We’ve reached the last day of the cleanse! I don’t see any differences and neither does Heather. In fact I kinda feel like my stomach is bloated today, so I’m beginning to worry about weight loss, but I’m trusting the process.
I’ve never posted about how I organize my bags but this is how. I put them in a container and then just grab the day that I’m on and usually leave that out on the counter throughout the day.
Breakfast got fancy on the last day. I had the oatmeal which taste so much better when made in the microwave I’m in awe at how well this has worked and I’m disappointed that I ate this disgusting fiber throughout almost the whole cleanse phase when I could have not even tasted it. Then I had an omelet with spinach and mango. Yum! I love mango! I recently had a smoothie bowl at The Green Cat in Virginia Beach (http://thegreencatva.com) it’s a really healthy vegan, gluten free restaurant. I had it before we started the challenge. I thought I had a picture of it but couldn’t find it but it was a smoothie with a thicker consistency. And then they put mango, oats, and banana on it. Mine also came with coconut but I’m not a fan of coconut so I didn’t get it, but it’s a super cool and refreshing restaurant if anyone is in that area.
For lunch I had my cucumbers and rice I prepacked and non processed turkey. Make sure you are prepared and pack your foods I can’t stress that enough!
It was my last day of work so I got the nicest gift basket or as I like to call if the temptation basket. It included whoppers, slim jims, rice krispy treats, cheese its, and a target gift card. My parents enjoyed the rice krispy treats before I could even finish telling them what else was in it.
For dinner I had a salad and pork chops. I dipped my pork chop in ketchup.. Does anyone know if ketchup is allowed? I’m unsure of this but kinda figured if I only had a little it would be okay and it’s kinda a vegetable, right? Also Heather and I were wondering about shrimp. Heather looked it up before we began the challenge and said that shrimp wasn’t allowed but I’ve seen so many post with different Advocare recipes using shrimp? Anyone know anything about that?
So we’ve done it finished the cleanse phase, honestly I don’t really see anything changing, neither has Heather. I feel like my stomach looks bigger (hoping that it’s because it’s that time of month).
Another question! Did you guys see more changes in the cleanse or max phase! We’re seriously hoping that you say max phase!
After the completion of our first week I decided to weigh myself to see if I’ve lost more than I usually would on a diet and I lost 2 pounds which is about the average amount that I lose when I would use other diet programs. So I’m hoping that I will see a change soon!
Here’s my breakfast with my new and improved oatmeal, why did I not figure that out earlier? Making the oatmeal in the microwave makes it a lot fluffier and thicker it makes a lot more of it so it’s more to eat but it also taste like oatmeal so it’s better. I had nuts as a snack and then I forgot to pack something to have at work so I didn’t have a carb but I did have turkey and apple slices.
After work I had an apple for a snack and then pork tenderloin, mash potatoes, and corn for dinner.
I finished my night with a smoothie.
Some of you guys have been blogging about falling off track and not being motivated and I just wanted to let you guys know that you can do it and you’re not alone! I’m going to set up an email that you can send me questions, concerns, and just when you need to chat and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
After today we will have completed our first week! I’m loving this challenge and the motivation that it had given me! Now I’m ready to see results!
Heather’s breakfastMy breakfast
I made us omelets and Heather made the oatmeal. First off our omlets were delish, second off so was the oatmeal. No Heather didn’t forget to put the fiber in. But this time I couldn’t taste the fiber. Usually when I make the oatmeal I just put the fiber and oats in the bowl and then pour hot water into it that I got from our coffee maker. Heather started the same way but put water in the bowl and then heated it all up in the microwave. I don’t know if this just mixes it better or what but I couldn’t even taste the fiber!
For a snack we both had a clementine and then we drove down to Heather’s to see Hunter Hayes, Sam Hunt, and Lady Antebellum. We made dinner at her house (we didn’t have lunch). For dinner we had quinoa, chicken, and cucumbers. Neither of us took a picture but it was really good! Heather loved the quinoa and is going to make her parents dinner with it. Seriously if you haven’t tried it you really should. There are so many different ways to use it and recipes. And a little goes a long way.
Here’s us at the concert. We walked around the grass seating area several times in order to get a little workout in. My calves were pretty sore from paddle boarding yesterday and all the back bends. After the concert I had a clementine on my drive home. And that concludes our first week on Advocare!
