Lessons learned on the cleanse

Lessons learned on the cleanse:

• We like our dessert.
• Big gulps when swallowing pills.
• Eating healthy is not that hard.
• We should try new things more often.
• I couldn't have done this without Bryan's support.
• There is more to life than food.
• Stay off Pinterest when you can't have sweets or fatty foods.
• Paco got jipped on his birthday cause we didn't even have cake.
• We shouldn't agree to make brownies for a get together.  Do you know how hard it is to make brownies and not lick the spoon?
• Maintaining this diet after all of this is over is not unrealistic--We can include many of the different recipes and habits in our life and slowing include things like milk and cheese. 
• Almond Milk is gross to drink on it's own, but it makes protein shakes a little better.
• My Cousin's are funny and like Almond Milk.
• When you plan ahead and are prepared for your meals during the day, it is easy to stay on the diet.
• When you plan ahead and are prepared for your meals, you don't spend all day day-dreaming about what you are going to eat.
• I ate mindlessly before and didn't even realize it.  There were several times when I was "going through the motions" and then would get a plate full of food and realized I can't eat any of this.
• We found that whole grain pasta is delicious. We thought it tasted just like regular pasta.  Brown rice isn't too bad, it's different than white, but still good.  Whole wheat bread/tortillas should be used to clean up oil spills in the gulf... That's about all they're good for!! 

My cousins sure did give me grief about not liking Almond Milk.  However, I have found that I can bake with it, and it is yummy!

 

Things like this turn out tasting just as yummy!

Day 25 of the Advocare 24 Day Challenge

So What did day 25 look like? Heaven!

I started morning 25 with a kolache and donut. It was so good.  But I also realized that it was only good, not great.  It is something that I will not avoid like the plague in the future, but I also will not seek it out.  I can have a healthy breakfast and have the same benefit.  I had cheese-its for my snack... those are so yummy!  That might have been one of the things I missed the most.

For lunch, I had my standard salad with the home made salad dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil and minced garlic) a clementine and apple.  When I got home, for a snack I had one of those brownies I made on Sunday and couldn't have....

For dinner, Bryan took me to La Brisa's!  We went there because it usually is the fastest restaurant in the world and it is so yummy.  We had plans for later in the evening, so it was important we got in and out quickly.  However, for some reason La Brisa's decided to take their sweet time.  We got our fajitias and queso.  I enjoyed every minute of it, but I am proud to say that both Bryan and I didn't eat nearly as much as we would have before all of this.

After dinner Bryan went to play golf with the boys in our small group, and the girls went and got pedicures! (I know I should have checked Bryan's outfit before he left... but I ran out of time.  What can you do?)

 

Fantastic ending to my day of celebrating!

 

Our plan from here on out is that we will make better choices with out eating habits.  We feel like winners! We can continue to be successful.  I really thinking that we will find a balance from here.  We will still eat things like pizza or hot wings, but we will eat the in moderation and it will not be the only type of food that we eat.  Moderation is key.  Portion size is key.  Life is fun!  Veggies are good (Okay... they are decent).

 

Here's to the beginning of the next chapter! 



I finished!!

So I have finished Advocare's 24 day challenge!  Here are the before and after pictures, like I promised!  I do have to say that it wasn't as hard as I thought.  The Cleanse was more challenging than the Max Phase.  By the time I got to the Max Phase... I was sort of in a routine.

 

I am proud to say that in 24 days, I lost 8.5 lbs.  I sleep much better. I breathe much easier.  I have to use the little girls room all the time (you drink a lot of water...).  And the best part is that my clothes are fitting much better. 

These are the before pictures as promised.  Don't judge too much... it is sort of hard to put these pictures out there.

 

This is day 24.

 

 

Here are the side by sides.  The left is day 1, the right is day 24.  These are true honest pictures, no sticking out in the before or sucking in in the after pictures. 



 

 

 

I couldn't have done this with out Bryan's support.  We are eating better and have found that we like to ride our bikes together.  I love that. 

