life update

Posted in advocare, clean eating, LAP-BAND, life, weight loss, working out by betty

GUYS! its been too long!

life has been chugging along, some good, some bad, but i’m still focusing on me to make sure i don’t let all of this hard work slip down the drain.

LIFE:

my last post was in NOVEMBER?! man, the holidays got the best of me. barbara and i got married, went to mexico, and are now in the process of trying to start our family. we’ve had some hiccups happen, but its nothing that is going to stop us from bringing a child into this world.

i’m still incredibly terrified of small, ‘fresh’, babies but i know that will change once it is my own child in my hands.

in january, i finally transitioned to my new role as budget accountant. this transition has been the main reason i’ve been so distant from my blog. instagramming little bits and pieces of my day is easy, but sitting down and writing a post takes a little more time and effort. this position definitely has its peaks and valleys as far as work load go, but i love the new work. i was SO BORED in my other position with all the repetitiveness, and this position switches it up perfectly.

i’m going to chicago next week! its for business (boo), but it’ll be nice to get out and travel some. hopefully i don’t freeze to death up there! i think virginia weather has been cold enough it wont be too much of a shock to my system.

LAPBAND:

my lapband is still doing its job! while i haven’t lost much since november, pounds-wise, my clothes have become a little looser, which is all that matters, right? i’ve never NOT gained during the holidays, so to maintain was a huge accomplishment in my book, because i will admit: i definitely indulged.

between work stress/working long hours/super emotional personal struggle my band got SO TIGHT 2-3 weeks ago that i had to cut it back to liquids for a few days so my band could take a break. i was on full liquids (cream soups, yogurts, pudding, broths, etc) for 5 or 6 days, then slowly transitioned back into soft foods, then normal solids. while it wasn’t the most pleasant situation, it was much needed and i feel a lot better now.

i was suppose to have a fill this monday, but i cancelled the appointment since i’ll be busy at work getting ready for chicago. i’m not sure if my doctor will give me another fill since my episode, but i guess i’ll see when i go back march 17th. i haven’t had a fill since august, so too much liquid in my band shouldn’t be the case and most of the time, i don’t feel restriction like i think i need, i just think all of life’s stresses caught up to me and it made for a not so fun band experience.

i’ll keep you all updated on that one!

FOOD:

i’m still low carbing it as of right now, but my body is craving changed. i’ve taken some serious thought into how to make this a smooth transition without my triggers coming back full force. i’ve been considering going back to body-for-life eating (i documented it before) which is basically balanced intake: 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% healthy fats. i also want to keep the foods i eat as non-processed as possible, sticking to carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, berries, and things like that. breads and other processed carbs are hard on my digestion.

i know its possible to lose weight while eating carbs, they just scare me. i don’t even mean that in a joking manner.. i’ve never known how to limit myself on carbs/sugars, which is why low carb usually works for me. i completely restrict them so im not even tempted to eat them.. but then i get bored.. and eat some dessert.. and you know the drill. i can feel little ‘cheats’ creeping in a little too much which is why i know i need a change.

i’m currently doing an advocare cleanse to give my body a little boost, so i’m going to try to make this transition while cleansing/after the cleanse. again, i’ll keep you updated!

WORKING OUT:

eh. not much to report on here.. i’ve been attempting but getting 2 days, AT BEST, a week. i definitely want to get back into the gym more because my body is starting to feel soft, which i hate. i have a great plan to follow so i just need to get on it! i didn’t lose 75 lbs to stop at this. i still have my dream body to sculpt here!

PROGRESS PICTURES:

here’s what about 75lbs down looks like:

i’m feeling better about myself every day and want to continue to do so. this is the longest i’ve stuck with a weight loss journey and i want to make it work. i’ve had a lot of curve balls thrown my way recently and i haven’t fallen off track like i normally would, so i’m taking that as a good sign.. and honestly, if i stayed at this weight (230 pounds) for the rest of my life, i wouldn’t be mad. i love my body right now, i just want it to be a little tighter. i don’t want abs or a thigh gap or whatever, but i want to be able to lift heavy weights and see some muscle definition in my arms and legs.

soooo.. that’s all i have for you today, folks! hope you enjoyed my update and i hope i wont take so long to post next time!