Okay don’t judge me, today I slept a lot… Like I woke up at 1:30pm. I feel very refreshed after my 13 hours of hibernation, but my meals were very messed up!
I had my breakfast around 2:30ish. Nothing special just the usual. My moms birthday fell on the week that they were gone so I made her brownies today and we opened presents.
And no I didn’t have any. August is an awful month for all this healthy eating and no cheating, we have too many birthdays and events this month. But I would rather look good then enjoy a bite that will only last a couple minutes.
Because I woke up so late and there’s only so many hours in a day I couldn’t fit in all my meals and snacks for the day (I know bad, but I didn’t want to just shove food down my throat). So for dinner I had chicken and quinoa from last night (I’m obsessed with quinoa now, I can’t wait for heather to try it). And then I had nuts as a snack.
I guess when you sleep your whole day away there’s not much to write, so that concludes my Friday.
On day four my parents arrive home from Texas! I woke up early to begin cleaning the house before I had a dentist appointment.
Heather and I both had the strawberry mango spark again today and we both though it tasted better than the first time. Which is really weird, maybe it just takes some warming up too… I hope the fiber just takes some warming up to too! For breakfast I had the usual eggs, oatmeal, and a clementine, so I guess I didn’t document it. I had an apple for a snack again.
I used the taco meat I made yesterday and made tacos today. Which I ate with some fresh cucumbers from my neighbors garden. For my next snack I made a smoothie. I just throw some frozen fruit in the blender and strawberry lemonade crystal light and it makes a great smoothie.
Since my parents flight was coming in kinda late I made dinner for them. (Awhhh) We had salad, quinoa, and Asian sesame chicken. This chicken is so easy to make. All you do is defrost your chicken (this time I cut them into little squares but I don’t usually), place it into a crock pot with Asian sesame dressing, and the let it cook for an hour or longer. I just let it sit while I ran errands and cleaned. When I left for the airport I set the crockpot on warm and it was ready when we came home.
Here’s the dressing I used with the chicken.
My parents loved dinner and I loved the dinner. I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow and the quinoa was so good and it’s very good for you. It taste like a mix between pasta and rice. It’s very high in protein and fiber. If you haven’t tried it yet I recommend you do, there’s a lot of different recipes and ideas for using it. Because my parents flight was late and I was waiting to have dinner with them, I opted out of having a snack before bed. I had just eaten and was still full so it didn’t make since to me to stuff more food down my throat before going to bed and you’re suppose to stop eating 2-3 hours before you go to sleep. So it just seemed like the right choice.
Let me know about any foods you have found or any recipes that are to die for.
Day 3! The days are flying by and I’m glad we’ve started, I actually wish we started sooner so that the 24 days would be over before we go back to school. Nonetheless I’m happy that we started, that we’re doing it, that we are taking the first steps towards being fit and healthy. Towards looking our best and feeling even better!
So this morning I tried the fruit punch spark that Heather had said was really good and I loved it! It taste like fruit punch, it’s not too sweet, and it goes down easily! I would definitely recommend it! Heather had the green apple and she’s a fan of green apple flavored things so we both thought she would like it and she did.. So the morning is off to a great start!
I’ve stuck to the same breakfast I’ve been making its simple and easy and the citrus cancels out the the taste of the fiber. Today I took a picture before I added the water to the oatmeal and fiber so you could see just how much fiber comes in a pack.
And once again I’m celebrating that I’ve finished the oatmeal and fiber. I’m trying to eat the oatmeal faster because the past two days my eggs have been cold when I go to eat them. So that’s my inspiration for eating the oatmeal. Heather and I live relatively far away from each other (an hour and a half) so we like to keep each other updated on the diet and life with pictures, videos, and texts. We started this morning off talking about the fiber and how we expected to be in the bathroom a lot longer than we have. We both haven’t had any changes in that department.
Heather uses Quacker’s apple and cinnamon oatmeal when she mixes her fiber in and she says that she doesn’t even taste the fiber and that I will have to try that. So a different option if you’re like me and gagging trying to get the fiber and oatmeal down. I’ll keep you posted about how I like that one once I try it.
Today I got smarter with my dieting and planned ahead. I packed rice and carrots to have at work today along with almonds as a snack. I should have done this the first day. So here’s your warning, don’t leave anything to chance. If you’re going out shopping for the day pack snacks or bring a cooler with food in it. There’s no reason to cheat or skip a meal. So, I planned out my lunch for work and I get sent home before lunch! But I’m prepared for next time. For lunch I had turkey, rice, and carrots.