 

I do have a goal of loosing about 3 more lbs on my own and then I would like to maintain that weight, however, it is not about a number.  It is about being healthy.  Go team go!!

 



A few days later...

So tomorrow is the start of day 18 of 24.  Sorry that I have been MIA since day 12, but it was the middle of the school week.  It also didn't go as I envisioned either.

I stuck to the diet, following all of the rules that were outlined before me!  I tried to substitute some of the fruits that I was eating on the cleanse with more veggies as we were directed.  I didn't miss any of the pills (that I know of).  And most importantly, I didn't cheat.  I could have, but I didn't.  Sunday we even went to lunch with Bryan's family at Gringo's (Mexican food is my favorite) and I ordered a chicken salad.  I was so good... I even sent the salad back when it came out with the chicken in a mayo sauce.   I mean if I'm gonna cheat, it's not going to be on the chicken salad at a Mexican Restaurant.

However, everyday on the scale, I was seeing a different story.  For days 13, 14, and 15 I woke up weighing the exact same amount and then on day 16 I had gained 1/2 lb.  Talk about feeling defeated, I mean if I am going to gain weight, I might as well eat Mexican food!  I was ready to quit!!!!

I did spend some time praying about it and talking it through with my Savior.  He helped me see and understand that my main goal should be about being healthy, not some number on a scale.  Overall, my clothes are back to fitting better, I am sleeping like a rock, and I am making choices to the betterment of my body.  I am (trying) to practice self-control.  (The fruit of the Spirit's not an Apple... the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness and Self-Control... that became my prayer when I would get frustrated)  I have also felt a small amount of hunger throughout this.  It has made me aware of a feeling I don't like... and I only have to experience it because of a 24 day program.  There are people in the world that feel this everyday.

That is perspective.

And in coming to these conclusions, I am proud to say that at the beginning of day 17, I am down a total of 6.8 lbs.  I not only lost that 1/2 a lb I gained the day before, I am lower than I have been so far on this journey.

Tomorrow morning, if I wake up and the scale is off again... I will be okay.  I know my Jesus loves me and is proud of me! :)





I do want to send a shout out to those of you who have been so encouraging!  I have had a ton of Facebook and text messages, phone calls and pats on the back.  Thank you for being so supportive.  It truly does mean so much!

Start of the Max Phase

We have officially ended the cleanse!  Good Job Hazzards!  I am proud of us!

Bryan is continuing to be super supportive as I start the next 14 day section.  I can't help but laugh at my mindset.  I convinced my self that I could do anything for 10 days.  24 days seemed like too much to commit to.  What if I couldn't last 24 days, all of that $$ would be wasted.  10 days is better.  Then I got started... and realized that if I have gone this far... I should continue and not just give up.  Now, 3 days into the max phase, I am so glad I didn't.

I lost a total of 3.5 lbs during the cleanse phase.  Bryan lost 3 (I know...), so together we lost the weight of our dog... I just think that's funny.  :)   We started to eat right.  We started to ride our bikes together.  We went on 3 bike rides throughout the cleanse.  Overall, I would highly recommend the cleanse to others.  It does have to be done during a season of your life where you don't have to grab dinner on the go... you need to be able to plan out your meals.  It's not very easy to go out to eat with others.  You need to have time to go to the grocery store and buy the right kind of food to eat.  We ate at home for every meal during the cleanse phase.


As I started the max phase, I kept the same diet but had many more pills to take.  I was a little overwhelmed about what to take when but my adviser was very helpful.  I had the vanilla meal replacement shake mixed with water for breakfast.  It was... interesting.  I had been craving sweet things during the cleanse so that was nice to start with something sweet.  However, the texture was very similar to really pulpy orange juice.  I could take little sips, but not big gulps which meant it took a LONG time to drink.  I had my handy nuts as a snack--but for the most part, I wasn't very hungry all morning.

I had to take pills 30 minutes before eating lunch which is really awkward when you are a teacher.  Luckily, my student teacher can handle things while I step out to take all of the pills.  Then at lunch (more taco salad) I had even more pills.

