  But no time like the present, right? I cranked up my Jeff Galloway Easy10K app and went to it. I actually didn't do so bad considering I haven't done it in a while. The picture is a little blurry since I was moving, but I wanted to keep a record!

 

Once I got home from the gym, I ate some left over berry quinoa. I am starting to like it.  Since I had the morning off and lots of energy, I cleaned like a crazy person. I really wanted to take a nap, but dang that Spark, I felt rested! Yay!  My floors actually got mopped!! I had to be at Bennett's school at 12:00 so I ate an early lunch of leftover sweet potato hash. Still good:)  It was a little hard getting my water in since I was working in the classroom, but it also kept me from thinking about food.

 

We heard the ice cream truck as soon as we pulled in the driveway. Now, ice cream is not my thing-I have no trouble turning it down.  BUT we have lived here over 8 years and have yet to see that truck.  I have tried getting in the car and hunting it down, but nothing.  If I ever do find it, I may just have to buy something just because.  Instead, I ate an apple and some cashews. 

 

When Quinn got home, I ran out the door to try my very first Insanity class at Her Strength. I had no idea what I was getting into.  About 3 minutes into the warm up, I was second guessing this decision. This may be a little TMI, but let me tell you- Insanity is not for the weak bladder.  This particular session involved a lot of jumping and bouncing.  But I did love that it was set to music and fast paced so it changed right before I thought I was going to pass out.  One proud moment was the fact that I was even trying the class.  A year ago, I would have been too ashamed of my body and too out of shape to attempt it. 

 

My hunk of a husband fixed supper since I was being "insane."  Spaghetti squash with homemade meat sauce (we used a very lean ground beef that we got when we had a cow butchered) and a little broccoli.  That along with some Omegaplex and I was stuffed. 

 

To finish the night off, I had a refreshing glass of...water, some Herbal Cleanse, and Nighttime recovery. Off to dreamland!!

 



24 day challenge day 6: MOVE SCALE MOVE

Up and at 'em at 4:45 this morning.  I weighed. I just couldn't take it. I had to do it. I know I'm still dealing with hormone craziness, but I've only lost 3.4 pounds.  Yes, I know that it's only been a week since starting boot camp and 6 days on the challenge, but I NEED to lose more!! I gained 9 pounds over the holidays so I want to lose all that plus some on the challenge.

Anyways, I took my pro biotic restore, Spark and Catalyst, ate my apple as quietly as possible and headed to bootcamp.  I CANNOT believe I am about to say this, but I am actually like waking up early and going.  The mornings seem to go so much smoother.  It was raining today so our entire workout had to be inside.  It was tough; heavy on the burpees,  but I could actually feel myself getting stronger.  We did 20 strength exercises, then 10 burpees, 20 different strength exercises and 9 burpees, etc.  Now, I cannot do a burpee So It looks more like a squat thrust but I'm getting there! Once that was done down to the last burpee, we started over!!! AGHHHH! 

Once I got home and showered, I ate the quinoa prepared yesterday.  It was just ok. But it's got a good bit of protein and low in calories, so I can eat it.  I had a cancellation this morning so I debated on heading to Zumba just for fun.  But it was raining and I didn't want to overdo it so I came home an cleaned instead. 

For my first snack, I ate one of my baked boiled eggs. I know that in reality it tastes the same, but I just want my boiled eggs boiled.  Lunch was leftover chicken tortilla soup and it was just as good today as last night.  Took 3 of my OmegaPlex and kept on a working. I ate my second snack in the car line to pick up Bennett- a banana and a Drew Brees bar.  These are not cleanse friendly, but it was all I had and I was still hungry after my banana. Better than chips, right?

I have soooo much energy!! The boys wanted to play the Wii and since it was raining outstide, I let them.  I cleaned both bathrooms.  I mean cleaned like scrubbed walls, shower, mopped everything.  It felt so good to have the energy to do it and to have clean bathrooms (for 5 minutes)

For supper, we had sweet potato hash.  It is one of my favorite things to eat on the cleanse. I would eat it every week but Quinn disagrees.  This time he shredded the sweet potatoes instead of diced and he liked it better. I didn't.  That along with a few watermelon chunks and 3 OmegaPlex and dinner was delish!

