Happy Halloween!!! And Random Musings...

Today is Halloween!!! We decided that since Brennan isn't quite a year old yet that we would just take him around to a couple of people's houses so they could see him in his costume and coo over how cute he looks! He's going to be a garden gnome. There is just something so adorable about a baby with a beard. He is way to young for candy so we will not be asking for any of that, and plus also, I'm on day 19 of my 24 Day Challenge and I don't need that in my life.

I am so glad that he finally got over his illness, and now we are just dealing with him being an unhappy camper over his teeth, which are about to poke through any day now. I need them to come through. I cannot live another day of my life with him being a cranky pants and waking up every 20 minutes during the night. Does anyone have any good tricks to help get him over this? Or will I just have to ride out the storm and pray that he gets over it soon?

On another note I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this Challenge. It has been surprisingly more easy than I thought it would be. I have issues sticking with things, especially diets because I just want to eat all the food in the WORLD. Sadly, I can no longer afford to keep gaining weight, after all I want to be around for many many more Halloweens, Birthdays and Christmases. Who else is going to embarrass the crap out of my child if I'm not around to do it? 

I am down 15 lbs, and can finally fit into the jeans I abandoned to the back of my closet 2 years ago which is a major achievement! I call them my old new jeans. I feel great which is also a bonus and my skin looks amazing if I can brag a little. Here is a no make-up, no filter, selfie for ya!

Silky smooth!!!! Like butta!!! Don't mind the bags under my eyes, it's been a long 10 days. I will definitely be getting some Sleepworks in the next couple of days! 

Here is a little inspirational somethin, somethin for ya to get you through the day!

Max Phase Low Down

As promised here is the low down for the Max Phase of the 24 Day Challenge.

What you will need:

1. Spark (super duper important)
2. MNS Max 3(great for those with caffeine sensitivity), MNS Max C (appetite control), or MNS Max E (Energy)
3. Meal Replacement Shake (my favorite is the Chocolate Mocha!)
4. Tupperware
5. Blender Bottle
6. Tote Bag
7. Go-Stak (I live and die by this thing!)

Optional Add-ons:
Catalyst
Omegaplex
ThermoPlus
Muscle Gain
Leptilean

You can find all of these products here: https://www.advocare.com/140959085

The first thing you need to know is that there are 2 options for this phase. You can choose to do the Max Pack Phase or the Lean-In-13 Zig Zag Program. The Max Pack Phase is more simple and I highly recommend this for first time Challengers. You will get to continue to eat just like you did during the Cleanse Phase with the option for a 6th meal if you've had an intense workout or are very active on a particular day.
The ZigZag Program is a little more complicated. Your days will consist of Burn Days and Refuel Days. On Burn Days you will eat no carbs at all and no fruit (except for breakfast). Refuel Days will reincorporate carbs and fruit back into your diet. It's recommended to do 3 Burn Days to every Refuel Day, but you can do 2:1 or even 1:1 if you need to.

I decided to go with the Zig Zag program for my Max Phase since I have already decided to cut out the carbs from my Challenge all together. Although, I have had a tough time sticking to the regimented time frame for eating my meals due to my poor sick baby. I am trying to get back on track and stick to the meal plans as best as possible, which is much easier now that we are back to a normal schedule! So, every night I pack up my tote bag with my blender bottle, meal replacement shake, snacks, lunch and my GoStak!

The most different thing about the Max Phase from the Cleanse Phase is the MNS packs you will take every day. There are 4 separate pill packs that you will take throughout the day and they look like this:

And here is my GoStak packed with all that awesomeness:

That pretty much sums what you will be facing in the Max Phase of the Challenge. So Far I am down 14 lbs and I feel amazing! I only have a few days left on this challenge and I am so excited to see what changes my body goes through! Comment or email me with any questions you might have.

Catch up!