For dinner I had a plan.  As a thank you to Bryan, I treated him to Chili's for dinner (he technically paid... I mean, hey!  I'm still the girl :)  )  But I did have a coupon for a free appetizer, so Bryan got to enjoy the new pretzel sticks and a hamburger!  I ordered the mango grilled chicken meal with the sauce on the side.  It had big chunks of salsa, mango and avocado on it... it was delicious!  I forgot to order the broccoli without the garlic butter sauce... so the one bite that I ate was delicious, but then I decided not too eat the rest.  I also had the side of black beans.  It was a yummy dinner and it was so nice not to have to do the dishes!

Weighing in that next morning, I lost 1.2 lbs from the first day.  Talk about exciting!!!  I do think that I would be successful loosing weight without the supplements, but I also think that it is helping me see the most results for my efforts.   I used some almond milk (because you can't have dairy) at the advice from some at school for the breakfast shake.  That helped a little bit.  I was able to drink it much faster.  Day 2 of the max phase (day 12 total) was similar to the first day... MANY pills.  I convinced Bryan to grab a Subway sandwich with me, and I just ate the veggie one.  I love the veggie sandwich from Subway anyway.  I was really wanting something to bite into so I took a Carb-Ease pill that helps your body digest carbs.  I hadn't had a carb yet for the day, so I felt like it was okay to eat one.  I did make a slight mistake and took that pill too early, (it is designed to take immediately before dinner) I took the pills and then went with Bryan to go get the sandwich and then bring it home (about 20 minutes) It ended up making me very nauseous.  I won't do that again!  As soon as I started to eat the sandwich, I began to feel better.  We ended the night riding our bikes one neighborhood over to see some friends garage sale that they are doing to raise money to adopt a little girl in China.  Half of the church was there helping, so we spent a good hour hanging out and then rode home.

I only have 12 more days to go!

Days 8, 9 and 10

Day 8 wasn't too exciting.  I hadn't seen any difference in my weight on day 4-8, but I do feel better than I did before.  It's hard to explain, I still feel tired but just don't seem to get tired as quickly.  I don't seem to notice being hungry very often, and when I am I eat a small portion and move on.  So far in the cleanse I have lost 2.5 lbs (and that was all on day 1-3) but remember that the first ten days are not designed to make you loose weight, they are to get your body prepared to digest food the way we are supposed to.  I'm still buying into this whole process.

I was feeling good about myself; Bryan went and weighed himself... he's lost 3 lbs.  That goober!  I love him so much.  If you know Bryan... you know he doesn't have 3 lbs to loose, he is doing this to support me and to be healthy.  I just had to laugh... me feeling like I have worked so hard (and I have) and he has lost more.  That cartoon commercial of the woman loosing weight in the boobs and the man dropping 6 pant sizes came to mind when this all played out the other night.

Day 9 started with a success! I caught up to Bryan.  I officially was at 3.1 lbs weight loss.  I realized that Bryan and I together have lost the weight of our dog, Paco!  :)

 I woke up late though and was exhausted--I'm not really sure why.  I was sort of dragging most of the day.  I'm tired of eating nuts and I'm tired of eating hummus.  We made beans and rice for dinner with some chicken tossed in.  That was really yummy, and really easy to through together because we already had cooked chicken and cooked rice that needed to be warmed up.  Through some beans in... and here we go!

Bryan and I really had a heart to heart, and he wasn't impressed with the experience.  I am still grateful that he did it with me.  He made it all the way through, but he didn't feel a difference in his energy level and he was hungry most of the time.

Day 10 finally arrived and we were pleased to complete it!  I finished those nasty fiber drinks and only got sick that first day.  It does get better--kinda.  I can proudly say that I made it to day 10 without cheating!! (I didn't expect to be able to say that).

