Phase 2, Day 1

All done! The cleanse is offically done and the total loss in 10 days is 9lbs. I would like to contest that number but I can't effectivly argue with a scale. It is what it is. All I know is- I have 14 more days to lose 11 pounds and be at my goal for the 24 days. I am sure I can do it, I need to exercise more which I only did twice in the past ten days. Oops. Working out is so overrated, so is cleaning baseboards!

So last night we had a late dinner, but it was delicious. Chicken & Shrimp kabobs with peppers. Its so nice eating foods without crazy additives and knowing its healthy. For lunch yesterday I met a friend at a place in Huntersville called Killington's. Ugh they have crazy good food and the wings are my favorite...buuut I can't have those so I ate a salad. It was still good but wings would have been better!

The second part of the 24-day challenge requires a meal replacement shake and a vitamin strip. Note to self, never put frozen whole strawberries in a blender they will also come out whole. Oops. I had a berry flavored smoothie this morning and it was alright. I could still kind of taste the vitamins or whatever is in it but I am full so it did the trick. So basically I eat two regular meals a day and a shake in the morning. I hope the vanilla and chocolate shakes don't taste bad. I dont do well with nasty liquids, who does really? 

We'll see how today goes; I am still in the mindset of doing this. I am proud of myself for actually completing the full ten days without cheating even with a small morsel of food! Go me.

IIIIIIIIII = 10!!

So today is the final day of the cleanse. I should be more excited than I am but I'm not. I don't have much to type. I made Buffalo Turkey Burgers for dinner last night and they were good. The addition of a bun and cheese would have made them great!! I sandwiched them between lettuce and tomato with yellow mustard. Not too bad, usually I'm skeptical of ground turkey because it has a funny smell but they were good and I survived.

Today I've had 4 egg whites and some mixed nuts for my breakfast. Fiber drink this morning was probably worse than yesterday. I made it then got side tracked and when I finally got around to drinking it, it was turning into a thick gel-substance. Nasty.

Lunch will be out to eat, I'm planning on a plain salad with grilled chicken. Lets hope that is the case. I am trying to go as low in sodium as possible today so when I weigh myself tomorrow I wont be disappointed. And if I am disappointed, I blame the sushi. I still regret eating that....damn fish. Tomorrow starts the second phase of the 24-day challenge. I am able to incorporated more whole grains into my meals, still no dairy. I do love cheese. My cravings are mainly the little things, a bun on my hamburger or french fries with my meal. Mostly just things that  my family is eating. I make my meal first and then cook the extras for them so they won't starve. I haven't gotten tired of anything yet either, the variety definitely helps the 10 days go by quickly. I am hoping to lose at least 20lbs total during the 24 days. With my stuipd +3.2 gain yesterday, I still have a way to go. DAMN SUSHI.

9

To sum up today so far:

Fiber drink was the hardest this morning than it has ever been.

I want it to be lunch time already

I am ready for the weekend. Anybody have any fun plans?

Moo Moo Mr. Cow

the culprit.

I have felt like a hunk a junk today. I've been so tired, had a horrible headache and the nauseous feeling all day. I have taken headache medicine but that still hasn't gotten rid of it. I drank a Spark after breakfast thinking that would help, then had some almonds & sunflower seeds but still nothing worked. I finally took lunch about 1:45 and had to get something to eat. I needed something filling, some rabbit-like lettuce wasn't going to do the trick whatsoever. I ate sushi. I feel like I cheated and have been down about it all day. Argh. It was the spicy shrimp/salmon/tuna trio with brown rice and I did use 1 packet of soy sauce. I can't believe it. Its not like a grabbed a box of oreos and camped out in my closet for the afternoon but still.  Tomorrow when I wake up and have gained 20+ pounds, I'll know why! I had a great dinner though. I dry-rubbed porkchops last night and let them sit in the fridge overnight. So good. I also made fresh green beans, fresh squash/zucchini/mushroom medley, salad with tomatoes and onion and I also baked mushrooms in a foil packet with chicken broth & garlic. It definitely made up for my lunch.

