What do I eat?

     I have been asked by one of my "Awesome people" to give some examples of what I eat. I am happy to share that with everyone because diet and nutrition is so important when it comes to succeeding.
    
     I never looked as the "24 Day Challenge" as being a diet that I would do and quit. I used it to my advantage to change the way I think about food and nutrition. One of the trainers at my gym posted this on facebook this morning and I love it:

"Did you know that God made food for nutrition. Although, He did make food enjoyable, He didn't expect for every meal to be more enjoyable than the last. Nor did he mean for us to over stuff ourselves. Look at what he was feeding His own people, the Israelites in the wilderness. He feed them Mana. Boring and bland. 3 meals a day for an extremely long time! But it served His purpose.....nutrition."- Diane (Trainer at YMCA)

    I really liked this because I have had a hard time with my diet my whole life because I was raised eating everything on my large plates, eating fried and fast food, and drinking sodas. I am happy to say that for the past month I am soda free!!! It feels so good. I drink SPARK, water, and mineral water. My friend for the longest time has told me how much she loves Perrier. I drank it a couple of time when I drank sodas and thought it was gross. After I gave up soda I tried it again and now I am hooked! It is natural, has no calories or anything in it....a little pricey but worth it.

   
       OK..getting to the point of this post..what I eat. I keep a food journal every day. I think it is important because it is easy to lie to ourselves about how much and what we eat if we are not writing it down. Even Carrie Underwood does this...it is a good habit to continue even after you are done with your weight loss journey. This type of journal works perfectly because it fits right in my purse and I can put my pencil right down the side. Yes..I use a pencil..I hate when something looks sloppy and it is much easier to erase and re-write rather than write the whole thing over again ((which I have done)). I do not write the calorie of each thing just because then I feel like I am "dieting", and I do not want to do that. If you feel like you want to do that to keep up with your calorie intake, I think you should do it then. If you look at my example, you will also see that is where I write up my workouts for the day. I actually have a few places that I put that, but this is one of them. Where it says "Shake" that is a chocolate AdvoCare meal replacement shake..they are so delicious and filling and only 220 calories. I have vanilla flavored coming and I can't wait to try them. They are perfect for this mommy who is always on the go.

 

   I was lucky joinng the AdvoCare team that I joined because my mentors provided me with so much more than I paid for. When I signed up they gave me two meal plans plus nutrition and fitness advice. I have heard from other 24 day challenger's that not everyone does that. I never followed the meal plans to a T, but I came really close, and made a few of the recipes that I now love.

This is what 3 days of eat looks like for me:



Food Diary-

Monday:

Breakfast- oatmeal and watermelon
Lunch- Baked Potato with corn, Cayenne pepper, salsa, stick of string cheese
Dinner- 100% whole wheat flat bread, carved turkey, serving of avocado, mustard

Tuesday:
Breakfast- low fat cottage cheese, 1 egg, 1 egg white, 5 strawberries
Lunch- lettuce, grilled chicken, red wine vinegar and olive oil, banana
Snack- handful of almonds
Dinner- turkey chili, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Wednesday:
Breakfast- Whole wheat English muffin, watermelon
Lunch- lettuce, grilled chicken, red wine vinegar and olive oil, pepper, and banana

After work out snack- handful of almonds
Dinner- bowl of chili and pickled red cabbage

***only drinking SPARK, water bottles, mineral water***

    

     You may remember this from an earlier post, but one of my FAVES, I eat almost daily, is 100% whole wheat flat bread or English muffin with natural peanut butter and either fresh strawberries or banana. I will have this for breakfast or lunch depending on which one I have my shake for.  It is fast and so delicious. I do not use jelly at all..just fresh fruit.