We did come to have a favorite recipe through this, and I just wanted to share:

Turkey Taco (Salad)

We would browned the turkey and then added a can of Rotel to the meat... no seasoning.  It was delicious!  I would eat it on a bed of spring mixed lettuces with tomatoes, carrots, picante sauce.  Delicious!  Tonight I realized I had an Alvarado that was getting close to it's end date, so I mashed it up with a little lemon juice and salt and added that on top.  It was almost like having sour cream and guacamole - super creamy!  Bryan would stick his in the (cardboard) tortilla and enjoyed that.    This might have been my favorite meal from the whole cleanse.

Tomorrow I start the "Max Phase"  there is a significant increase in the number of pills and remembering to take your pills....  we'll see how it goes! 

Day 6 and 7

Day 6 was a day I was sort of nervous about.  Remember how I said it was easier around other people, and being by myself was the harder part for cheating?  Well Bryan went to a men's retreat.  He had a ball, it was good that he went.  But I was nervous about being by myself with food that I can manipulate... I was afraid I would cheat.  I am very proud to say that I didn't.

For breakfast, I had my pill and Spark, and ate the rest of the ground turkey mix in with a scrambled egg and Picante sauce.  This was a winner.  I finally found a breakfast food that I enjoyed eating (only took 5 fails to find this one)  but the problem is that I can't easily duplicate it during the week because I don't have enough time in the morning.  Yes I know I could wake up 5 minutes earlier... but this whole cleanse is about finding what works for Bryan and I... and waking up earlier doesn't. :)

I snacked on an orange and banana during the day.  Ate some hummus, tomatoes and carrots for lunch and then would snack on the tomatoes as the day went on.

Bryan was in the mood for a steak when he got home from the retreat.  I pulled out a New York Strip from the freezer and we cooked that (yummy).  I was sure to cute out any pieces of fat, so I only ate the leanest parts of the steak.  I also cut my 1 strip into 3 pieces and only ate one of them.  It was the right size serving of meat.  We ate some whole grain pasta and a bag of steamed veggies with the meal.  I goggled a recipe for a clean salad dressing and came up with a balsamic vinegar dressing that I had all the ingredients on hand for. I read the directions wrong though (4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp of minced garlic) I put 4 tbsp olive oil and then 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar... before I saw my mistake.  It made it VERY strong, but I thought it was delicious.  Bryan thought it was too much.  The good thing about it is that I can easily make it 2 different ways and us both enjoy it. :)

Day 7 started off with the meat from the night before warmed up in scrambled eggs... what can I say?  I found a winner.  I added some onion, bell pepper, spinach and garlic.  Yummy!  With Bryan's work schedule we baked salmon for lunch after church.  We had our separate dinners and then the pills.

The biggest thing about day 7 was this was the day I decided to go all 24!  I placed my order for the max phase.  It is expensive, but Bryan and I decided it was worth it because it was what is working for me.  We financially also looked at the fact that we hadn't eaten out all week.  Yes, I bought a lot of groceries... but I usually do and then we go out to eat.  It will not be exactly the same amount, but it is a factor that allowed us to continue.

I am really grateful for all of the feed back I got.  I had lots of encouragement and even ideas to keep in my back pocket for after the 24 day challenge is over.  Yes, I do think it is possible for me to be successful with out Advocare; but Bryan and I decided that Advocare is providing the parameters for me to see the most results.  One of the biggest things that I have learned through this is that there are realistic healthy options.  Every meal does not have to include meat and sides of mac and cheese.  I think that I will get what I put into this experience... and right now, I'm willing to give it my best.  :)  Thanks for the support!

Day 4 and 5

Day 4 was the day of change.  I didn't have to drink the fiber drink.  I just had to take two pills with breakfast. I can't seem to remember what I ate for breakfast... I guess that's a good thing, because don't have any traumatizing stories to go with it.  I took a left over chili for lunch.  This was the first day that I didn't really feel hunger.  This was the first day it wasn't THAT big of a deal.  It wasn't all that I could think about.