10Oct2014

5 months out

Posted in advocare, LAP-BAND, life, motivation, weight loss, working out by betty

hey there! worst blogger of the year award goes to me! oh well, just be happy you’re getting a post today, ok 🙂 so! i owe you all a update (if you even care)!

everything is going GREAT! i honestly have no complaints. my life has been crazy busy, filled with work, gym, events, weddings, new babies, planning for big thangz in my own life (!!!), so i haven’t had much free time to just hang out and type up a blog post.

so WEIGHT LOSS! this is a weight loss blog, so i guess i owe you an update on that! as of the 8th, i’m 5 months post-op from lap-band surgery. i’m currently down 66 lbs and feeling amazing! for some reason 66 lbs doesn’t feel like a huge loss for me, but i feel so much better physically that it’s crazy! i can move around so much better, clothes are actually comfortable to wear, and i can actually look at myself in the mirror without being disgusted.

i still want to lose 40-60 more pounds depending on how i look at those 2 stages, and i’ll re-asses my goals when i reach that point. as i’ve mentioned in the past, i’m not trying to be super skinny, just healthy. if i get somewhere between 170-200 i’ll be happy. i still have a stomach pooch, flabby arm skin, and some thigh fat that i’d like to go away, so 40-60 seems like a good number to me.

here is an updated before and after:

lets see, what else. i’m continuing to use a low carb diet as means of diet. i’ve incorporated more fats into my diet to help with satiety, and it really seems to be helping. i’ve done some research on the ketogenic diet and that is basically the plan i am following at this point. here is the diet explained better than anything i can give you, from this website:

A ketogenic diet is quite simply any diet that forces the body into a process called ketosis, whereby fats are burned instead of carbohydrates for use as energy. A proper ketogenic diet calls for the dieter to consume high amounts of fat, adequate amounts of protein, and very low amounts of carbohydrates. Our bodies are used to turning carbohydrates into glucose to send all over the body as energy. When we enter ketosis by sufficiently limiting our carbohydrate intake, our livers start breaking down fat cells into fatty acids and ketones, to be used as energy.

i enjoy the higher fat aspect, because i can still enjoy some things that i normally wouldn’t on your typical weight loss surgery diet which is low-carb, low fat. i get to eat avocados, bacon, butter, and all of the macadamia nuts i want (well, within reason) and still lose weight, which is awesome!

i did complete an advocare cleanse, and cut out higher fat foods and dairy for 10 days, which was torture to my cheese loving self, but i did well and lost quite a few inches! i’m continuing using the MNS products, but it has been a little hard getting the pills in since my last fill. i can take them all, i just have to take them one by one so they don’t get ‘stuck’. i do find a huge difference in energy when i take them and when i forget to take them, so i’m going to stick with those.

i’ve been really into seafood lately, so tilapia and shrimp have been on the menu quite a few times. i also found a sweet kale salad at costco that i’m obsessed with, but had to stop using the dressing, because it had too much sugar and kept kicking me out of ketosis.

pistachio crusted tilapia w. sweet kale salad:

bbq shrimp & cauliflower ‘grits’:

andddd i’ve also had my fair share of ‘treat’ meals. all along, i’ve mentioned i don’t want this experience to be just like every other attempt at weight loss. i’m trying to keep myself from binging on everything bad, so when i’m craving something, i’ll let myself have it. like chips and margaritas! & ice cream, obviously.

i’m still going to the gym regularly, which is great for me! i usually go 2-3 months, then get burned out and stop going. i had a little spout where i didn’t feel motivated, but i pushed through it and i average about 3-4 days in the gym, sometimes 5, but that’s definitely not always the case. i’m lifting heavy, incorporating a lot of superset/drop sets, and doing SOME cardio. not MUCH, but some! my workouts have been really intense with the new plan i’m doing, though, so i do keep my heart rate pretty high while lifting, so who needs cardio, right?

i can’t really think of anything else! fitness and eating, with work, take up a lot of my life right now! i’ll leave you with a picture of the baby, because i’m sure everyone would like to see his face versus mine any day.

xoxo

5Sep2013

Advocare 24 Day Challenge Results!

Posted in advocare, clean eating, weight loss by betty

you guys! happy thursday! wouldn’t it be great if it were just friday, already? well it’s not, but i’m having a great day anyways!!