Some examples of what I eat:

     I love Cuties!! They are easy to peel and great for traveling. I never have just one, but because they are so tiny, having two is just fine. I always have these in my house because not only do I love them, my children love them too. I love Almond milk! Someone once told me that it is the "whole wheat" of milk and that was enough for me to try it...now I am hooked! Since my husband and I are the only ones that eat rice in our house there is no reason to make a large serving of rice.  He and I will split one of these single servings of rice, and there are no left overs. Rice is never good the next day anyway.

     I hope that this helps someone. If you think that the 24 Day Challenge is something you would like to try, or any of the AdvoCare products, please feel free to contact me or click the link and look around. If you sign up for the 24 Day Challenge with me you will get the meal plans and guidance like I received. I have changed my life! Rather than "falling off my diet plan" now that my challenge is over, I am getting better at making even smarter choices.

     What are you favorite heathy meals and foods? I am always looking for new ideas and new recipes.

Drum roll pleaseeeeeeee.............................................

My 24 day challenge ended yesterday..I weighed in today at 194.4!!!!!!!!!! I started 24 days ago at 208 and finishing at 194.4!!! The pictures in the hot pink pant were more toward the middle of my journey in the last 24 days..if you want to see the 208lbs..scroll to the bottom and catch a glance at my mud run picture..those are the real before!! I went from not being able to lose 2 lbs in a week to losing 14 lbs in 24 days!!! I cannot even relay how excited I am to finally see some results. I know how discouraging it can be to workout for weeks in and weeks out to lose a pound or in my case, sometimes nothing. It is so much easier to stay motivated when the fat is melting away. I did the 24 Day Challenge but I accompanied it many life changes. I gave up sodas completely. If I feel like a soda I reach for a sparkling water, same feeling without all the junk that will kill me. I am eating less and exercising more. This has to happen if you want to change your life. There are no quick fixes! You have to decide if you want to do the 24 day challenge and change because it takes 30 days to create a new habit and 24 days is pretty darn close to that. I am very lucky to be a part of Team Copley because I have Lake County's best personal trainer helping me out with my diet and fitness goals ((I'm not greedy..I will share them if you want to try the 24 day challenge yourself..included)). I cant wait to be at goal..I am going to be one hot momma!! Stay tuned..I'm going to keep bloggin on so that you do not have to "wonder" what happened after the 24 days was up.

The night before my 24 Day Challenge ends..and my Avocare life begins

This will not be a long update. I just wanted to pop in really quick. Tonight is the night before I reveal my 24 Day Challenge transformation. For the first time in a long time I am not dreading that scale in the morning. I know that I am not to goal yet, but I also know that I am much closer then I was a mere 24 days ago. I feel like I am actually a different person...I know it sounds a little crazy, but I just feel so good, so confident, so "gung ho" on this journey that I am embarking on. I have decided...I'm all in!! Whatever it takes, I want to be a part of it and I want it to be a part of me. I will be back tomorrow with my final results as well as some before and after pictures...if you like what you see, please email me..my team and myself can help you.

https://www.advocare.com/130339797/default.aspx

 

 

