Life after the challenge

Yesterday marked day 24 of my challenge! I woke up and weighed in immediately. The awesome thing about the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge is that it is NOT a weight loss program. It's designed to give you optimal health, wellness & energy. Pounds & inches just happen to fall off as you transform your body from good to great. So, weighing in is exciting and nerve wracking as I think to myself, I should have not snuck that Americano in. But what I have to remember is this....I am not losing weight to prove something, I am not competing, I am not in trouble with someone if I don't lose all the weight I wanted to. It's simply for the health and wellness of me and my family. That's it. So when I feel like I am trying to fit into this mold that I can never fit in to, I remind myself that I am just trying to be the healthiest ME that I can be. So whatever that looks like for you will be different than what it looks like for me. Doesn't that give you a little bit of a breather? 

Ok back to the results....I woke up, stumbled to my kids bathroom (because for some reason I don't want to look at the scale in my own bathroom) and I step on it. Actually I step on the scale 3 times because I don't have 100% faith in my scale and usually find that the number changes at least once out of the 3 times. When I started the challenge, I wrote out my goals of 15 pounds and 6 inches. I had no rhyme or reason for the numbers and I had no idea how my body would handle the products in the challenge. After 24 days, I lost 8 pounds and 12". To measure my inches, I used a string of yarn and then held the yarn to a tape measure. I wrapped that yarn around my chest and found 4" GONE! Where did it go? Doesn't matter....just don't come back! Then I wrapped the yarn around my shoulders...inches GONE! It was like I was slowly shrinking away. Well SHRINK ON!! Loving it. Feeling good. The one place I was a little bummed about was my waist. I lost an inch but wanted much more. But remember....this losing is NOT the purpose of the challenge. So I took my inches and pounds lost and I celebrated! Well...I didn't really party, just felt like partying on the inside. 

My husband will start the challenge this week. I think he is giddy about it like I was. And now I have friends coming from all over that are asking me about the challenge. They say that will happen. People see how good you look and feel and they want onboard! I don't blame them. I encourage everyone in all walks of life to take a challenge. You just don't know how good you can feel until you make your body right. I know I have a longer road ahead of me than the last 24 days. But I also know that my body is healthier and functioning better than a month ago. So losing the weight should come a little bit easier now.

My friend and I are now in a 90 day challenge. We are continuing with some of the products that we love and we are going into the fall season with this. As I stated in a previous post, I really want a great reason to get a new Fall/Winter wardrobe! 

The products that I chose to stay with: 

- Spark (for obvious reasons)

- MNS E (during the challenge, I took MNS 3 but I want to try the E because it has higher appetite control and more energy)

- Catalyst

- OmegaPlex

- ThermoPlus

- Meal Replacement Shakes 

-ProBiotic Ultra

Until next time,

BE THE BEST YOU.

Coastal Living

I have been missing from the blogging world for a few days and I missed it! Our family spent the weekend at the coast for a small reunion with family member from out of state. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved getting to know their cousin from Florida. 

Today is day 22 on the challenge. I am excited to weigh in and measure in 2 more days. My pants all fit very loose in the legs and the butt. They are more comfortable around the waist but I know that with a little more time, I will be working my way into a smaller pair. There are times I feel like I haven't changed, but when clothes just feel better on, it's a great feeling. My 24 day challenge will now become a 90 day challenge. I will continue to eat clean foods and limit some food. As far as AdvoCare goes, I will continue with the MNS 3 (Metabolic Nutrition System) packets that are full of great daily nutrition. I will also continue to drink 1-2 Sparks a day. But I would also like to try the ThermoPlus supplements. These are thermogenics that help suppress appetite and boost metabolism so that you can burn more calories. I will continue with the Catalyst and meal replacement shakes as well. There are so many great products and now that the challenge will be complete, I will be able to try out new products. My 90 day goal is to be down another 15 pounds and back into my old jeans. And when I get there, that will be an incredible feeling. 

I have heard others talk about foods that bother their stomach after switching to clean eating. It's mostly foods that are not great for you or should be in small quantities. Since this challenge, I have discovered that cheese makes my stomach hurt if I have more than a slice at a time. I know...I was supposed to cut it out completely in this challenge but I did have some. And I have to say, I look back on it and think it was not worth it. I was not satisfied by eating a little piece of cheese. And it seems like I am still alive when I take the added salt and cheese out of my meals. (I never would have guessed!) 