I cannot believe it has been 6 days since my last post... Life just got a little crazy for a minute there. Brennan was super duper sick, and overall not a happy camper. Sick kids make life infinitely more hard. Watching my poor helpless baby be sick for almost a solid week was the worst thing ever. You don't want the details, let just say it was BAD! I basically turned into a kangaroo last week. Brennan is apparently a very needy, sick child. Think Man-Flu but on a more intense level, maybe now you understand... This was his first major illness, and it scared me a little. So I have been MIA due to the exorbitant amount of time it takes to nurse a baby back to health.

Lets just say that the last 6 days have been a roller coaster. I was so focused on my little one that I had a hard time sticking to the challenge guidelines. It was rough. I missed a few meals and snacks through out those few days and had no energy to workout. I have a lot of making up to do! My plan to get back on track is to up my workouts over the last 10 days of this challenge and to really, really, be strict with my food intake times and amounts. I know how well this challenge can work, I just have to get myself back in the right head space to complete it with confidence and trust in the system AdvoCare has set up. I know this works, I just have to work for it!

I am finishing these last 10 days strong and proud that I have accomplished what I have. I am down 12 lbs and I feel great! I would probably feel much better if I had followed challenge structure exactly, but life happens and I am picking myself up and dusting myself off and preparing for a better tomorrow. I am in the Max Phase of the challenge, this the the part of the challenge where you have prepped your body for successful weight loss and you can see and feel the pounds fall off. I already know that my body is changing and that my pants are getting looser and my stomach is getting flatter. I love the results I am seeing and it only makes me want to see more.

I will update you on the in's and out's of the Max Phase of the challenge tomorrow with a walk through of my day and all of the changes from the Cleanse Phase, but for today, this is all I got!

24 Day Challenge Day 7 & 8

Sunday Funday! Sunday was day 7 and another prep day for me. Since I have my routine down really well the prepping was pretty easy. I made it a little harder on myself due to the fact that I didn't cook enough chicken on the first round. I only made it to Thursday's lunch before I was out of protein. So I had to cook another chicken breast which added 20 minutes on to my prep time.

While I did nothing outside of the house on Sunday I still managed to mess up my eating schedule. I made a mental note for next weekend to set timers on my phone for every 3 hours to remind me. At work it's easy to remember that I am due to eat, or take a supplement because I keep my paperwork right in front of me all day. At home it sits on the kitchen counter waiting to be looked at (which obviously never happens)!

I am on the slow count down to the Max Phase of the Challenge, which is the weight loss part of the Challenge and I am so super duper excited about it! Days 11 through 24 are the Max Phase and it's the part where you are supposed to lose all the weight and inches!!!! I am so freaking excited! Already at Day 8 I can see a difference in my body, and for sure I can feel the difference! As of the morning of Day 8 I was down 9 lbs! Being a big girl means that the weight will come off more quickly for me than for someone who has a normal BMI, That is probably why I am losing so much weight from the get go. I have a LOT more of it to come off than the average person. Do you know your BMI?  

Basically my BMI right now is 29, right on the cusp between overweight and obese! I never looked at myself and thought obese, but apparently science has this thing down and that's where I'm at. Like it or not.... I am determined to change this. My goal right now is to lose 80 lbs. That would put me at my the same weight I was when I stopped getting taller and started getting wider, I know it looks like a huge number but I can do it! With the help of this 24 Day Challenge and the rest of the amazing support I get from Advocare, I know I have the tools to do it!

So Monday was Day 8 for me and it was back to the fiber drink once again.... Now that I have unlocked the secret to the fiber drink I can take it like a champ! Mix it with a 1/4 scoop of spark... It does wonders!! Did I mention I am down 9 lbs? I did? Well, it feels awesome to say that! AHHH!!! So happy to see the scale moving in the right direction!!! Everything was great at work. I got my workout in. T25 Cardio and 40 minutes of Weight Loss Yoga. Basically my day was great. My night on the other hand, not so great. Sleeping next to a fussy, whiny 11 month old sucks!

