Whoops...Day 17

I clearly got busy and forgot about my responsibilities here! :)

At the end of my ten day challenge, I had lost 5 lbs and 6.5 inches. I feel good, and it was really pretty easy for me. I did have some cravings (including a very large bowl of ice cream that I indulged in on the eve of my "Day 10"), but thought my results were awesome!

The one part of the program I didn't participate in was excersize! (Whoops!) No excuses...I just don't easily make time for it and I should. I really need to get up early...I can't excersize with the kids home and up (my three year old tries to be an obstacle, and I'm just not that coordinated) and I'm too tired when they get to bed. This week I'm going to try to get in at least three days of a video of some sort.

As of this morning, I've lost 7.2 lbs. Admittedly, the max phase I haven't been nearly as "on" as I was for my ten days as far as diet. I do really great at breakfast (I am a Luna bar addict, and that is my breakfast), but it pretty much goes downhill quickly. Yesterday I had three chicken nuggets for lunch, a piece of my daughters birthday cake around 3, a hamburger patty and a bratwurst, a spoonful of baked beans, a few green olives, a piece of chocolate and a handful of almonds. (Reading that now makes my stomach hurt!) Today is a new day, and I'm going to try to be really on this week, and get some excersize in too.

The bottom line is that I'm losing regardless, and I feel good. That alone is worth the program!

6, 7, 8...

Days six and seven I was REALLY hungry. I stayed "on plan", but ate way too much in quantity. I can't tell if my metabolism is ramping up, or if I'm just hungrier. Last night I ate an entire bag of pistacios...which was said to contain four servings! WHOOPS! My biggest problem is I usually forget either my am or pm snack, and then it makes me starving and grouchy! No good for anyone!

Today is day 8. I had to drink that (*&#$(* fiber drink this morning. I did not miss it, and it was not a good reunion. I had a meal replacement bar, a huge seafood cobb with no dressing, and I need to have my pm snack, which will be natural PB on celery. I missed my morning snack and was STARVING at lunch time. Also, if I'm not constant with the water, I get way more hungry. It's hard when we are out and about to bring along enough water/snacks/etc.

I can't believe I only have two days left on the cleanse. I thought it would be awful, and really, besides the fiber drink, it's been amazing, and I'd highly recommend it! I'm hoping this is just a great jump start to a few good months of sliming down and being more health concious! :)

HIGH FIVE!

4.4 pounds lost at the halfway point on the cleanse. HECK YA!!!

I've never been starving, never really craved sugar, haven't had any dairy or alcohol, and my only "white" thing was however much flour or sugar is in half of an animal cracker that my three year old son fed me yesterday.

I didn't take day 5 measurements...just been tracking my weight daily.

I am 6.6 pounds from my lowest weight in the last 8 years. That's amazing! I'm hoping through the course of the 24 day challenge I can lose that, and then keep that momentum going!

The hardest part for me has been excersize. I've excersized ONE time. Boo. Bad me. I just find it hard to fit it into my life. Excuses, excuses, I know...

Until tomorrow!
H

Cuatro

This morning, I did NOT have to drink fiber drink! #happydance

It was another easy day...Luna bar for breakfast, snack, egg salad with avacado on a whole wheat wrap for lunch (it was SO good!), cherries and almonds for snack, and then a friend picked me up so we could run some errands together!

We went to applebees. I got the oriental grilled chicken salad. The only things I shouldn't have had on it were the dressing, and the glaze on the chicken (a terriyaki), and the few little crispy noodle things that were on there. Overall I felt like I made a good choice, though. Lots of veggies, lean protein. I was super full, and it felt "normal" to be able to eat out. I could have done much worse, and I was proud of myself for making good choices.

One interesting thing: I haven't been able to fall asleep or stay asleep very well for the past three to four days. I don't know if it's related to the supplements/spark, or just a weird coincidence. Last night I finally broke down and took some benedryl to help me sleep (and it did!) Don't know if that's just a coincidence or related.

Still feeling good, getting my gallon of water in and all my supplements, and am totally "regular" probably for the first time in my life! (Oh the things you can share on the internet...). Tomorrow is my halfway on the cleanse! WOO HOO! :)

HB

3

This is becoming easy, although I still need to check my dang print outs 3-4 times a day to make sure I'm getting in all my meals, supplements, etc.