GUESS WHAT? the 24 day challenge is over! i’m not happy its over, because i enjoyed (and will continue with) the structure of the program, and something about 24 days just made all the goals SO ATTAINABLE. but, i’m also happy that i get to enjoy my upcoming weekend without the fear of failing at this thing.

i had AMAZING results with the cleanse. i was actually a little hesitant the second part of the challenge, because i was afraid to set myself up, too much, in fear that i wouldn’t do well and disappoint myself.

i will continue to say that this is not a miracle pill/program. i ate clean and worked my ass off in the gym. with all the temptation i was faced with, i had zero cheats. i was in the gym from 5:15-6:45 a.m. every week day and at some point on saturdays. i did not slack off and i think my progress shows that. but, the products helped push me through it. i had the most energy i’ve had in a LONG time. my workout motivation came from my favorite morning cocktail of spark + arginine extreme. the cleanse helped kick my bad habits, including my relentless sweet tooth. and i think the MNS C helped curb any other cravings i had.

so, how did i do? well.. here you go:

and here are Barbara’s results:

pretty amazing if you ask me. we both feel great and can’t wait to see where the future will take us. i’m promising myself that this challenge wont be the end and i can revert back to old ways; i feel too good to do that. this is a lifestyle change, for sure. and i’ll make sure to keep you updated along my journey!

have a GREAT day!

5Sep2013

wordless wednesday

Posted in advocare, clean eating, life, working out by betty

3Sep2013

tomorrow and beyond.

Posted in advocare by betty

tomorrow is the last day of my Advocare 24 Day Challenge!

(source.)

i can honestly say, i have enjoyed the last 23 days on this challenge. i’m stronger, i have more energy, my diet is clean, and MOST of my cravings are gone. i still have days when all i want is a diet coke or i think chocolate will cure my cramps, but that’s what the little bit of willpower i do have is for.

is this something that can be sustained? yes, i believe it can. i think the challenge gave me the tools to kick bad habits while developing better habits. it helped me with a number of things, including:

kicking my sweet tooth.
restarting my metabolism.
developing good gym habits.
improving my energy.
helping me gain muscle.
resetting my mindset on portion control.
giving me the confidence to keep going.

i know all the things above will be key in finally getting to ‘goal’. not just working out, or just eating clean. my downfall has always been, if i let one thing slip, the rest are sure to follow shortly after. if i skip the gym, it’s not an excuse to eat a pint of ice cream for dinner, or vice versa.

i know every day wont be perfect on this journey. i might eat too much and feel stuffed. i might miss a day at the gym. i might look in the mirror and catch myself the wrong way and hate how i look. NONE of those are good enough reasons to completely shut down and revert back to my old ways. like i’ve said before, these aren’t super pills, they simply give you the tools to get on track or stay on track.

what about after the challenge? this whole challenge, i’ve reminded myself that it DOES NOT stop on day 24. i don’t plan on being as strict as i have been throughout, but i’m not going to let it fall to the side.

i do plan on incorporating ‘free meals’ once every one or two weeks, because i believe balance is key to a healthy lifestyle. i don’t love using the word ‘cheat’ because i feel like it insinuates i’m doing something bad or wrong. i want to be able to go out with friends and have a drink and dinner and not worry about the calories i’m about to consume. i also know that if i leave that as a ‘free DAY‘ i will consume enough calories for the entire week and not make any progress (i know this from my experience while attempting body-for-life).

i’m attending a barbeque on saturday, so this will be my test as to how well i do without strict guidelines. at one point, i caught myself thinking about how i was going to gorge myself with all the food at the party, and realized if i go into it with those kind of thoughts, i’m setting myself up for failure.

i’m slowly learning that it’s going to take a lot more strength to rebuild the inside than the outside. i’m damaged. i’m much more damaged than most people realize. the more i write on this blog, i become aware of the fact that i’m much more damaged than i ever thought i was. but, i do think, if i can continue this journey slowly like i am right now, i’ll be happy with my results this time next year.

will you continue taking advocare products? yes. here is a list of products i will continue to take after the challenge:

catalyst for muscle repair & protection, i may lower the dosage i take.
spark + arginine for a pre-workout drink (love this combo!).
omegaplex for my omega-3 support, plus i have a lot leftover.
vo2 prime bar (half a serving/bar) for something light on my stomach during a workout.
MNS E for daily supplements and extra energy. i was taking MNS C for appetite control, but i would like to see what the E can do, if i don’t like it, i may switch back to the C.
sleepworks definitely helps me go to sleep quick, i wouldn’t say it helps me sleep any harder (i’m a VERY light sleeper), but it does help out for falling asleep.

i’ll check back in with final results on thursday and hopefully some before and after pictures. it will take all i have to post those, but i want to show my results and be PROUD of them.

