Advocare 24 Day Challenge- Days 22-24 Results

We did it! 24 days of complete health achieved, and it wasn't even that hard! Admittedly, day 24 (the one where you eat what you want) was my favorite. I still had a meal replacement shake for breakfast before my whole family went to get flu shots. Maddon was extremely worried about this and kept trying to bargain his way out of it. I was the first to get poked so he could see that it wasn't a big deal. Inspired by my lack of tears and general indifference,  he put on a brave face and followed me into his own version of hell. The little dude didn't even cry and later told me that he did it for his brother! Xander went after him and only cried until he was given a cookie ( I think he was so surprised to see one after 24 days, he didn't want to take any chances losing it).  I was so proud, but couldn't help wondering "where's my cookie?". We have a rule in our house that shots of any kind equal ice cream, so day 24 couldn't have landed on a better date. My boys have never experienced the bliss that is derived from a milkshake, so we decided to go to Steak'n Shake after preschool. I had a side salad and the boys ate sliders and apple sauce before we got our shakes. In true Maddon fashion, he ordered the m&m shake and Xander and I chose chocolate covered strawberry. It was double elation in a glass and we didn't even care that we were all seriously sticky when they were gone. We had such a great time together and it was one of those afternoons that made me feel truly grateful to be a stay at home mama.

After our lunch I took the boys over to the liquer store and whipped out the guns for my friend , the owner. He was so excited for me and I was so proud of myself for powering through the embarrassment and staying true to my word.* He even asked to see my abs and I obliged (hussy!) . He also asked me a million awkward questions about stretch marks and bowel movements, but I held strong and answered them all. I'm becoming quite the little business woman.  This is basically what he saw ... and while it may not be a vast improvement, I'm still proud of it and that's nothing to spit at :)


* If you have no idea what I'm talking about please refer to my previous post entitled "Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Days 6-9"








When Jason got home we went to celebrate my achievement with pizza and beer.  It was a great time, but I was excited and bewildered to find that even after 24 days, pizza really wasn't that big of a deal and I didn't even want more than one beer.* Xander, however, was very excited to cram his face with pie after a month of sacrifice, and it was entertaining to watch for sure.

* Probably because I didn't need one. After 24 days of sobriety, one beer got this girl surprisingly tipsy!

 

 So after 24 days of extreme health, we decided to give ourselves an intense cheat weekend before continuing with the program until Halloween. That was definitely not my best idea ever. This past month has really been an eye opener and it truly changed my relationship with food. It felt weird to fill up with junk and the yucky feeling that followed just further drove the point home. Monday was far from my best day ever and I was so excited for my products to arrive today. This challenge has literally changed my life, the lives of my husband and children and  some of my best friends. Four of us are continuing with the products and I'm really excited to see the transformations! Also, I started taking catalyst and I am sooooo excited to see the results. This little pill is supposed to do wonders for your muscles and really burn the fat. One lady told me that after she started taking it, her thighs never rubbed together again. Now that's speaking my language! Oh, and speaking of language, for the next section on results, I tried to translate everyone's name into another language so they could remain semi-anonymous. It didn't work (they were exactly the same!) so I will be referring to my friends by number (in no order of importance) instead.

All righty, instead of highs and lows, I'm going to give you all what I know you've been dieing for... Results!

• Team mate number 1 -   She forgot to take measurements, so that part will remain a mystery. But she lost ten pounds! Awesome work mama! Keep it up and you will be back to pre-baby weight in no time! I am so proud of you!
• Team mate number 2 -  She lost 6 pounds and a total of 7 3/4 inches! You are a rock star and just don't know how much it means that you took this journey with me! I am so excited for you and I just know you are going to reach all of your health goals!
• Team mate number 3 - She lost a whopping 14 pounds and 18 1/2 inches! What a powerhouse! She didn't cheat, not even once and it shows! Looks like we will be bikini clad and cruising the aisles of kings' even sooner than we expected! Go get it girl!

I haven't gotten results from the other members ( I think they may be shy, because they don't know me very well) and I was too impatient to wait, so I guess their results just won't be included in this post. However, I need to thank all of you ladies so much for doing this with me!!! I know that some of you thought that I was/am slightly crazy and mainly just did it to support me, and I so appreciate you. I hope that you are all happy with your results and continue on your path (what ever it may be) to health and happiness.

Now, for the part I am most nervous about (its not every day that a girl posts pictures of herself in skivvies online), my results...