As always,

BE THE BEST YOU

Day 18 and loving life

I can't believe I didn't post yesterday! My goal was to post everyday during my challenge. But I did post twice one day so maybe that counts? I was a solo momma last night with both kids while the hubs escaped to play softball. So I may or may not have drifted off to sleep when putting my son to bed. Our bedtime routine is hard with both kids and no help. But the kids were little angels for me so that was a big plus. 

Yesterday I had an off day with my challenge. I cheated on the food a few times throughout the day and it gave me such a guilty conscious so I am confessing to you here. I had a major desire to eat  something like ice cream and it was screaming out to me. So to battle the desire, I sliced an apple and cooked it with cinnamon and ginger. It was really good and the perfect amount of sweet to feel satisfied. 

Things turned around for me today and I felt much more optimistic. My new canister of Spark arrived and I decided to make a glass to try it out. It was delicious! Fruit punch. I'm telling you. So I make the Spark and set it down on the table only to turn my back for a second and find  that my son (2.5 yo) has discovered the love of the mommy juice. He says "mommy I had your juice-woah! I want some more..."  And I thought to myself...oh dear help me! This kid has enough energy in his little body and definitely does not need more. 

Tomorrow is day 19 for me. We are having a mixer at our house and I'm hoping the night will end with more people accepting the challenge. If you want to take the challenge and become a better you, contact me and I will be happy to help you take the next step. As always, 

BE THE BEST YOU

Inspiration to keep going

Why is it that some pants have to fit differently than others? Especially when I am focused on getting healthy and losing weight. The pants I wore today had me believe I lost another 5 pounds. My belt went in 2 more notches and is 1 notch away from being where it has comfortably sat for several years before I let it all go and had 2 babies. Love my babies...and love my old jeans I hope to get in to by the fall. (This fall. Not next). So I decided to peek at my waist measurements to see if I was making it all up or not. I'm still a ways away from where I want to be but I am proud of the progress I have made. I started scoping out some fall clothing eye candy on Pinterest. Leave it to Pinterest to make me want to do some major shopping. I think my wardrobe is a few years outdated. I figure if I wait long enough, my clothes will come back in to style. That's how it works right? Of course when I pin these outfits, I am pinning the idea that I will look super skinny in them. Lets hope the next trip to the fitting room does not turn in to a disaster...which is why I won't go into one until I am too small for my current line of clothes. 

Tonight I had a major sweet tooth. I starred at that box of cereal in my pantry for a few minutes and then realized I can shut the door and turn on the juicer. So I did. A delicious veggie and fruit smoothie that the hubs and I enjoyed together. 

Carrots

Apples

Peach

Blueberries

Banana

These smoothies are a must when that sweet tooth is hollering at you for something bad. 

I have found that I have fallen away from the meal plan's exact items for each day but I do make sure the food I am eating is on the plan somewhere. So I may eat salmon on a chicken night or have nuts instead of avacado. Mostly because I am trying the feed my husband too and I want to make sure we keep the menu fresh for him. Tomorrow is day 17! I better order my products that I want to take after the challenge. I plan to continue with supplements for now because of the difference I feel in my body everyday. 

BE THE BEST YOU. 

You really are what you eat

If there is one thing I have learned about how my body works, it's that I am what I eat. I'm sure you can relate. If I eat terribly greasy foods, my stomach feels heavy and gross at the expense of satisfied taste buds. And if I eat fresh and light, I feel good and still satisfied. Now that I have completed the 10 day cleanse, I have realized that I can eat clean and still be satisfied. I do not need all the added junk in order for my stomach to think it's full. 

What I have also learned is that I cannot workout and eat bad at the same time. Well I can, but I will not see the results I want to see. The reason is because the body gets its fuel through nutrients in order to function best. If I am working out and still eating poorly, it's not doing anything. My muscles may be sore and I may feel like I'm getting stronger. But what my body craves is the good healthy foods so that it can absorb the nutrients it needs. When there is bad food in the system, it blocks the body's ability to absorb the good things. That is the purpose of the cleanse. To rid the waste in the body and get to a place where the body will be able to absorb good things. It's no wonder I feel so much better. My body is fueled and feeling optimal. Yes, exercise is very important, but you have to learn to eat better. The bad food is what leads to disease and health issues, not the lack of hitting the weight room. 