Q: do you believe in free meals, cheat meals, or cheat days?

28Aug2013

advocare 24 day challenge update

Posted in advocare, life, motivation, weight loss by betty

hey there! after a four day weekend away from just about everything other than the gym, i’m feeling.. awful. i know part of the reason for my feeling like this is cramps + bloating; but, there’s nothing i can do to control that so i’m not going to let it get in my way.

this morning, i ~~fell~~ got out of bed, got all my things together, then headed down the road to my gym. (sidenote: my gym is 30 minutes away, along with most civilization, but it’s only 5 minutes from my work; so, i shower at the gym and the distance doesn’t phase me, since i would be driving that far to work a couple hours later anyway). 15 minutes down the road, i realize something: i forgot my work clothes. ugh. i drive home, scoop them up, then head back to the gym. i started out a little early this morning, so my mishap made me on-time to the gym around 5:15ish a.m.

once i got to the gym, i jumped right into squats and kettlebell swings for leg day, but something just felt off. my legs felt exhausted and my right quad/hamstring kept feeling like it was about to pull. so, i backed off and did as much as i could and followed-up with 15 minutes in the sauna. i’ve been going into the sauna for about 5-10 minutes after every workout and i haven’t felt that sore compared to how i think i should feel. i’m really pushing myself in the gym and the sauna seems to help keep the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) away.

here’s the thing, i’m not happy with my day in the gym this morning, but i’m also not upset. i could have easily pushed sleep on my alarm clock and slept for two more hours, but i didn’t. i’m not saying i’m new and improved and will never skip a workout, but, after 3 weeks of this, i can feel a change in my attitude. something i’ve never felt before. i want this change to stick and become permanent.

i know it wont be easy and i know its going to be a long road, but i know it will be worth it if i just keep sticking to what i’m doing.

(source.)

i’m currently down 12 pounds since the start of my Advocare 24 day challenge, and before i became a bloated mess, i seriously just felt ‘slimmer’. i wont say these are magic pills that are going to make you skinny overnight, but i do think this challenge gives you the right tools to get on track with a healthy push along the way.

can’t wait to complete my final weigh-in next wednesday and share the results with you all! sorry for being whiney this afternoon.

have a great day!

22Aug2013

advocare cleanse recap

Posted in advocare, clean eating, weight loss, working out by betty

sooooo.. the cleanse is officially over! now it’s time for the max phase of the challenge! i can’t tell you enough how excited i am to complete this challenge. most ‘challenges’ i have tried in the past usually wind up with me getting bored before i actually finish. that’s what makes this challenge so different. 24 days will pass you by before you even know it!

grab some snacks, this could get long.

so, what’s the cleanse been like? i never really felt like i was actually doing a ‘cleanse’ because i was still eating great food and enjoying normal activities. the company suggests you cut out processed food, white flour, sugar, high-cal dressings, soda, and alcohol, replacing them with lean proteins, veggies, and complex carbs (beans, oatmeal, quinoa, whole grains). drinking plenty of water (they suggested half your body weight in ounces). and, they also suggest exercising regularly, which i ended up doing 1.5 – 2 hrs of lifting + cardio every morning. i cut out the cardio after work, because i quickly felt burnt out, and i wanted to complete this challenge strong.