 



The National Championship game was tonight so that meant that Quinn was out of commission after supper.  He cleaned the kitchen and I bathed kids and got them ready for bed.  After taking my herbal cleanse pills, I laid down and fell asleep with them. 

24 day challenge day 5: Meal prep like a boss

I finally got to sleep late....really late. I woke up at 9:30 ready to face the day! Saturday church is awesome like that.  I had my catalyst and Probiotic restore first thing this morning, along with a tall glass of water.  Then I began prepping my food.  Now, I know I said yesterday that we are trying not to spend all day Sunday worrying about the upcoming week, but I was on fire!! I wanted to get in the kitchen and cook.  Plus, it kept me busy so I didn't think about eating every single minute.

I started by preparing this berry quinoa that I have been dying to try.  I am trying to love quinoa as much as all my uber fit peeps, but it's just not easy.  I half-ed the recipe just in case we didn't like it. We both gave it a little taste and think it will be great for a quick breakfast option, and with 150ish calories a serving, it's one we will keep around as long as it reheats well. Speaking of breakfast, I finally got to eat the turkey bacon wrapped egg muffin today.  It's okay and I will finish all the muffins we made, but I am not in love.  They have a weird fishy taste to them.  Even Quinn said they remind him of oysters. But we have enough for either breakfast or snacks this week so we will not waste them!

bare with me, I haven't perfected my photo taking skills

Next I put on some soup in the crockpot to have for supper tonight as well as lunch tomorrow.  It should make enough to freeze or have on hand for a couple of lunches if we need them.  It's a new chicken tortilla soup recipe I found at advorunner. It's pretty heavy on canned stuff but I rinsed what I could so hopefully it won't be too full of sodium.  After that was in the pot, I ate the last Kind bar in the box.  I can't buy anymore- they are like crack.  Then I fixed lunch for today.  Some venison meatballs that were in the freezer along with peas and corn casserole (for the littles-they love the stuff)

I am cooking "boiled" eggs in the oven for the first time today.  They will serve as snacks for the both of us a few days this week.  While they cook, I am tortured by the smell of popcorn so the boys will watch a movie and not kill each other.  I love popcorn.  But I am strong.  And I need to lose some weight so I can not only win the diet bet, but beat my sister and brother in law.  We have a friendly wager.  Whichever couple losses the least % of weight has to watch the kids while the winner goes on a date.  Quinn is rocking it so I don't want it to be my fault we lose. 

I forgot the chocolate chips for the no bake energy bites, which are seriously the best thing since popped corn, so I will make a last minute trip to the store a little later to grab some and have those ready to go tomorrow.

I was so busy cooking that I forgot to have my snack, but we ate the soup pretty early so I wasn't starving.  Everybody (except Levi) LOVED the tortilla soup. 

 

 

I feel really good about this week.  I am ready.  Maybe.  So, at bedtime I took my Catalyst and Herbal cleanse (aka horse pills) and drifting off into sweet slumber dreaming about burpees.

24 day challenge day 4: I will eat your face!

I have to work today.  It's not ideal working on a Saturday, but it's one Saturday a year. I enjoy the work and the pay is great.  I set up my chair in a conference room at a development company in town and they pay me to do chair massages on their employees.  I started the day running late- you know thinking you have more time than you actually do.  I planned on eating these muffins, but didn't have time so I grabbed a piece of turkey bacon (we used in place of prosciutto because I am cheap like that) and a boiled egg and ran out the door.  Side note, I left my 4 year old screaming "Don't leave me mama!!" That was brutal and didn't add to the stress of the morning.