Spark shake with frozen cherries - Delish!

Tonight we BBQ'ed chicken and veggie kabobs. We also decided that we could eat these tasty kabobs every. single. night. Oh my delish! Seriously. We had peppers, onion, pineapple, tomatoes and chicken all marinated in pineapple juice, olive oil and seasons. It was a fun way to break the cycle of plain veggies that I eat every day.

I posted this picture just for the cute factor

BE THE BEST YOU.

Day 14

After a very productive and active day, I am spent! I kicked the day off with a Spark, then managed to clean the house, sweep the garage and wander into pulling weeds on the side of the house, all before 10. There is something to say about getting all the house chores complete in the morning. I love enjoying a clean house for the rest of the weekend. Or until one of the wee-ones manages to bring destruction back to the house. Which doesn't take long by the way. We took the kids to the YMCA today and let them play while we hit the weights room. The hubs made me do bench presses today. I have NEVER done bench presses. My arms have always been my weakest area, not to mention I used to be really self conscious if any part of my shoulder was showing in the clothes I wore. Don't get me wrong...I benched the bar...just the bar. No weights added. It was hard for me! I had already done a bunch of other weight machines before the bench press so I blame the weak muscles on the fact that I was tired and not just struggling to press the bar. 

I took Landon to the Produce Patch in our neighborhood this afternoon to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. It will be so nice when I can pick the tomatoes from our garden rather than buy decent ones at the store. We picked up some strawberries that were delicious. In fact, I mashed them up and added them to my balsamic dressing for my garden spinach salad. You may think it sounds weird. But you need to try it. So flavorful and colorful. 

Garden Spinach Strawberry Balsamic Salad, Turkey and Sweet Potatoes

You know that feeling when you have a package expected to be delivered and you start watching the front door like a hawk? Well that was me...all day. Actually starting yesterday. My AdvoCare distributor box was set to arrive yesterday, until the carrier changed the date on me at the last minute. Like really last minute. My box finally arrived at about 7:30 tonight. I am so excited because it contains samples of Spark and SLAM (a liquid vitamin & amino acid supplement power drink). Now I have tangible items to share with those that are interested in AdvoCare. This will be a game changer. It's one thing to talk about how the challenge has been for me. It's another to be able to share the energy, tastiness and effectiveness of the products. Yay!

Dairy-Free Meal Replacement Shakes!

Let's get Sparked!

BE THE BEST YOU. 

Progress is moving forward

Today was one of those days where I was feeling defeated. It happens every once in a while. I get into a mood where I start doubting the effort I'm making to get healthy. I texted my husband this morning and told him I'm having a fat day. Do you ever have a fat day? Where you don't feel good in the clothes you wear and you just want to eat something bad? That was me this morning. My husband encouraged me to stay positive and focused. He sent me a picture of myself from a few months ago to show me the progress I have made. 

My goal to lose weight is not about looking skinny but more about being healthy. I don't want to be the thinnest person out there, I just want to feel good in what I wear and learn to make better choices in what I eat and what I feed to my family. But seeing a side by side picture of myself really does put things into perspective for me. I am making progress. 

When you think about being the healthiest you that you can be, what do you see? What is stopping you from getting there? Lack of time is not an excuse. We all have 24 hours in a day. It's up to you to decide how you will spend that time. Make time to achieve your health goals. It's one of the most important things you can do for yourself. 

BE THE BEST YOU. 

Get Sparked

You know what I love? Being able to get off work and go straight to the gym with kids and hubby in tow. I love it because I know that there is a place for the kids to play and be watched while my hubs and I can focus on our own bodies and spend some time working out without one of us having to quit too soon to chase a kid around. It's nice. Someone snuck a few pictures of me while I was working the weights. Embarrassing. 