(two 24 day challenge, only one is mine)

here’s a rundown of what my days looked like on average:

day 1-3:

4:14 a.m. – roll out of bed, moaning and groaning
4:30 a.m. – spark + catalyst pre-workout
6:30 a.m. – fiber drink + protein shake post-workout
10:00 a.m. – snack (almonds + hardboiled egg OR rice cake + almond butter)
1:00 p.m. – catalyst
1:30 p.m. – lunch (leftovers from night before, usually chicken/fish + veggies + quinoa/brown rice)
~3:30 p.m. – snack (almonds + hardboiled egg OR rice cake + avocado)
7:00 p.m. – omegaplex + dinner (chicken/fish/bison + veggie and sometimes complex carbs if feeling completely depleted, which only happened one day.)
9:30 p.m. – herbal cleanse caplets + catalyst + protein shake
10:00 p.m. – in bed

day 4-7:

same as day 1-3, except replace probiotic restore with fiber drink (!!!!)

day 8-10:

same as day 1-3, except take both probiotic restore and fiber drink, leave out herbal cleanse caplets at night.

it seemed a little intimidating, at first, and i carried my calendar around with what-to-take-and-when, but after the second day, i got the hang of it. i would double check just to make sure i was taking the right thing in the morning and at night, since those are the only things that change through the cleanse.

i, also, never felt any harsh ‘cleanse’ effects happening during the 10 days either. yes, it did make me regular, but i never felt like i was running to the bathroom, unless you count the bathroom breaks from drinking so much water.

the ONLY part of the cleanse i didn’t particularly enjoy was the fiber drink. i read plenty of reviews, beforehand, so i knew that it was just something i needed to mix, chug, and get it over with. it wasn’t the taste that was bad, either. it had a very gritty thick texture that wasn’t very appealing. i was happy it wasn’t on days 4 through 7, and i’m very happy it’s over with for good, now. as much as i didn’t enjoy the fiber drink, it wouldn’t be enough to make me not want to try this cleanse again down the road. advocare actually suggests doing this every 3 months.

so, how did i feel during the cleanse? i felt awesome. i cannot stress that enough. i want to be clear that i wasn’t eating terrible before i started this thing. no, i wasn’t working out, but i kept most of my meals clean, especially during the week. my downfall was late night ice cream, weekend eating out, and watching my portions. just because the meal is ‘clean’ doesn’t mean you can have 2 large servings. i was constantly tired. i felt groggy all the time. even if i wanted to workout, i felt so tired all the time i couldn’t seem to drag myself to the gym.

soooo, how were my results??? YOU GUYS, when i saw the numbers i was SHOCKED! i know i feel 10x better, but the numbers are making me glow with confidence! i knew my weight was consistently going down, because of that problem i have (which i’m working on). but, when i took my measurements and started comparing them with 10 days before, I WAS ESTATIC! so, here they are:

THAT’S TWELVE AND A HALF INCHES, IN TEN DAYS.

so, am i happy with the results so far? ummm, do ya think???!?! i’m really excited to finish this challenge strong. these results are proof of my hard work and dedication and i can’t wait to see what kind of results i can pull off after 14 more days!!

*i am not an Advocare distributor, but my fiancé is. all of my opinions on Advocare would be the same regardless of this.*

14Aug2013

late dinner

Posted in advocare, clean eating, working out by betty

hey there! yesterday was day 2 down in the books, 22 to go. okay, i might not keep doing that, cause it sounds a little discouraging. but i feel great and don’t have many complaints right now. this advocare 24 day challenge doesn’t seem like it’ll be too rough to stick with.

i switched yesterday up a little, moving the 2 hour portion of the workout to the afternoon, which meant ~45 mins of morning cardio. i did Just Dance – Just Sweat and felt like i got a really good workout. my HRM told me i burned 380 calories, so i’m going to stick with that. i seriously love this kind of cardio; i don’t feel like i’m working out at all, and the whole thing goes by really fast!

you see that squiggly line up top? the game incorporates different moves to lower/raise your heart rate. i think that’s a really cool feature.

after cardio, i got ready for work and off i went! my day was pretty much the same as day 1, with a few changes here and there. here’s what it looked liked:

6:15 a.m. – catalyst + spark pre-workout

7:00 a.m. – fiber drink + protein shake (GNC Pro Performance chocolate) post-workout

10:00 a.m. – 1/3 cup of raw almonds + hardboiled egg w. mustard/hot sauce

1:00 p.m. – catalyst

1:30 p.m. – leftover stuffed peppers topped with frank’s hot sauce.

3:00 p.m. – edamame (already kind of bored with this)

insert 2 hours of weight training (chest) and cardio here.