I'm only human

     It is so easy to get off track if you are not constantly aware of your habits and what you are eating. I will admit... I have an eating disorder. I love to eat! I love food! I have loved bad food for longer than I have loved good food, therefore it is possible for me to mess up. On my "live-it" I am allowed one cheat meal a week. I used this meal on Sunday when I went to Ruby Tuesdays and had one trip to their salad bar....so worth it! I loaded my plate down with colorful veggies, egg, and topped it with a few delicious croutons with light ranch on top. I felt like this was a good choice because I did not eat a 1500 calorie burger or pizza, and still paid close attention to my portions. Then we went for frozen yogurt..still behaving at this point. When I got home is when I went a little crazy. Rather then stopping at dinner..I continued to eat more junk. I ended up eating like 5 pieces of my kid's candy from Easter. Before I began my 24 Day Challenge, this was a regular act of mine. The worst part...(( I would sneak it)). I am a sneaky eater when I am eating unhealthy. I do not know when I started doing this, but I can not let myself. I guess this is why I am confessing this...to break that habit. After I laid down to go to sleep I asked myself, "Was that candy worth the extra calories?"...the answer is no because NOTHING TASTE AS GOOD AS THIN FEELS!! I have top remember this. I have to remember this! NOTHING TASTE AS GOOD AS THIN FEELS!! I was thin once and remember it being so awesome. I was able to walk into stores and get clothes, looked and felt confident, and looked amazing in a bathing suit!!
    After that little relapse I decided to get a little notebook and write down everything I eat in it. I need to be conscious of what I am putting in my mouth or I will hide it from you, my husband, and myself. It will also help me remember different healthy recipes that I liked and did not like. There are celebrities that do this every day, and claim it is what keeps them healthy. I think,"what can it hurt?"
     OK..I am done confessing, and I must say, I feel better. We all can mess up a diet or "cheat" a little once in a while. What is important to remember just because I messed up that evening does not mean I have to quit my journey all together. I'm only human, and am allowed to indulge once in a while. Monday and today I stuck to the plan. Have I raved yet about how delicious the shakes are on AdvoCare? I have never done a diet where I drank meal replacement shakes. I am happy with them, and will keep purchasing them when I am finished with my challenge. I am back on track, though, and an goig to stay that way.
    On a different note..I got something super cool from my gym today. My gym has a system that keeps track of all the health activities that you do and how many calories you burn. I log most of it, but never really do anything with the information. Today I got an email and it had this....

 

     It might be small and kind of hard to see, but it says that last month I burned 2400 calories and lifted over 9000lbs total!! This month I want to DOUBLE those numbers!! Gives me something to strive for. I got a big start on it today with a two mile walk/jog and lifting over a 1000lbs total!!

BRING ON DAY 17!! I GOT THIS!!

Little victories

     Weighed in this morning at 198lbs!!! Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser? Typically the contestants do not lose, or lose very little weight the 2nd week of that show. I LOST THREE POUNDS MY SECOND WEEK! That feels great!! Puts me at a grand total of 10 pounds lost in two weeks.

     Was this easy? Absolutely not!...was it worth it? More than I could ever say. I already feel some of my confidence coming back. A couple of years ago I had good self-esteem. I felt confident talking to anyone anywhere, I felt sexy to my husband, and I loved being able to shop without being sent off into depression mode because everything at the store looks "terrible". I love that I am doing so great, and feel the difference in myself daily.
     I think it is so important to celebrate all victories, big or small. This weekend I went and stayed in Jacksonville for the night because I was running my 3rd 5K this year already!! I ran one in February, mud run in march, and this one was a color run. I think it was really cool. I got to run with my cousin and two friends, it was my cousins first one. She did excellent. I kept saying that I wish Zak would have went because there were a bunch of kid and he loves to run with me...next time.

     The pink stuff that is in the bottle in my hand...well that is Spark! That is this momma's best friend! It really does make me exercise better, run faster, and run longer when I drink it. I was drinking daily a few sodas, an energy drink or two, and two cups of coffee. I am changing that..another small victory for me is that I have not had any of that yuck stuff for 10 days and do not miss them! I look at my beautiful Keurig sitting in the corner of my kitchen counter. I have not made even one cup because I have the Spark that satisfies all the need/ want for that other stuff that is very bad for you. I feel so good and hydrated. My skin feels and looks really good too. I think that is partially because I have been eating healthy, and staying away from sugary products.

     I cant believe that I still have 10 more days to go! I am excited what my final results are for my 24 day challenge. I am going to keep my grind going. I am currently looking for another race for next month. So far my favorite has been the mud race because after one of them you just feel like you have conquered the world.

     My favorite recipe that I tried last week was my baked sweet potato fried. I cut up a sweet potato, rubbed just a little olive oil on one side with some Mrs. Dash seasoning, and then I baked them in the oven for 30 minutes. These were delicious!! I love sweet potatoes there are so many uses. When I eat something like this I feel like I am cheating because it is so delicious, but really is it good for you.