So I started to do a little research on caffeine amounts. Because I feel so alert and energetic when I drink Spark (just 2x/day) I was curious about how it compares to other caffeinated drinks. Here is what I found:

Ingredients/Facts AdvoCare Spark® Regular Brewed Coffee The Coca-Cola Company® Coca-Cola® Red Bull® Rockstar® Starbucks® Grande Mocha Frappuccino® Whip † Serving Size One Pouch 8 fl. oz. 8 fl. oz. 12 fl. oz. 8.3 fl. oz. 8 fl. oz. 16 fl. oz. Servings per Container 1 1 1 1 1 1 Calories 45 2 146 110 140 380 Total Fat 0 0.5g 0 0 0 15g Saturated Fat 0 0 0 0 0 9g Cholesterol 0 0 0 0 0 55mg Sodium 0 5mg 50mg 200mg 40mg 240mg Potassium 0 116mg 0 0 0 0 Total Carbohydrates 11g 0 41g 28g 31g 57g Sugars 0 0 41g 27g 31g 47g Protein 0 0.28g 0 0 0 6g Vitamin A 20% 0 0 0 0 10% Vitamin C 300% 0 0 0 0 0 Vitamin E 100% <1% 0 0 0 0 Thiamine 200% 2% 0 0 0 0 Riboflavin 200% 11% 0 0 100% 0 Niacin 300% 2% 0 100% 100% 0 Vitamin B-6 750% <1% 0 250% 100% 0 Vitamin B-12 750% 0 0 83% 100% 0 Pantothenic Acid 500% 6% 0 50% 100% 0 Zinc 20% <1% 0 0 0 0 Total Caffeine 120mg 95-150mg 35mg 80mg 80mg 115mg

† Caffeine content of specialty coffees, Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Vol. 27, October 2003. 

AdvoCare Spark® excels when compared to the competition because its advanced formulation is more nutritionally well-rounded with no sugar and fewer calories, providing a healthy, effective source of energy that's based on proven science.*

All entries in the comparison table have been made on the basis of information available from a variety of sources. To the best of our knowledge, this information is accurate and complete as of publication of this document. All trademarks, product names and company names or logos cited herein are the property of their respective owners

Not to mention Spark is loaded with other vitamins, is sugar free and low in calories. To learn more about how Spark works in your body, check THIS out. It's amazing how different Spark makes me feel versus soda or coffee. It seems like soda has no caffeine effect on me, coffee has a caffeine effect for a little while and then I crave more coffee and end up drinking 2-3 cups a day just to feel sluggish and tired by dinner time. But with Spark, I feel like I am alert all the way through bedtime. When I have my 2nd Spark in the afternoon, it's not because I have a headache or I am feeling drowsy. It's because I feel good after I drink it. And it's nice to feel good all day long for a change. 

The hubs and I are starting to talk to more people about taking the 24 Day Challenge. It's exciting to get people interested in AdvoCare because I know we can be a part of changing people's lives. My hope is that our friends and family feel comfortable enough with us to reach out and say "I'm ready to take action and jump into the challenge to better my life"

BE THE BEST YOU.

Phase 2: The Max Phase

The results are in...(drum roll please) After the 10 day cleanse, I have lost 8 pounds and 7 inches! (fist pumping again). My ultimate goal for the 24 days is 15 pounds and 6 inches. To say I am thrilled with my progress results is an understatement. You guys...this challenge is seriously changing my life. I was skeptical at first but I am feeling so good about myself. My mood is better, I am focused and ready to go every day. 

I started my morning off with a meal replacement shake and let me tell you, I was FULL after that. It was delicious and held me over well into my lunch. In fact, I ate lunch much later than my usual time. Tonight we had salmon and white sweet potatoes. I love learning how to eat a well rounded meal without needing to add salt and cheese to everything.

If you want to start fueling your body to function better, gain energy, tone your muscles, lose weight and become overall healthy, then let's talk AdvoCare. Clean eating and the right combo of great supplements is all that it takes to get your body to a better place. 

Left: Day 3 of the Challenge
Right: Day 7 of the Challenge

If I can 24...YOU CAN 24. 

BE THE BEST YOU.  