I'm not even going to comment on the fiber drink. Seems to be getting harder instead of easier, but tomorrow starts a three day hiatus! YAY!

I did better with the almonds today, and did ZERO night eating (usually I've been having a handful of almonds).  I did eat a whole grain tortilla with dinner, some taco turkey meat, and a half an avacado! DELICIOUS!

I've been consuming a little over a gallon of water a day, and have been "regular" which is really unusual for me. I'm a once-or-twice a week girl. So things are cleansing.

I remarked to my husband today how I could truly eat like this. It's not hard...I just have to remember all my little snacks and meals so I don't get famished and over-indulge. There's not really anything I miss...when I want something sweet I have fruit. When I want something salty, I have some nuts. It's just remembering. Another huge thanks to my friends...lord knows I'm WAY more accountable because they did this for me. I want to show them my successes at the end of the 24 days, not a list of excuses why it didn't work or I couldn't stick to it.

I'm a weigh-once-a-week kind of girl. I didn't weigh for the whole month of June, because I was stressed and super busy with work/family. When I started, I took all my measurements and found out I gained five pounds in June. Well THAT sucks...I was hoping to take off NEW weight, not weight I put on in the last month. Well, on the cleanse I've been weighing every morning and jotting it on a piece of paper. I'll share it at the end, but in three days, I've lost three pounds. That's not awful. I'm not getting my heart set on an average of a pound a day, but even if I lost three pounds at the end of this week I would be glad, and it would be worth it. I have never lost three pounds in a week, even when I'm "on" my game.

I believe in this. It's working, I am not at ALL hungry or having cravings. It's working. I couldn't be happier with my results thus far. I'll take a day 5 weight and post my loss at the halfway point of the cleanse...and then again at day 10.

HB

Day 2

The hardest part is the fiber drink. It's awful. AWFUL. I'm not being dramatic...it makes me gag. I chug it as fast as humanly possible. Yuk. The FLAVOR wouldn't be bad if you didn't feel like you were swallowing saw dust in water. Gross.

The diet was really easy again today. I still know I'm eating too many "healthy fats". At night when I feel like snacking, I reach for a handful or two of almonds. I also ate a LOT of fruit yesterday, because we cut up canteloupe and watermelon...YUM! I'm not too worried about this...I mean how many people do you know who are seriously overweight because of too much fruit?? Today I'm going to try to reign in the almonds/avacados and try more for veggies if I want to snack.

It surprises me how much I DON'T miss sugar or bread. I haven't had to add in any carbs...I stay plenty full. I'm sure drinking a gallon+ of water doesn't hurt. Someone brought me a box of chocolate from Amsterdam yesterday. I had the lid open before I thought of it, and my husband said "you better put those in the freezer." I honestly hadn't even thought of it...I guess it's that sort of mindless eating that gets me in trouble.

Tomorrow is Day 3...after tomorrow I get a brief hiatus from that awful fiber drink! WOO HOO! :)

HB

Cleanse Day 1

I woke up this morning excited to start. I took measurements, weighed myself, and came into the kitchen to prepare my first supplements/breakfast.

Fiber drink=YUK. It's like drinking sawdust in water, no matter how often you stir. The taste isn't bad, but that consistancy first thing in the morning isn't easy for me. After drinking it, I was REALLY full, however, so that was good. I had two hard boiled eggs for breakfast, took all my supplements.

A friend came to take me out, so I packed a little baggy of almonds and a luna bar. I ate those while we were out, and when we came home at 3:45 I was feeling really sluggish, so I had some spark (YUM) and a peach. It really helped.

Dinner was a salad with cucumbers and celery, a hard boiled egg and grilled chicken. Delicious.

I've probably had a few more "healthy fats" than I'm supposed to (Almonds and half an avacado), but I've had over a gallon of water, and even too many "healthy fats" is way better than the choices I was making before. I'd love something sweet, and I may cheat and have a piece of cantelope with lime juice before bed, but again, not such a bad choice.

Overall, I'm feeling good about it. Day one is almost over, which means I only have five more fiber drinks to drink. (YUK AGAIN!)

Signing off,
HB