We had a late arrival day at school--meaning teachers are there at 7:00, but the kids didn't have to come to school until 9:30.  In my department meeting, my sweet student teacher was eating a muffin.  She turned and looked at me saying "Oh, I'm sorry I'm eating the muffin in front of you."  My response was that it wasn't that big of a deal.  I could see other people eating stuff and it didn't bother me.  (I think it is harder when I am alone.  I find myself thinking "I could totally eat this cheese stick... and no one would know."  Clearly that's not true, God would know and so would I.  I think the thought of the guilt that would come with cheating is what has kept me true to the cleanse so far.)  But then later, when the students showed up... a student walked by with a Chick-Filet breakfast biscuit, and I changed my mind... that looked good!

We made taco salads for dinner with ground turkey.  Bryan mixed in a can of Rotel, so it had tons of flavor.  Bryan wasn't please that I bought a spring mix package of lettuces (and I mean I bought a HUGE package)... but hey... spinach is good for us!  I thought it was delicious.  I had the spring mix, turkey, carrots, tomatoes, a couple scoops of the home made salsa I made earlier in the week and a nice topping of Pace Pacanta sauce as the dressing.  I thought it was super yummy.   Bryan splashed some lemon juice with his and ate his first helping.  He was still hungry, so he got one of those cardboard tortillas (read previous post)  and made himself a taco.  He really enjoyed it.  I stuck with my salad... if you know what I mean?
We took our pill with dinner and then the cleanse pills later that night.

At dinner Bryan and I started talking seriously about me adding the second phase (max phase) to the end of it.  For those of you who don't know much about Advocare, they have this thing called the 24 Day Challenge.  The 24 day challenge is broken down into 2 phases:  the cleanse phase (days 1-10), and the max phase (days 11-24).  The cleanse phase is designed to rid you body of toxins that build up in our systems over time; it jump starts your body and it's digestion system.  It gets your body ready to digest food the way God designed it to.  The max phase is designed to help get your body into overall wellness, and for many that includes weight loss.  Bryan and I started discussing me taking the max phase with him staying on the strict diet with me.

Day 5 started off and followed very similarly to day 4.  I wasn't hungry.  It didn't consume my life.  I had fruit for breakfast (I still need to find a protein that I can eat at breakfast that I like...), nuts for a snack, chili for lunch.  Bryan left for a men's retreat last night so our original plans were dinner on our own, however we found we had a little extra time with each other so we threw the turkey back on the skillet to warm it up and had taco salads again.  Hey, there is nothing wrong with left-overs!

I am still on the fence about continuing to the max phase or not. Part of me is thinking that I have gotten this far and I will finish day 10, what is 2 more weeks after that?  The other part of me is thinking that I really want to go to a Mexican restaurant and have some chips, salsa and queso.  My adviser has told me that my body has done all of the work on days 1-10, and that I will really see results on days 11-24.  But then again... can my will power hold up that long?  I keep going back and forth.  Bryan has been so supportive.  In a dream world I would wait until day 9 or 10 to decide what I want to do, but I have to order the products and give them time to be delivered.  So I really need to order them by early Monday... What do you think?  Should I continue or not?

Day 2 and 3

After talking with my sweet Advocare Advisor,  she recommended that I try the peaches and cream fiber drink for my 2nd morning (Tuesday).  I only put it in 4 oz or water... and chugged, but I got the whole thing down!  I felt like a champ.  There might or might not have been a celebration dance in the kitchen that morning.

I had stuck a piece of chicken in a crock pot the night before and shredded it for some protein for breakfast.  After my accomplishment of the fiber drink, I was thinking that I could do anything.  I put the chicken in a whole wheat (low carb, low fat, low everything that tastes good... I didn't know I bought THAT kind of) tortilla with some fresh salsa in with it.  I was thinking that I was going to rock it.  On the way to school, I opened my burrito and took a big bite.  I have to learn to take small bites for new things...

Gross.

I was able to swallow my bite and a half worth of the cardboard they call tortilla.  When I got to school I took the chicken and salsa out and just ate that.  The morning went smoothly and had my standard nuts for a snack around 9:00.  By lunch time I was hungry again; I ate the quinoa salad from the night before with some fruits and veggies.  I lost the Spark packet so I only had the one drink in the morning.  I didn't NEED it, but it would have been nice.