On my mind

Titles: That's the one thing I struggled with in high school. Titling my paper. I never knew how to capture my whole paper into one short title. I have that problem now too. What to title my post or even bigger, what to title my blog. And when I started thinking about what to title my blog (The Get Fit Momma) it all came down to my goals for me and MY FAMILY. I shared with you in my very first post that I have struggled with weight since I was a little girl. And now that I have a family, I realize how desperate I am to make sure my family is healthy and fit. I have been so afraid of my children becoming obese as they get older. Not because they eat terribly but because it's such a huge epidemic in America. I hear about childhood obesity all the time. And it's sad. To me, childhood obesity is caused completely by the parent. A child learns to eat by what the parent provides for the child. If you start throwing Happy Meals in your kids face every night instead of fresh foods, the child learns to eat that way.

What gets me fired up even more is how hard it is to find healthy food in public. We hear how much America is overweight and we all need to work out and shop local, but we allow food chains that sell saturated fat and high calorie foods to be on every corner. We think adding calorie counts next to Double Quarter Pounder cheeseburgers is going to help people make informed choices. Well I don't buy it. Like other things in life, people will become desensitized to the calories and choose what sounds good at the time. How about this, if it's so bad for us to eat, take it OFF THE MENU! Why are we allowing food chains to continue to supply terrible food to America rather than saying "Hey McD, that's too much fat and calories for people. You need to change the item or somehow find a way to lower the calories."

I've heard people say that other countries living in poverty look at overweight Americans as rich and healthy because they have enough food to make them big. Well my friends, that's just the opposite. You see, in America we make the processed FAT foods easy to get and cheap to buy. And we make the healthy fresh foods more expensive. So people that don't have a lot of money tend to buy the worst foods just to be able to provide enough meals for their families to get by. It's messed up. So then I start thinking about where it all went wrong and I think I can see it in the marketing images below. You see a pattern?

          

Phase 1: Complete!

Well folks, I did it! The cleanse phase ends tonight and the Max phase begins tomorrow. And you know what that means? I get to start drinking the chocolate meal replacement shakes in the morning. Oh yeah! I have been waiting for chocolate to reenter my life for the past...10 days!

I will take all my measurements and weigh in tomorrow morning and report back in my post for tomorrow. 

The hubs and I joined the YMCA in town and actually made it over there after work to get our sweaty workouts on. It was date night. How romantic...and smelly. ooh la la. We did meet a guy in the weights room that leads a body flex class twice a night. He gently corrected my bicep curls on the machine. What?? It's my first day back in the gym in...way too long! We left the kiddos in the child watch room and they got to play while we worked out. Looks like everyone wins there. Exactly what we need. 

I'm happy to report my eggs turned out well and COOKED this morning :) You live and learn. I had a great breakfast of 3 hard boiled eggs and a delicious Fuji apple. If you are looking for a fruit that will hold your hunger over, pick up a big apple. They are GREAT fillers. 

Remember,

BE THE BEST YOU.

Day 9

Well I started off the day missing out on my breakfast. I knew the eggs didn't boil long enough yesterday. I cracked open my hard boiled egg at work this morning only to find an under-cooked over easy egg inside. Ugh! If there is one thing that grosses me out, it's raw egg whites. So in the trash went all 3 eggs and any sign of eating until lunch. I usually have fruit with my eggs but wouldn't you know today was the day I had no fruit with me. So my takeaway today was to have a backup plan...or just make sure you cook your eggs longer and keep the fresh fruit stocked in the house. 

Ever since I started the challenge, I have been watching myself closely to see what is physically changing and to pay attention to what I feel like on the inside. I have had a better experience in the last 9 days on this challenge than I have had with any other program. Although I miss my cheese...a lot! All the crud in my body is cleaning out and I have put a lot of great healthy foods in. In fact, my bulgy tummy is going down. Hooray! 

Photo shoot with my boy:

BE THE BEST YOU. 

Can you 24?

Well folks, the fiber drink returned this morning to finish out the last 3 days of the cleanse phase. I didn't miss it if you are wondering. I am excited for the Max phase because it's something new and it means I have completed an entire step in the challenge. Woo! I am going to try to wait till day 10 to weigh in again so stay tuned...