I had an apple for a snack. For dinner I made ground turkey breast (99% lean) with taco seasoning on it and corn. You can’t even taste the difference between this and regular beef and it’s a lot better for you. Before bed I had another apple for my last snack.
Today I did a 45 minute arm workout followed by a 20 minute ab workout. When I started doing ab workouts I found this app and I loved it! I started with the classic 8 min abs. It does each exercise with you and gives you breaks in between every two exercises. The app is good for anyone, but especially if you don’t know where to start. It shows you the timing for each exercise and gives you tips on how to do them correctly. In my workout folder on my phone I also have the butt, arms, and legs version. However for my ab workout I did 500 reps of whatever I like. I usually do 50 reps of each exercise. This is an extremely easy workout to do because you need no equipment. You can do it anywhere. I usually do it while I’m watching TV. I also had another three hours of volleyball.
I had mentioned before how I don’t know what exactly all the pills do so I’m going to try to touch base with that in this post. Today I was happy when I woke up with a text from heather saying she had the fruit punch spark and enjoyed it a lot better than the mango strawberry. The mango strawberry spark wasn’t bad it just took awhile to get down because it was so sweet. Today I had the green apple spark which was one that we got for free. I didn’t think I would like it but I actually enjoyed it better than the mango strawberry. I made it in a bigger glass so that I could add more water to it from the start and I would definitely recommend that.
Green Apple Spark.
When you order your 24 day challenge pack you get to choose two boxes that have 14 packets in them. There are seven flavors to choose from. The options are fruit punch, grape, mandarin orange, mango strawberry, pink lemonade, watermelon, and green apple. We both got fruit punch and mango strawberry. The main purpose of spark is to give you long lasting energy, enhance mental energy and focus, and help fight occasional drowsiness while providing you with 20 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in a sugar free drink. So far both Heather and I have not felt a diffference in our energy level. You have the option of drinking spark twice a day and I might try that on days I don’t have work just to see if there is a diffference. (http://www.advocare.com/products/active/A2094.aspx)
The two different pills we take when we drink our spark are ProBiotic Restore ULTRA and the optional catalyst that I talked about in my last post. ProBiotic Restore ULTRA helps maintain normal beneficial intestinal microflora (which is bacteria and microscopic algae and fungi that live in a certain place), supports healthy intestinal function, enhances weight management, improves nutrient absorption, aids in good digestion, provides immune system support, and helps relieve symptoms of occasional constipation in two pills that contain a high amounts of friendly probiotics. (http://www.advocare.com/products/well/W3812.aspx)
My breakfast.
Thirty minutes after drinking spark we eat our breakfast which should contain a protein, carb, and fruit. You also take the fiber now. I’m sticking with mixing the fiber into my oatmeal because it seems less worse than mixing it with water or a smoothie, although I would like to try maybe half the pack in oatmeal and half in a smoothie. Today I just swallowed the oatmeal without chewing or tasting it and it worked a lot better so that will be how I manage to consume the fiber for the next eight days. I ask add water to the oatmeal as I eat because it gets kinda thick and sticky. Eating the clementine with re oatmeal also helps because the strong citrus flavor dominates the fiber. The fiber comes in 3 flavors peaches and cream, citrus, and unflavored. Heather and I both ordered the unflavored, although I did read that the peaches and cream was pretty good as far as flavors go. This (http://livewelladvocare.com/results/citrus-vs-peaches-and-cream-fiber-drink) is an interesting read on the difference between the citrus and peaches and cream flavors, apparently the citrus gives you a better clean. So that is definitely something to keep in mind. It doesn’t compare the unflavored, I’m guessing that maybe it’s a new flavor and that’s why. The fiber packs contain 10g of fiber. They contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs water in your stomach and intestines providing a feeling of fullness to helps curb your appetite. Soluble fiber can also help minimize the absorption of fats and sugars. While insoluble fiber moves quickly through your system, cleansing the digestive tract and eliminating waste as it goes. The goal of the insoluble fiber is to cleanse your digestive tract so that your body will be able to better absorb vitamins, minerals and nutrients. (http://www.advocare.com/products/well/W4162.aspx)
Heather’s lunch.