Brennan sleeps in his crib very well, but lately has been waking up 4-8 times a night. I usually cave and bring him into bed with me in order to get a few precious hours of uninterrupted sleep. That didn't happen last night. We were up ever 40 mins for at least 10 min.... still not sure what's going on, but it was rough. Here is a picture so you understand just what I mean by fussy and whiny....

24 Day Challenge Days 5 & 6

This weekend was crazy!!! So much to do and so little time to blog about it. Brennan has been in rare form lately adding to the craziness, but it was good!

Friday was Day 5, half way through the Cleanse phase of the Challenge!!!! No fiber drink, but everything else was pretty much the same. My day was really crazy at work so I delayed my lunch until almost 2 and then promptly forgot my afternoon snack, whoops! Hey, I'm human, I forget things. Usually not food things, but crazier things have happened. Because of my spectacularly crazy day I was exhausted after coming home and declared it a "Fend for Yourself" dinner night. Basically that means, I didn't cook and ate left overs. I steamed some fresh broccoli and ate left over chili. It was so good, chili usually get better the longer it sits, well at least for a couple of days afterward. Lets no tempt fate here. I was also lazy when it came to my workout that night, I let the exhaustion get the better of me and only ended up doing 30 min of Yoga. I did however promise myself that I would take Brennan on a 5 mile walk in the morning, since what else is there to do when your child wakes up on your day off at 5 AM?

Well, that walk never happened. We were up at 5 (totally called that!) and we deep cleaned the house. By we I mean, I cleaned the house while Brennan went right behind me and messed everything up again. He's walking now, so he can reach a lot of things, which in turn makes my life entirely more difficult. Day 6 was a mess!!! A complete and utter failure on my part! I got up, drank my Spark and took my Catalyst. I managed to get in my Pumpkin Spice meal replacement shake (YUM!!!) and then everything went down hill from there. I drank my shake at about 7 ish (pretty on time...) and didn't remember my morning snack until almost 12. Ate my snack and then had to leave to go to a reception (bad, bad, bad idea). I should not have gone! In the back of my head I was all like "Who doesn't serve reasonably edible food at a reception. They will for sure have lean protein and veggies!" NOT!!! It was BBQ food, which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, and of which I could eat nothing! I am talking pulled pork sandwiches and brisket, beans, potato salad, pasta salad.... The Works! Everything looked delicious and smelled even better, but I was unable to partake in the awesomeness. I ended up being that weird girl in the corner eating a dry salad (the only dressing available was ranch), and drinking bottled water. Everyone was boozing it up, stuffing themselves and I looked a little out of place. Due to the mass amounts of food I was unable to eat I missed my afternoon snack as well and came home at 8 PM to eat tuna and green beans. It was the fastest option available and therefore easiest decision to make. I still managed to get in about 40 min of Yoga before I collapsed into bed, hoping that Sunday would be better!

24 Day Challenge Day 3 and 4 Recap

Day 3 was really easy for me! I weighed myself when I got up and I am already down 4 lbs!! It's so exciting to finally see that number start going down! I also get a 4 day break from the fiber drink, so that's a plus!!! Overall the day went well. I switched up my snack from almonds to avocados, because really, who doesn't love avocados? If you are one of those weird non-avocado-loving people, we can't be friends. I'm pretty serious about them if you can't tell.

Anyway, It seems like each day that passes I get more and more energy. My body is finally adjusting to the lower calorie intake and I feel really good. I'm still on the no carb train which is going really well. No breakdowns, and I kinda feel like at this point I've made it over the hump. I'll never say never, but at this point I am not missing the carbs at all. My workouts lately have been intensive yoga. Faster movements that are geared toward weight loss and muscle tone. I have been hurting the last 2 days. My abs are so sore and my legs are a little shaky. I have always been pretty quick to start seeing muscle definition and I can tell just from the 4 workouts I've done this week that the toning is already happening. I am so excited to get my body back to where I feel more comfortable in my own skin.

Day 4 (yesterday) was the best day so far. I will probably just keep saying that every day until the end of this Challenge. I am 20 days away from the end of this and in total, I am down 7 lbs! I finally got to try the new Meal Replacement Shake flavor, Pumpkin Spice, and it is so so so good. My favorite by far, but I am a pumpkin fanatic!