I lost 5 pounds and 4 1/2 inches. I am down one pant size and I finally am steady on my way to muscular definition and super human strength :)

From the back

 From the side

From the front

I'm still not quite there, but I'd say I'm well on my way. I cant wait to see the transformation another month adding the catalyst will bring! Until next time, eat your carrots and breath in that air. Life is good!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge Days 15-21

Just cruisin through this thang... Despite the fact that half of my family has had the flu and everyone around me seems to be coming down with it, the MAX phase has been going really smoothly.  I'm used to the diet now and it doesn't even feel prohibitive. I'm accustomed to working out every day and most importantly, I'm seeing results (yaaaaay!!!), so it's really easy to stay motivated. I did a pull up today people! As embarrassing as this may be, that was my first one... ever. My pants are falling off and I feel great (except for the fact that I will now have to subject myself to clothes shopping with two smallish males. But hey, if that is my biggest problem, then life is pretty sweet)! This ball is definitely rolling and gaining serious momentum. So much, in fact, that Jason and I have decided to take two days off at the end of the challenge and then pick right back up again with another round of the MNS max products ( I'm switching from max3 to maxC however, because I'm still craving sugar) and two more weeks of a completely clean diet. We are getting this thing done! Bundt cake* is going down!

*Its more of a mini doughnut now. Mini doughnut, you're going down!

I decided to spend my weekend running again (anything to get out of the house after all of that upchucking) and went for another jog in Wash Park on Saturday. I was absolutely amazed to have beaten my previous time by 15 seconds a mile! At this rate I should be able to run a two minute mile in just a matter of months... Okay, that is never going to happen. But in all seriousness, running five miles at eight minutes a mile is a big time achievement for this stumpy, short legged girl. I have never run professionally or even competitively, but I'm racing against myself and I'm pretty sure I just mopped the floor with my own ass. On Sunday I was feeling really cooped up and slightly grumpy so I decided to lace up, run out the front door and see where my magical* shoes would take me. Well those shoes just kept running and running and running. I actually started having Forrest Gump fantasies. Really ( I'm an unapologetic nerd and I like it). That being said, my nerdy-ness took me on my longest jog this year (6 miles) and I was able to maintain an eight minute, fifteen second mile the whole time. Booya!

*the complete opposite of magical. Blown out, busted and in dire need of replacement...

Before we get to the highs and lows, I want to share a story from one of my best girlies. It goes like this " So I was running with my dog the other morning and we came upon a giant buck. I was absolutely terrified and convinced that it was going to charge and gore us to death, so I turned around and ran as fast as I could all the way home. You know what I learned? I learned that if I ever have to run for my life... I. Will. Die."  Now, while I find this story to be incredibly amusing and slightly hilarious, I really want her to start carrying mace and train with me for a bit. This weekend running taught me something about myself. If I was being chased and had to run for my life, I would race like a Tyrannosaurus Rex on crack (it could happen) to safety. Then catch my breath, say "fuck that", turn around and run back, gnash my teeth and fight my attacker to the death. Then eat them (probably not if my attacker was a human) for a month, making sure to use every part.* All of that running makes this girl hungry and I really hate wasting food :)

* There has to be a  pinterest board for that...


Highs and Lows y'all

Low points

1. Being woken up by a small child with bad breath, barfing in my face (gross!). Since becoming a parent my "ick factor" has went up immeasurably, but, seriously... gross!

2. Realizing that I might be a horrible, selfish mother. My first thought after getting barfed on wasn't "Oh poor baby! How can I make you feel better?" but, was rather "No, don't barf on me! I cannot get the flu! I have to finish my challenge!" Luckily this was only a thought and not a statement. I think I was able to semi-redeem myself with chicken soup and home made applesauce.

3. All of that running gave me a giant blister on my heel. A first for these shoes. I seriously need new ones.

High Points

1. Realizing that the challenge supplements have given me super human immunity, because even though I was surrounded by and practically covered in spew, I DID NOT get the flu!

2. Finding cleanse friendly dessert recipes! This banana "soft serve" is one of my favorites and you could make so many variations. Just get creative!

 Slice up 3 bananas and put them on a tray

Pop them in the freezer until they're good and frozen (maybe a couple of hours)

Pull them out of the freezer while you grab your other ingredients.  

- "Clean" peanut butter (the only ingredients should be peanuts and salt)

- Lite coconut milk 

- Unsweetened cocoa powder

Toss everything into the food processor. I didn't measure anything, but here are some estimates

All of the bananas

A scoop or two of peanut butter ( 2 Tablespoons )

A splash of coconut milk ( 1 Tablespoon)

A small scoop cocoa powder ( 1 and a half teaspoons)

Buzz it all up until smooth

Serve and enjoy!

Yum!





3. This cauliflower pizza was awesome! However, I'm unofficially changing the name to " pizza flavored cauliflower hot dish" because if you are expecting pizza you might be disappointed. It was delicious anyway though. We added turkey bacon, hot peppers and tomatoes from the garden. Plus, I used my own garden marinara, but add any cleanse friendly ingredients you like. Have a little fun. Go crazy!

4. And just for fun and cuteness... This happy little boy eating applesauce and holding it down :)

Have a good night and know that by the time you hear from me again, I will have eaten real pizza and be a very happy girl!