I was hungry most of the afternoon, but not the kind of "I think I'm going to die" hunger... just the "I would munch on something right now if I could" kind.  We made a chili for dinner and ate around 5:00.  It was really good and fairly simple to throw together.  We did use beef... it was the 96/4 kind that is kind of pricey, but so worth it!  We took our pills at dinner and then again before bed.

Day 3 took a similar route.  Fiber drink, shredded chicken (not the greatest for breakfast) and fruit.  For some reason, I was hungry all day.  I snacked on my nuts, ate my quinoa salad and veggies and found the Spark from the day before in the chaos called my desk.  I came home and we made chicken and steamed veggies.  I was starting to think that maybe I couldn't last the 7 more days.  Then I got on the scale, and I was down 2.5 lbs from my starting date (weighing at the same time of day).  Suddenly... 7 days was looking good!

Day 1 of the Cleanse

So we hit the ground running Monday with the cleanse.  Let's just say that it has been interesting...

I started my morning with the Fiber Drink Mix.  The instructions say to mix it with 8 ounces.  My Adviser suggested maybe a little bit more if it started to thicken up on me.  So I put it in 12 oz.  WRONG!  On my first chug, I probably got about 6 oz down.  But I had to come up for air... big mistake!  I was completely grossed out and then had to continue.  On my second attempt, it got the best of me and I got sick all in the sink!  I'm not sure if any stayed down or not.

Great.

My first task at the cleanse and I have already failed.

I poured the rest out, brushed my teeth and grabbed my lunch to head out the door.  For breakfast, I had a Spark (yummy!) and then an apple and banana.  I was laughing at myself as I was praying on my way to work this morning.  I was talking to God about being a failure already and what the next 9 days were really going to look like.... and I was chomping down on my banana.  When I finished complaining about what I was going through, I realized that I ate the entire banana without complain or gagging once.  That is a BIG accomplishment for me because I HATE bananas!!  Maybe when you puke in the morning... anything tastes good!  Maybe I can do this??  God sure is funny that way. :)

I bought a package of almonds and a package of mixed nuts and mixed them together just to add variety.  I had my nuts for a snack and I was very proud that I had a small portion and was fine.

I was starving by lunch time but with school, I don't eat until 1:00 anyway... and I am starving everyday by then.  I ate my carrot, tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers with my hummus and finished lunch with some berries, an apple and an orange.

When I got home Bryan told me about his day... he didn't make it as far as I did with the Fiber Drink.  We started making dinner and sat down to eat around 4:30... hey you eat fruit all day and then talk to me.  For dinner we had baked Tilapia topped with Rotel and then a Quinoa Mex Salad from Pintrest.  Surprisingly... both were delicious.  We decided that both things were something we could eat more of in our diet when we finish the cleanse.  To be honest, I am not sure if we were just hungry or if it was really good... but either way, we demolished those plates and will be having it again!

We went down for a belated birthday celebration in Texas City and had a watermelon snack.  Everyone else ate a cherry cobbler dish (that I love) and homemade ice cream.  I was not thinking the nicest things about them.  But our watermelon was delicious and we powered though.  I am so grateful for Bryan.  He have up his birthday ice cream for the cleanse and to support me.  I am impressed with our will power.

I'm not sure what the other days will entail, but day 1 is finished!

 

Prep for d-day

So in getting ready for our 10 day Advocare cleanse, I spent Saturday afternoon shopping.  I couldn't help but laugh, I was in the fruit and veggie section much longer than normal.

I bought just about everything:

• Apples
• Grapes
• Bananas
• Mangos
• Peaches
• Plums
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Oranges
• Clementines
• Mixed greens
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Celery
• Radishes
• Avacodoes 
• Cucumbers
• Bell peppers
• Onions
• Garlic
• Jalapeños
• Green onions
• Fresh salsa (or at least the things to make yummy fresh salsa) 

I also picked up some hummus, quinoa, brown rice and whole wheat bread, tortillas and pasta. 

The middle shelf that goes straight across is all vegetables and was bought today.  The bottom draws are fruits and veggies. 