The Cleanse phase of this challenge is designed to help you rid your body of all the toxins we ingest on a daily basis from all of the processed foods we eat. Just take a mental picture of your shopping cart when you go to the grocery store. How much of that cart is filled up with items from the middle aisles of the store? If you are anything like me then is was probably looking like about 80%.  By cutting out all of the unneeded extras like sodas, chips, fruit bars, sugary cereals, and dips you are helping your body learn how to operate uninhibited. By eating all of those bad things your body has to use up what little fuel it gets from those foods just to process them through your system, which can leave you feeling sluggish and tired.

Just a few days of clean eating will show you just how well your body can work if you just give it the fuel that it needs! To learn more about how you can supplement your diet you can visit my Independant Advocare Distributor page here!

24 Day Challenge Day 2 Recap

Yesterday was my Day 2 of the Cleanse Phase of the 24 Day Challenge. I pretty much just did a replay of Day 1 with the exception of moving my meals a little farther apart. I was really full after lunch on Day 1 so I moved my meals and snacks on Day 2 to about 3 hours apart (the farthest apart they should ever be). It worked out great! I felt sated after each snack/meal and not overly full. After dinner I did have a moment, staring at my son's box of plain Cheerios, where I almost ate one.... My reliance on carbs since birth (pretty much) has become seriously evident now. I know that if I can just make it through Day 5 with no carbs the rest of the challenge will be a breeze.

I had my second Fiber drink yesterday. I mentioned my issues with texture, so I mixed it with a 1/4 scoop of Spark (my best friend in the world!!), thanks to a tip from a veteran of the cleanse. It was amazingly 1000% better than Day 1. The flavor made it much easier to get it down, with none of the gagging that occurred on Day 1 (I didn't mention the gagging?). Yeah, there was gagging on Day 1.... Don't judge! This time though, I took it like a champ!!  I even did a happy dance, in my underwear, in my kitchen at 5:00 AM. I'm pretty awesome like that!! If you must know, the sound track to my happy dance in my head was "Run the World" by Beyoncé. 

My day was great! I felt I had a lot more energy and my 27 trips to pee were reduce to about 15 which in my book is a plus. The last time I had to pee that much in one day I was days away from giving birth. At least then everyone could just chalk it up to me being the giant pregnant lady. Now, I am the giant AdvoCare lady on the Cleanse. It's pretty awesome!

I made a really great turkey meat loaf last night for dinner and paired it with some fresh green beans and sliced tomatoes! So so so so good! I didn't get my work out in until 9 last night, but I did manage to squeeze in about 35 minutes of yoga poses before Brennan woke up and needed to be put back to sleep. Hopefully tonight will be much better in terms of a good workout.

I know I haven't posted any of my "Before" Pictures so I guess I will share those with you now, just so you know I am a real human being and not some weird computer bot. I don't know if bots can have blogs, but if dogs can, I suppose it's possible. I'm not as cyber literate as I should be for being a 20 something year old in 2014. So without further ado...


***Warning: These photos were taken at 10 PM on Sunday night, I am makeup-less and bloated, not pregnant***

  
 BAM! Yeah, I can already feel your judgy eyes on me! It's cool though. All for the sake of bettering myself I suppose. I keep telling my husband that he just needs to remind me that I am getting bigger every time a beg him to pick up some ice cream on his way home, but he is just too nice. Ice cream used to be my treat for being an awesome wife and mother. Now my treat is getting healthy and being around longer to be an even better wife and mother. The added bonus is that eventually, with time, I will also be able to not feel as self-conscious as I do right now!

Ok so now on to more important topics, like new products! Let me present you with the new holiday goodness that was just released:

Purchase here: https://www.advocare.com/140959085

 So excited for this! I love all things pumpkin and cannot wait to try this one!! It's already in my shopping cart!You can get it here! Yey for fall!!!!