My eating times were going to be off because the massages were 10 minutes back to back so right before I started I ate a KIND bar. OMG I could eat a whole box.  They aren't ideal but good in a pinch.  I set my water next to my chair so I could take a sip between every appointment.  By lunch, I was really hungry.  They provided me lunch- again not ideal but I knew that going in.  A sandwich from Jimmy Johns. I took my Carb Ease, ate an apple I brought from home and ate the sandwich, forgoing chips and cookie.  I finished the day around 2:30 and headed home-starving.  I. am.  Starving.

I got home and wanted to eat everything in site.  I gave Bennett my chips and Levi my cookie but I HAD to try the cookie to be sure it was peanut free for Bennett to have some.  I ate another apple and some peanut butter. Then had a glass of almond milk.  Still hungry. I made the grocery list for next week and we went to Saturday night service at Church.

I loved church tonight.  Very low crowds (we usually sit with about 900 other folks) But I was hungry so I had to really focus on not thinking about eating afterward.  The message was great and just what I needed to hear.  After church, we headed to Applebees for supper.  I had planned my meal in advance- chicken tortilla soup and a salad but the waitress told me the soup was super spicy.  Scratch that.  I ate some new shrimp and brocolli pasta thing that was in their "low calorie" option.  I ate it all and WAS STILL HUNGRY!!

Next, came the grocery store.  Last week and this week, we have gone shopping as a family on Saturday evening to keep from having to do it on Sunday. We are trying to make Sunday more about family time and less about chores to get ready for the next week.  We spent way too much money, as usual but I feel ready for a healthy week. Got all the groceries put away and guess what? I am starving.  I had another KIND bar and told Quinn I had to go to bed so I would stop eating. Maybe tomorrow I will be full.

24 day challenge day 3: feeling a difference

Last night I actually slept great.  I think I am just exhausted.  My fitbit silent alarm either didn't go off or I slept through it but luckily I woke up at 4:44, one minute before my real, wake everybody up, alarm.  Had my Spark, Catalyst and apple.  Layered up because it was freezing and headed to bootcamp.

I'm not sure if it was the Fiber drink doing it's job, the cold, or the workout, but I had to really concentrate on not throwing up today.  I had to modify more today than the other two days combined.  But I made it! One week down. Once I got home, I had the best green smoothie ever.  It was:

-2 handfuls of fresh spinach

-1 celery stalk

-1 handful frozen mango

-1 handful frozen pineapple

-1 fresh banana

-splash of orange juice

-water

It was so good that even my 6 year old drank it! My first snack was a boiled egg and cutie.  Lunch was soup and grilled nuggets from Chik fila  (I gotta do better with my meal prep!) My next snack was peanut butter and celery.  Today, I set goals for my steps with my fitbit.  Little piece of trivia for you- an hour massage registered about 176 steps.  I wanted to do a thousand per hour and a half so between massages i paced the hallway. By the end of the work day, I had reached 10,000 steps!

We had our neighbors over for dinner, but we kept it pretty clean.  I had 1/2 sweet potato, some roasted green beans and about 4 oz of steak.  I even got all 100 ounces of water in without dying.  A good day.

24 day challenge day 2: meet me in the bathroom

Ah, to sleep late.  I woke up at 6:30 this morning feeling like I had been run over in my sleep.  Everything on me is sore and it so dang cold out side.  I left my warm cozy bed to start this beautiful day with some catalyst (I am saving my Spark for later on today). I'm not sure where the morning went wrong, but before I knew it, it was time to go!! Nobody was ready, including me.  I didn't have time to make breakfast so I made a quick meal replacement shake (thank God for those) and drug my kids to the car.

Today is day 2 of the fiber drink.  It started working about 15 minutes into my first massage today.  Add that to my increase in water supply, and my eyeballs were floating (along with other things) by the time the session was over.  Don't get me wrong, I like that the fiber cleanse is cleansing me, I just wish I could plan it a little better.  So, I am drinking my water and peeing a lot.  If you need anything from me, look for me in the bathroom.  Chances are if you are a loved one or someone I am very comfortable with, I am texting or talking to you from the throne:) Oh, and let me tell you getting on and off the pot is not easy when you are moving like I am 150 years old.  Between bathroom breaks, I have managed to eat.  I had some cashews for my first snack and then grilled chicken nuggets (they are a million times better than the fried ones anyway) and soup from Chik-fil-A.  And more water. 