     That is it from me to date. I am 10 days in and still happy. I have had no negative side effects of this weight loss program, just motivation to keep on keeping on. Before I go... I forgot I had one last small victory. Yesterday after the morning 5K, we went to lunch and everyone chose Chick-fil-A(one of my old favorite fast foods). Two weeks ago, if I would have went into Chick-fil-A, I would have ordered a #1 (A fried chicken sandwich with waffle fries). I went through line and ordered a small cup of water with no ice. I then mixed, right at the table with my fellow racers, my meal replacement shake from Advocare. They all had food!! They looked at me like they felt bad and even said so...I told them to not feel bad because I do not want it. I do not miss it. I happily drank my surprisingly delicious and filling shake. I did not want to blow all the calories that I had just burned from running the race that morning. Not to mention, the place smelled really bad like chicken grease when we walked in. I left feeling really happy about my choice!

    I found this article when I was writing a paper about diseases the other day. I thought that it was interesting and thought I would share.

http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/jan2012/feature1

Almost to the 2nd phase..still happy

          Easter was awesome. I am not going to lie, even though I was prepared, I was still a little scared. Before I left my house I ate a banana. When I got there I noticed that everyone was eating off plates the size of TV trays. I grabbed a desert plate and that is what I made my plate on (I ALWAYS eat off small plates..made that a habit a while ago..except for usually at these things). Something else I did different than usual is I waited until everyone got their food before I went through the line..this way the food looked less appetizing because it was scraps, and all the really "bad" stuff was gone. I ended up having salad, turkey, and greens. It was good..very salty considering I had not eaten salt all week, but still really good. I ate the dessert that I brought which was strawberries filled with sugar free cheese cake pudding..and then I STOPPED!! For some people this is easy..for me it is not. I was raised that seconds are always an option...just let you first plate settle a little. Not a good habit to instill in you children. Actually, people were going up for seconds before I made my first. Then..after that we went and played 4 rounds of volleyball. It had been a while since I played volleyball and it was fun! Something really awesome happened. My uncle, who use to be quite active, but now overweight was walking with us to the course for the second round. I asked him, "Are you going to play with us, Uncle Delton?" He said, "No, do you want me to die? That will kill  me." I told him, "No, the complete opposite..I want you to LIVE! Sitting on the bench is dieing, and playing volleyball is living. If you hurt tomorrow, pop some Motrin!"...HE PLAYED 3 ROUND WITH US!!! Probably the most he has moved in year. Going to the park for Easter was one of the best ideas because we did not all just sit around on the couch and look at each other..we were active!
    I still feel really really good. I feel better and healthier by the day. It is surprising because it has only been 9 days since I started this journey. Tomorrow is my last day of the cleanse. I am happy to be moving on to the next step of the 24 Day Challenge. I'm looking forward to the shake meal replacements. I'm going to use them for lunch because I usually do not have a minute to sit down and eat a good lunch anyway with three kiddos running around. I bet they are yummy. I keep telling everyone I meet about what I am doing to lose weight. I just want to share this product with everyone because I feel so good, and if it can help me lose weight, it can help them lose weight too. It has been so hard for me to lose anything for so long. I literally thought my metabolism was broken or that I had a thyroid problem...neither of those. I was just not eating healthy and getting all the nutrition my body needed to burn fat and calories. Today my husband said that he can tell by looking at me that I am losing...WHATTTTT???!! That is awesome..I wonder if I have lost more since Sunday..not weighing though. He took a picture of me after he said that.

This pic is after I got home from the gym and swimming today. The kids and I had a lot of fun while we exercised. I see it now..my potential. Before when I was on that plateau, I could not visualize how good I was going to feel and look when I lost this weight, and now I do. I'M DOING THIS!!