One thing that is stressed in the challenge is to drink 128 oz or more of water every day. I don't think I made it that far today and my payback is a headache. I have been feeling so great these past 8 days but after we took the kids swimming, a headache kicked in. 

We pickled our first jars of pickles today! Pretty sure we didn't pack either jar tight enough with cucumbers but that's ok. We will have many more cucumbers coming in and can try with the next batch. It was messy and made my house smell like Easter egg vinegar but it was still fun . 

We are hosting our very first mixer at our house this month. A mixer is a little get together to talk about and learn about AdvoCare and the 24 day challenge. We drink Sparks and be merry! We are hoping to gain a few people that want to take the challenge with us. We are part of AdvoCare because we believe we can help others gain their health back, get the right nutrition in their bodies and change their lives for the better. 

Can you 24?

BE THE BEST YOU.

Juicers and swimming pools

You know...I actually slept till 7am today. In fact the whole house did! Before you wonder how, just know that Landon wasn't home, he was at Grammy's, so that meant the rest of us didn't get woken up by a blue eyed, blond hair tan little boy. I felt rested and ready for the day. I drank my spark and the rest was history. 

There are two staple appliances in my kitchen that I can't get enough of. My juicer and my food scale. I just can't imagine life in the kitchen without them. I have had my juicer for several years now and I am obsessed! If it had an automatic cleaner and I didn't have to hose it out after every use, I would use it everyday. I recommend everyone have a juicer in their household. Amazing apple juice! We love to juice apples and carrots together. Both make a lot of juice and the combo is delish! But wait till apples are in season (fall) because they are priced lower and they are big and wonderful. Oh how I absolutely LOVE the fall. If I could juice a pumpkin I probably would...but that's weird. 

The food scale is something we purchased when we were following the Weight Watchers plan. A lot of things were calculated by ounce and I had no idea how to eyeball an ounce so the scale entered our kitchen. It's amazing! And I bet 4oz of meat is a lot more than you would think. Knowing the serving size by ounce is so helpful when learning portion control. I realized that the servings I was used to having were much larger than what I should be having.

Chicken Salad

Basil Garlic Sockeye Salmon and Potato

I challenge you to start weighing your meat and cheese. You may be surprised. Our bodies are relying on us to put the right amount of foods in them. Invest in a scale (they are not expensive) and use it!

Today I made a little mistake in my challenge. I drank a small little ol Americano with sugar free vanilla, Is that allowed? I didn't think it was much since the Americano is all water and some espresso. But it gave me a stomach ache! Ugh I was not feeling good. It seems like it was a mix of already having a Spark a few hours prior and not snacking in between. Too much caffeine on an empty stomach. I learned my lesson. I will not be having coffee for the rest of my challenge. 

On another note: we took the kids to the YMCA today to swim for the first time this summer. It was a blast. Baby's first time in a pool. She absolutely loved it! I have such active little babies on my hands. Good thing there is such thing as Spark!

BE THE BEST YOU.

Day 6

Everything I have in my closet has an image in my head of how it looks on me. That's why MOST of the shirts I own, hardly EVER make it off the hanger. My husband wonders why I complain about having no clothes. Well honey, it's because I only like the way 5 shirts look on me. Well today I put on a pair of pants that I knew made my lower stomach look so bulgy. When I zipped up and looked in the mirror, I noticed the bulge had gone down. Ummm...hello bulge? where are you? This is the part where I take the jeans off as fast as I can so that I don't have to feel so yuck any longer. It's also the moment I wish yoga pants where appropriate business attire. Anyway, I measured my waist just to be sure and I am 1" less on my tummy than 6 days ago. That's another notch in my belt loop. So with all this excitement, I measured my arm. 0.75" off the arm as well! This is perfect motivation for me to keep going.

And then I hear that my friend on the challenge with me is down a total of 10 pounds already. We are only on day 6. Bodies are changing and things are looking good! So proud of her. She says she wants to be a success story for AdvoCare. I would say she already is a success story. 

Today's lunch was tuna. It's one of those foods (textures) that I need either on bread or something crunchy like a cracker. So I decided to try an orange pepper. I learned that I rather stick to the crackers. I think canned chicken would be delicious on the pepper but the tuna was a little too much for me. But it looked pretty. 

BE THE BEST YOU.