Quinn was working late today and my parents were feeding the boys dinner since I was getting off late too.  So, even though it's not ideal I stopped at Wendy's on the way home for a cup of chilli and a baked potato.  With water.

I didn't get any exercise in today because of working a long day and I feel so fat!! Everything is bloated due to the "woes of Eve."

Gotta go to bed so I can get up before the sun does.  Oh, and tomorrow morning it's going to be in the 30's.  Yay.

24 day challenge day 1: the dreaded fiber drink

Once again, I had a hard time sleeping last night.  4:45 came too soon, but I got up, drank a SPARK and made it to boot camp.  I loved it today!! I don't know if it was the Spark/catalyst combo or just the days workout, but I was in my zone! We did a thing called "plus 1's". For example, we started with 1 push up with rows at the bottom, then did 3 squats with dumbbell raises, and 5 mountain climbers.  The next round we did 2, 4, and 6. We continued this for 7 minutes then went outside to run 1 lap, came back in and did another 7 minutes with different exercises, 3 times through.  I liked that everyone went at their own pace and did their own modifications. We did abs, ran again outside and stretched.  Boy did I feel great!!






When I got home, it was time for the worst part of the advocare 24 day challenge- the fiber drink.  The taste isn't nearly as bad as the texture, and I have a real thing with textures. I have learned in my past challenges to mix it with really cold orange juice and drink it quickly through a straw.  I got it down with very little issue, except for the last little bit.  GAG!! But its done for a day so Yay! PS- the peaches and cream isn't nearly as bad. I try to alternate which one I do each challenge, as one is geared more toward digestion and the other for kidneys. 




Since school started back, I had to get the boys up and ready for school.  They fell asleep super early last night so it wasn't too bad getting them out of bed.  I made my green smoothie and sipped on it while we all got ready- it was amazing!! But pretty high in calorie for breakfast. Luckily, 1/2 a serving filled me up so it was about 200 calories.  It's called a buckeye smoothie and it tasted like a milkshake! As long as you didn't look at it! You can find the recipe here. I will for sure be having that bad boy again! 




Work was great.  Fairly easy day. Ate my snack of hummus and carrots/celery, drank my water, did my thing.  For lunch, I had another shrimp salad because it was so yummy the other day.  I tempted myself by going by the cookie store and picking up both boys a "colossal cookie"  My plan was for them to eat their cookies and I would eat my snack outside when we got home.  Of course, they sniffed out their cookies like bloodhounds and ate them on the way home.  When we pulled up in the driveway, our neighbors were outside.  We love our neighbors, so I let the boys play with their kids while we talked.  Uh oh. I haven't eaten!!! All is good until my little cutie didn't want anymore of his cookie.  I may have finished it for him,  The first day I am already cheating!! Somebody stop me!! Well, we hung out with our neighbors while Quinn grilled chicken and prepared the fixings for another salad. We normally don't eat this many salads, but I am digging the right now, so salad it is! Oh yeah, and mom of the year right here fixed our children a frozen pizza.  I did pair it with some fresh cucumber so I get some points for that. 




I drank my green tea with a shot of apple cider vinegar while I listened to Bennett read.  Any parent out there who has a child learning to read, go buy your kid's teacher something nice.  Right now. It's a painful thing, helping your kid read when he cries every time he misses a word.  Anyway, by this point in the day, I can barely keep my eyes open.  My body hurts.  I'm ready for bed!  It's 8:30...


I succumbed at about 9:00, with only 300 only steps and 16 oz of water left in my daily goal. 

whelp, that wasn't good!