After breakfast the next time you eat is a snack. I had almonds and Heather had peppers. Then you have lunch. Once again I kinda struggled with eating lunch at the house I babysit at I ended up having turkey and tomatoes and no carb. Heather had chicken, cucumber, and rice.
My dinner.Heather’s dinner.
For dinner I had spinach, chicken, and rice, while Heather had chicken and zucchini. With dinner you take OmegaPlex. OmegaPlex provides you with omega-3 fatty acids. It plays an important role in the transport of nutrients, Helps support normal blood flow, promotes cardiovascular health in combination with a healthy diet and exercise, support healthy blood pressure, helps promote healthy metabolism, as well as maintaining a healthy immune system, while promoting maintenance of healthy skin, hair and nails. (http://www.advocare.com/products/well/W2002.aspx)
After dinner I played 3 hours of volleyball and then came home and had an apple for a snack. I then took the last pills of the day herbal cleanse. Herbal cleanse supports improved digestion and thorough internal cleansing. It helps prepare the body for optimal nutrient absorption while supporting healthy weight management.
It’s really important to make sure you’re drinking enough water. You should be drinking half your body weight in fluid ounces each day. For me I just fill my bottle up the night before and put it in the fridge so it’s ready to go in the morning and then I fill it up throughout the day.
I hope you guys gained some clarity on the pills and why you take them. When you’re taking them it doesn’t feel like as many. We only take pills in the morning and at night so that makes it simpler. I hope if you’re not trying it already you’re starting to consider it.
We are anxious at what the first day will bring us! We both were up early Heather had a job interview today as well as work and it’s my birthday and I have work.
This is what we take first thing in the morning. Remember that catalyst (the three white pills) are optional and bought separately.
I woke up at 6:30 and went outside and sprinted for volleyball, then I came in and drank my Spark drink and took the first 5 pills (Catalyst and ProBiotic Restore ULTRA) I then left for a 3 mile walk/run. I use to hate running but my mom and I started the C25K app, which is an 8 week program to help you reach a point where you can run for 30 minutes straight, and it is so great. We finished it last month and ran our first 5K together. I would definitely recommend checking it out. I also you map my run or sports tracker to track my mileage and time.
This is one of the easier weeks and it gradually gets more difficult until you’re running for longer amounts of time without a break, like below.
So after my run I made breakfast. Heather had texted me because she already had breakfast and said that she mixed the dreaded fiber in with her oatmeal and it wasn’t bad, so I decided to try that. For breakfast I had oatmeal, eggs (3 egg whites, 1 whole egg), and a cutie.
I did not like the oatmeal it made me gag. This was interesting because I thought Heather would have more of a problem with eating some of the things than me. I was very excited to finish the oatmeal and fiber.
After breakfast my parents sent me on a scavenger hunt for my birthday. Which was so much fun so I feel like I should include that in the overview of my day. It was one of the best things anyone has done for me and I loved it. It ended with a cake. So here goes resisting temptations. My neighbors and the kids I nanny all said the cake was delicious, however I would not know ):
Here’s the results of my scavenger hunt (my parents aren’t home so they hid everything before they left).And here’s me giving away cake..
For a snack I packed a bag of almonds. Lunch was a little more tricky. I figured I would have turkey breast, carrot sticks, and I didn’t really plan out my carb. But the house I nanny at didn’t have any vegetables and I’m a picky eater. I ended up scrolling through the app and finding tomatoes under the vegetable category (although they have seeds so I think they’re a fruit). So my lunch consisted of turkey breast and tomatoes. I didn’t have a carb but I figured I would just have it at dinner. For a snack after lunch I had apple slices. And then for dinner I had brown rice, spinach and chicken. I then had 2 hours of coaching volleyball tryouts. More cake to resist (the head coach and I share the same birthday which always falls on tryouts). And then an apple for my last snack.
I loved how easy the app was to use and how it tracked all the pills as well as food and workout. It also allowed Heather and I to become friends and see what the other person is eating and their progress.
The cool thing about Heather and I both doing it together is that I plan on working out almost everyday while Heather isn’t going to workout, so we will get to see how that affects our results. It also allows us to post a variety of different meal options. So, here are Heather’s meals for the day. And then her snacks were peppers and then a banana.
Oatmeal, egg whites, and a banana.Ground beef, cucumbers, and rice.Chicken and zucchini.