8:45 p.m. – omegaplex + 4 oz. seared tuna steaks w. bragg’s liquid aminos* & wasabi and some roasted broccoli with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top. (i’m really trying to keep dinner creative. i know 24 days is a long time to be bored with bland, tasteless food. so even if my snacks were lacking, this definitely made up for all of it!)

9:30 p.m. – herbal cleanse tablets + protein shake which consisted of GNC Pro Performance chocolate protein, almond milk, and ice cubes.

daily water intake: 150 oz.

*can i please talk about these liquid aminos for a second? i’ve never tried them before and i’m IN LOVE. i’ve tried other products from this company with no complaints, but for some reason, i had never picked up this product. i had pretty much stopped using soy sauce altogether because the taste was so salty i couldn’t stand it. this is the perfect balance and still tastes like soy sauce. i added some wasabi in there for an extra heat factor, and the combo was nothing short of amazing.

thoughts on the products? same as day one.. the plan is easy to follow, the fiber drink isn’t the greatest, the cleanse wasn’t too harsh.

thoughts on my day? did you happen to notice the time dinner occurred? that’s SUPER late for me. here’s why it happened: i don’t get off work until about 5:15, so by the time i was changed and ready at the gym, it was around 5:45 and then i didn’t finish until 7:30. then, i had to run to the grocery store and buy some stuff to make dinner for a co-worker (she’s undergoing chemotherapy right now, so we set up a ‘meal train’ and my food was due today). by the time i got home and put everything away, it was 8:15.. my dinner was simple, throw it on the pan to roast or sear, but i also had to make BBQ chicken and pasta salad. so, needless to say, i didn’t eat until 8:45. not only was i STARVING after that workout, i really hate eating so late; i’m old and like to get into bed by 10pm and i like to let my food digest before i lay horizontally for several hours. i think from here on out, i’ll be getting my long workout done in the morning, so all i have is quick cardio in the afternoons.

even though i wasn’t happy with how late dinner happened, the rest of the day was pretty good. i’m starting to get a lot more energy, i turned down a piece of Costco cake after lunch (progress), and i would still rather lift instead of cardio. i need to find something to replace my edamame snack, because i’m already super bored with it. any suggestions will be appreciated.

myfitnesspal daily summary:

sorry if this is all repetitive, and i wont get offended if you stop reading. this really helps me document everything so i can look back at what’s working and what’s not.

i also realize this is about documenting weight-loss and you haven’t heard anything about that. i’ll write something up at the end of the cleanse, then at the end of the burn phase. it’s going to take all i have to make those numbers public. the only person that knows that number right now is myself and my doctor. it’s actually giving me anxiety just thinking about it now, so i’ll leave it at that.

Q: Do you have a set dinner schedule or does it vary from hour to hour? i am a much happier person if i can get dinner in around 6:30 or 7p.m. anything after that, i start getting cranky and anxious.

13Aug2013

day one

Posted in advocare, clean eating, working out by betty

hi! so yesterday was the first day of my 24 day challenge. i’ve been following quite a few fitness people on instagram, lately, one of them being Jess, from TrulyJess.com. this girl is a total inspiration and i’ve been following her for a good two years now. she’s someone very relatable, because she does struggle, and she’s not afraid of hiding it. if she falls off the wagon, she gets right back up and pushes herself that much more. from there i found Keri and talked to her about my situation. she was more than supportive and told me about Advocare, which are the same supplements i had recently heard Jess talk about.

i ended up ordering the 24 day challenge for many reasons:

i have nowhere to go but down on the scale. i will not gain one more pound if it’s the last thing i do.
i felt like i needed something to kick-start my transformation. i’ve been sluggish, moody, and tired for a while now and i know its because i’m putting junk in my body.
24 days didn’t seem like a long time. most challenges are 90 days, maybe 60.. but 24 days seems really attainable. if what i’m doing at the end of the 24 days isn’t working like i think it should, i’ll reevaluate and go from there.

this challenge is broken down into two phases, a cleanse phase and a burn phase. the cleanse phase is 10 days, but you’re still able to eat real food, which i like. a lot of times, i fail miserably on cleanses because my body feels so deprived, i give up. the cleanse comes with a morning fiber drink, spark (a coffee replacement), before dinner, and before bed supplements. the plan suggests you eat 3 clean, balance meals (protein, veggie, complex carb) with 3 snacks in between (more on my eats in a second). the burn phase is an additional 14 days. this comes with a meal replacement shake (recommended for mornings), supplements called Metabolic Nutrition System (MNS®) geared toward your goals (mine have serious appetite control), and some more spark. again, same with the clean eating in the cleanse phase.