I realized something about me today.  I think I already knew it but I finally "got it"  You know how they say losing weight is 90% what you EAT and 10% what you DO? That may be true but if I don't DO something, I feel like it gives me a free pass not to EAT the right things.  I know it should be the opposite- not burning calories would mean not to take in as many, but that is not what happened. 

Today is my running day.  It's cold.  I'm tired.  I didn't want to go.  I was going to be the good girl and go anyway.  I took the boys to play with their cousin today since I had to go to work later.  So, I had planned to take them early enough that I could stop by the gym on the way home.  Well, I forgot my phone.  My legs don't go fast if I can't hear Taylor Swift.  I really had every intention of coming home and getting my phone and heading right back to the gym.  Until I walked in the door.  I put on a load of laundry, checked facebook, and then just gave in.  Soreness was setting in from yesterday's boot camp anyway.  I need a day to recover, right? I took a nap.  It was not nearly as awesome as a run would have been. 

I had to grab some lunch before getting to work so I picked up a sandwich.  Tomorrow starts my 24 day challenge, so I was getting my bread fix while I could.  After doing the one massage I had on the books today, I had a hair appointment.  That went into my snack time. I was REALLY hungry, which is a bad thing. I had to run into Target to look for something warm for tomorrow's boot camp and got some popcorn.  And a Soda.  Crap it all, what am I doing people???? 

I picked up the guys from my sister in laws and headed home. I knew I would be having a smoothie for supper because I had a thing at church tonight. Quinn made them spaghetti while I got ready.  Of course I didn't give myself enough time to get to the good smoothie place across town.  The closes thing to me?? Ellianos- home of the million calorie latte.  What the heck, I didn't work out AND I had popcorn? Might as well enjoy one more coffee. I'm such a failure!!!

There was a very big silver lining when a lot of the ladies at church noticed I had lost weight.  Oh yeah, back on track! Tomorrow is MY DAY!

Boot camp day 1:

Naturally, the first day I have to get up at 4:45, I have the worst night of sleep ever!! Between not sleeping, the dog and baby not sleeping and then finally falling asleep only to wake up in a panic that I overslept, I was actually glad for my alarm to go off!!

I laid out all my stuff last night, so it didn't take long at all to get dressed.  Drank me a SPARK and ate an apple and I was out the door.  There were a lot more people than I expected- about 25 ladies.  We did a few warm up stretches and then took it outside to run around the parking lot.  I am so glad that I have been running. Had this been 6 months ago, I would not have been able to do it. But the warm up was just that, a warm up! Yay me!! Ok, so I have never done a boot camp type deal before so maybe this is how they all work, but she divided us into the four corners of the room and gave us circuit like things to do.  I liked most of the exercises, HIIT type stuff, buuuut I will have to get used to the format.  I am a very structured person; one that is used to Bodypump type classes. I know what to expect and in what order to expect it.  That was not the case this morning. A good thing since I joined for a change up, but definitely out of my comfort zone.  I made it through the whole workout without throwing up.  Win for Amanda!

While I hate mornings, there is a great sense of accomplishment to come home and the house is still quiet. My guy was in the shower after doing some in home exercising (he sacrificed his morning run so I can do this class) and the boys were still asleep.  I managed to get a load of laundry in, straighten the living room, and shower before the kids got up.  Score! While they were waking up, I made myself a green smoothie (today's flavor included spinach, pineapple, mixed berries, 1/2 FRESH banana, nectarine, and almond milk)

I was home during lunch.  I had planned on picking the boys up and us going to lunch together but they wanted to stay at school a little longer, so I waited.  I was getting hungry though and I have learned not to let myself get hungry, so I went ahead and fixed me a lunch with what I had on hand.  It was pretty delish if I say so myself.  Higher in calories that I would usually have but still great!