Overall our first day was very good and we’re looking forward to the rest of the days to come, minus the fiber. Haha
This post is all about the planning that takes place before the diet. This was all Heather’s idea (so, props to her). As the quote goes “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail” and it most definitely would have been a lot harder to stick to the diet without our preparation (and it’s only day 1). We also learned a lot that may have been overlooked without the preparation and thought of several questions that we could now answer before we began the diet.
So we grabbed some ziplock bags and started putting the different supplements into them so each day was it’s own bag. WOW were we shocked there are a lot of pills and they are B-I-G! The first 10 days we take 11 pills, one drink, and one fiber packet which you mix with liquid. The last 14 days we take 20 pills, one drink, and one meal replacement shake. We decided to take Catalyst once a day which is an optional three pills that can be taken three times a day. While placing capsules in baggies we realized you need to read the serving sizes. A bottle of Catalyst comes with 90 capsules, so if you want to take them everyday three times a day for all 24 days of the 24 day challenge you would need 216 capsules. So make sure you look at this before ordering to eliminate extra shipping costs. We decided to get Catalyst because it aids in losing fat and gaining muscle, it helps to repair and protect muscle, while providing essential amino acids needed to maintain and promote lean body mass, endurance and strength. There are two other pills you can add on, ThermoPlus and Carb-Ease Plus but we decided not to get these too (plus, I think we have enough pills already!) We also were unsure about OmegaPlex (which comes with the 24 day challenge pack), the 24 day challenge directions say to take two pills once a day with dinner, but the directions on the pill bottle say to take two pills twice daily. We decided to take four pills with dinner, but I would like to ask about this. Our Advocare coach, who also happens to be a friend from high school, said that she only took two with dinner and once she took two at a different time without eating first and it made her sick. We also googled it and this is what we found…
I’m a little intimidated by the number of pills and a little embarrassed that I can’t tell you exactly what each pill does (so I’m going to have to do some research), but try not to let the number freak you out. I will let you guys know about how taking all the pills goes.
From the start we were told and read about how bad the fiber pack was and were both not looking forward to it. We were told that it becomes basically solid when not drunk right away and the best way to take it is to chug it very, very fast before it can thicken up or to mix it in a smoothie.
In fact one of my bags even celebrates not having to drink the fiber anymore and I haven’t even tried it.
I was really happy with how our bags turned out, we both put a different spin on the bags. I wrote everything on the bag and added quotes at the top to keep me motivated. While Heather wrote on notecards and then placed them inside each bag.
Here are days 1-4, with my bags above and Heather’s below.My bag is on the right and Heather’s is on the left.
We took somewhat dreaded before pictures. I think both of us followed up the pictures with “That’s what we look like from behind?!” Although these pictures may be uncomfortable and embarrassing they are important. In 24 days you are going to want to see the difference in your body. I’ve read several workout blogs and Advocare blogs and the authors don’t have before pictures so they just use a blurry picture that they’ve cropped someone out of in order to show their progress and accomplishments. Even if you never plan on sharing either photo, take them for yourself. So without further a due our before pictures…
Here I am.And here’s Heather.
We also downloaded the 24 day challenge app and its great! It keeps track of your weight, measurements, food, water intake, supplements, basically it is your bible for the next 24 days. It allows you to connect with friends and within the Advocare community so you’re not alone. So we took our measurements and recorded them in the app. The app tells you where and how to measure which was very helpful. We were a little unsure about some of the measurements, for example one said to measure your thigh, which they said was 6 inches from the top of your knee, well I have longs legs and I would say that my thigh is higher than that so I just measured both and wrote down the other measurement somewhere else.
This is the menu bar of the app.
This planning and preparation process taught us several things that we hope will help you as well as you start your journey!
So, 10 things we learned
Prepare which supplements you have to take and when before starting the challenge
Read the bottles, the serving sizes, and all the directions
Make sure you know what you can and cannot eat
Buy your food ahead of time to make sure there is healthy food in the house and no excuses for cheating
Plan out what you are going to eat at least a day in advance, if not a week
Take before pictures (I know they’re embarrassing, but you will want them one day)
Take measurements (Sometimes it’s not the scale that shows your progress, but the inches)
Download the Advocare 24 Days challenge app
Do the challenge with someone that will keep you motivated and keeps you accountable
keepingupwithkelseys 