advocare

(two 24 day challenges. only one for me.)

i wont go into the daily breakdown now, instead i’ll sum those up in posts when i finish them. the program also suggests working out to maximize results. Keri gave me some insight on what she did during her challenge (which she had AMAZING results, btw), so i have mirrored my training after hers, with some of my own tweaks here and there. she was in the gym for 3 hrs/day.. um yeah. that sounds crazy, right?

well, i guess i’m crazy, too, because i worked out for a total of 2 hrs and 25 mins yesterday; broken into two workouts. i headed to the gym bright and early yesterday at 5:00 am. i did an hour of lifting, which included arms + abs, then finished with cardio. i tried hopping in on a spin class, but my tailbone hasn’t been right since i had surgery last year, so i dropped out during minute 16. then did a mix of the arc trainer + treadmill with mini-HIIT workouts. i felt like i got a lot out of the workout and my Puma HRM said i burned 1,062 calories. holla!

i got showered and ready at the gym, headed to work, and made sure to keep on track with my meals. here is what my day of eats looked like:

4:30 a.m. – catalyst + spark pre-workout

7:00 a.m. – fiber drink + protein shake (BSN – SYNTHA 6 Vanilla) post-workout

9:30 a.m. – 1/3 cup of raw almonds

12:00 p.m. – catalyst

12:30 p.m. – 2 grilled chicken tenders + cucumbers & tomatoes (definitely nothing too exciting here. i had some cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden that needed to be used up, so i just chopped those up for lunch.)

3:00 p.m. – edamame ( i picked up from Costco)

insert Just Dance – Just Sweat workout here. another 335 calories burned.

7:00 p.m. – omegaplex + bison stuff peppers & roasted okra tossed in some nutritional yeast.

9:00 p.m. – herbal cleanse tablets + protein shake which consisted of GNC Pro Performance chocolate protein, 1/2 a banana, almond milk, and ice cubes. i actually really enjoy this protein. its low in carbs and doesn’t hurt my stomach. it was nice to end the day with something sweet since i was on an ice cream kick there for awhile.. i’m looking at you sea salt caramel Gelato Haagen-Dazs. have y’all tried that stuff? if you haven’t, don’t… you wont know what you’re missing 🙂

daily water intake: i lost track, but i’d say somewhere in between 180-200 oz.

thoughts on the products? so far, so good! i don’t have any complaints. the spark really helped give me something extra at the gym. my 4:00 a.m. wake-up came early, but i didn’t really feel tired. the cleanse portion wasn’t harsh either. i had heard stories that the fiber was kinda rough, so i just chugged that down. it definitely wasn’t pleasant. my stomach got a little ‘girgle-y’ a little before lunch time, but that was the only effects i really saw of the cleanse.

thoughts on my day? all-in-all, i felt like i had a really good day. i felt like i was dragging at work from 4-5, but i’m going to say it’s because i had already been up so long; i may take some spark tomorrow if i feel like that again.. lunch was lacking in the flavor department, so i know if i’m going to stick to this i’m going to have to get creative. i’m adding a hard boiled egg to my almond snack for a little extra staying power, because i was pretty hungry going into lunch. dinner was amazing, i added some salt-free seasoning to the bison + green chiles + organic diced tomatoes and then stuffed some peppers. it had a lot of flavor going for it. my favorite part of the day was having something sweet to end with. i have a feeling those chocolate protein shakes will become a staple.

myfitnesspal daily summary:

that’s it for day one of my challenge! i’ll be back either tonight or tomorrow with a recap of day two! thanks for stopping by! and if i kept you this long, thanks for reading! not all posts will be this wordy.. promise!

Q: what’s your after dinner eating habits? is your night now complete without a sweet treat? do you brush your teeth right after dinner to curb snacking? i’m def a sweet-after-dinner kinda girl. like i said, the ice cream got a little out of hand there for awhile.

Sweaty Betty

..my journey to a healthy weight & happy life.

Category Archives: advocare