After picking up my fellas, we went to Jumping Jacks to bounce for a while, Usually I just sit and watch them play, but there's no calorie burning in that so I jumped too!! I took some oranges for us to snack on and the bottomless pit that is my 6 year old ate all of them!! Thankfully, my car is a mess and in the mess I found an individual serving of peanut butter. THAT I ATE WITH MY FINGER.  Desperate measures and all that. 

Quinn and I tagged team supper.  The grown ups had a delish grilled shrimp salad while the munchkins ate mussels and noodles. 

 

That pretty much how day one went!  

Losing it in 2015

It is no secret that I have fought, and lost for the most part, with my weight.  I started with advocare last year and have done fairly well and getting the weight off. Last fall, I got really serious.  Very long, pitiful story short- a kid in Bennett's class told him his mom was fat.  I hate all the personal issues that come along with being unhealthy; from heartburn to clothes shopping. But this, this was what got my butt in gear.  So, 25 pounds and several inches were lost.

Now, to the present.  I have gained about 9 of those pounds back since Thanksgiving. It always sucks having to redo something you worked so hard for, but it's worth it and if I don't do it now, I will be right back where I started 6 months ago.  So, I have a plan!!

Today, I had an orientation of sorts at Her Strength Boot Camp with Maria.  I have never done a boot camp and this one is actually at 5:15 IN THE MORNING!! One of the things I am convicted of on a daily basis is that I HATE MORNINGS!! I am constantly reminding myself of "his mercies are new every morning" and that in the morning, when everything is still, you can really appreciate the Goodness of God.  But, I still hate them.  I worked out with a friend in college before classes and I literally threw up every leg day.  So, this should be interesting.  But I was thinking it would be a good change up from what I was already doing at the gym and kick me into high gear after the holidays. Six weeks.  Eighteen mornings.  I. Can. Do. It.

I have also hooked up with some pretty amazing ladies in facebook group devoted to Disney fans losing weight together.  I don't know any of them in real life, but they encourage me more than a lot of the people I see everyday.  Several of us have decided to run a Disney race together in the fall, so on the days I'm not whining about the time, I will be training for a 10k/half marathon (not sure which I will be ready for!!)

January 7 begins my next 24 day challenge.  I love the Advocare challenges because I am such a structured person and I like knowing what I will be eating when.  And the products just make me feel awesome! After the 24 days are up, I will be doing the Lean in 13 plan to finish up the weeks I am in boot camp.

my picture for a dietbet challenge 1/3/2015

So, along with the support of my family and friends, and lots of prayers, I will continue on this journey.  The finish line is far away, but the race is worth it! I hope to post everyday during this challenge in case anyone else may be interested in how this fat girl is losing it!!

Books I've Read: 2015

So, for my own information I am journaling the books I have read in 2015. 

1. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Werner: I have read several of her books and they are all pretty good. This wasn't life changing or anything but a good "don't have to think" book.

2. Mistress by James Patterson: It's been a while since I have read a James Patterson and this one was a co-author I had never heard of. I liked it.  Much more "conspiracy theory" than I expected but it was good.

3.

Setting Goals for 2015

I hate New Year's Resolutions.  We all have great intentions, and usually we don't succeed.  I also have a personal struggle with starting something and not finishing it so resolutions kinda set me up for failure.  This year, I do want to succeed at a few things so I want them in writing so I can revisit them and see how much I can actually get done in one year.  Some of them are goals that Quinn and I have made together, others are personal.

1. Continue to exercise and lose weight.  This includes:

• running my first 5
• running my first 10 k
• completing a 6 week bootcamp
• losing 30 pounds

2. Read 52 books. Some fiction and nonfiction

3. Pray for my husband daily

4. Pay of the mastercard

5. Taking one room at the time, and declutter, deep clean and redecorate (this may take forever)

6. Read the entire bible

7.  Dates nights once month

8. Spend time, intentionally, with both children.

9. Get certified to teach prenatal massage

10. Drastically reduce my time spent on social media/internet/phone.

I know that there is much more I need to work on but this is a start, and will for sure keep me busy for a while.  What are your goals for the next 364 days?