In case you can't tell, I am really hoping that this works.  We are willing to put in the effort to get the turn out.  My shopping trip cost me $185 and I only got things for the cleanse.  But to be honest, that is about how much I would spend on a normal shopping trip and I got all of the supplies to make the next 10 days worth of food.  We might have to restock on some if we go through them too fast, but overall, we're covered.  And we wont be eating out either.

Today I spent time prepping everything so that it is easy to go.  I know that if you don't wash fruits and veggies until you are ready to eat they usually last longer, however, ain't nobody got time for that!  And we are eating A LOT of the fruits and veggies.  This way (hopefully) with a little planning we can just grab and go. 

I have taken my measurements, weighed myself, and taken the "before" pictures. However... I want to see results before I post those pictures... If you know what I mean, :) but here is proof that I did take the pictures!!  I have been weighing myself throughout the week... And I have to say that my weight has fluctuated so much... I'm not sure what to think.  Weighing myself around the same time everyday and not changing my diet or excercise, my weight has had a 7 lb range... 

I think we're all ready for tomorrow :)

It's time for a change

So starting next week, Bryan and I are doing an Advocare Cleanse.  We are both a little excited and nervous  (I think that I am more of both than Bryan... but he is being very supportive).

I had never heard of this company called Advocare until my neighbor started talking about it this past spring.  She is a consultant for Advocare and really believes in the products. I wasn't too sure about it when she first started talking to us.  It seemed like anything else off the shelves that held big promises with only potential let downs inside.  She gave us both a Spark Energy drink... and I have to admit that it tasted good.

When I got to school, one of the ladies at lunch had started a cleanse with Advocare and was really singing it's praises.  I thought she was nuts... eating clean... who wants to do that?  She explained the diet... and again, I thought she was nuts... (Sorry Steph)

Then at church, some really sweet ladies started talking about it too.  I felt like everywhere I went I was being bombarded with Advocare.  Maybe there was something to this?  Maybe I needed to try it?  The cleanse is only 10 days... I can do anything for 10 days... right?  Even though clean eating does sound slightly crazy to the untrained eye, Advocare has a fairly large recipe book with meals that don't sound too far out there.  I do have to give up Diet Cokes (If you know me... you know that is a big deal) however, but the Spark drink has caffeine in it and keeps me more focused than Diet Cokes.

So in late August, Bryan and I signed up to become a distributor for Advocare.  We get a small discount on the (fairly expensive) products.  We ordered our first box of Spark and have really enjoyed it.  We also ordered 2 cleanses and the d-day is finally here.  We start Monday.

I have made a calendar of the recipes and have a fairly strong list of snacks planned out.  We have enough Spark, so hopefully I wont be standing at the vending machine banging my head into it...  I am going shopping tomorrow and then prepping a lot of the food so the week goes smoothly.

From what I can tell... this is what to expect:

• Drink ALOT of water
• Drink some more water
• Chug the Fiber drinks in the morning (apparently they aren't the easiest to get down)
• We aren't supposed to be hungry during the cleanse, we just can't have certain things
• No sugars, processed foods or fried things
• We aren't using the additional products that are optional, so we will drink a fiber drink in the morning, take a OmegaPlex (pill) at dinner and the Herbal Cleanse tablets (pills) before bed. 
• Then drink more water

So why are we doing this?  We both feel it is important to have a healthy lifestyle.  We both admit that we might not be making the best dietary choices right now as we eat.  We both want a change. 

I personally am doing it for a few reasons.  I am tired of my clothes not fitting.  I feel like my body shape has changed since we got married, I can't wear things the same way.  I want to feel attractive to my husband (he thinks I am... and keeps telling me this... I just want to feel this way again too)  I don't like how people without manners ask me when my due date is.... yes, this happens.  I want to make choices that glorify the Lord.  I want to be a well round individual-spiritually, not physically.  I want to try something new.  I don't want to be tired all of the time.

My plan is to make daily posts about how the cleanse is going.  However, if it doesn't happen everyday... so be it!