Tomorrow is t-1 day until the end of the cleanse. I bought strawberries at the grocery store today to go with my meal replacement shakes that I start drinking on the second part of the 24 day challenge. I still haven't taken my measurements and I am upset with myself. I have gone to the grocery store so many times in the past week I should have remembered to pick one up.

Day 8

First let me say Steve ordered pizza for dinner last night and I only smelled it. Luckily he got onions for a topping so I didnt even want to touch it. The other was a thin crust which I like even less. I had a long day but it seems I eat less and less. I didn't eat breakfast yesterday morning, I know that's bad, and got Moe's for lunch. It really was good and I think I want it again today. Thanks, Jess for the birthday gift card!! So I had a Moe's salad, some almonds & sunflower seeds that pretty much held me over right until 5 when I left work and went to Harris Teeter. I am tired of chicken so I bought some sliced turkey at the deli, our Harris Teeter doesn't carry Boar's Head yet and I had to buy Dietz & Watson. I guess if that is the only thing that was wrong yesterday it was a pretty good day! I made my own version of a chef's salad...not too bad. After work I was starving, pehaps from looking at the pizza sitting on my counter, whatever. I heated up some brown rice and ate that for an after dinner snack. I ended up taking the herbal cleanse pill around 11:30 once the rice had been digested.

Nope!

Today, however, is a whole new routine.....i just love change. No, I hate it really; I like everything to be familiar. No wonder I havent brushed my hair since high school...right Heather?! I took a probiotic pill this morning and once at work drank the amazing fiber drink.  I ate right after the drink since those were the directions for today. I made an egg white omelet and had some grapes. I'm hungry at this moment and want Starbucks!

Mainly I think I'm excited for the cleanse to be over to prove to myself that I am able to do it. I was skeptical at first thinking it would be easy, remember, and they would work sitting on my counter? Well that didn't happen and I did do it (almost!) and am proud. I have two weddings to go to in the upcoming months, one in September that is going to be a freakin' blast and its black tie. I want to be able to buy something that doesn't resemble a sack or pillowcase or toga. Catch me? The other in October I am a bridesmaid in and we are wearing black knee-length dresses. Again, no sacks please.

Today plus Three!

Wow, day 7 of the cleanse already. Shoooot girl. I am almost done! It has gone by so much quicker than I thought. Although before Steve left for work this morning he told me he was going to have Jimmy Johns for lunch....ugh the devil. I love Jimmy Johns, my love came from college when they were right down the street from me along with Beezers located directly across from campus. I love subs and these two places are delicious. I know there are JJs around but if you're ever in Columbia, hit up Beezers on Sumter St. right across from the Horseshoe. I warn you, dont take a group of people because the inside is about 4'x4'. 

Enough about food I can't eat! I went to the gym today and it was torture. I wanted to cry while riding the bicycle. I stuck it out and finished my hour then hit the road as quickly as possible. I didn't even look back. I haven't worked out since the beginning of July. It may not have helped that I didn't have time to eat this morning before I went. I took my probiotic pills and drank a spark and was off. I thought the Spark would give me enough energy to make it but it was still rough. I came home and crashed on the bed. I need to run to the grocery store before going into work so I might hit up Fresh Market. I love that place just never make time to head up to Cornelius.

Just a side note, all of the TV anchors have great ties on. WCNC & The Today show guys have bright colors on.

Anyhow, I haven't taken any pictures lately of my food. Mostly repeats of what I have been eating previously. I swear yesterday I only consumed about 750 calories but I feel I ate a lot of food. I was especially proud of myself for bringing my dinner with me to work and eating it right around 6:30 so when I got off (LATE!) I could take my herbal cleanse pill on an empty stomach. That's about it. I did weigh myself today on the rickety scale at the gym and am VERY pleased with the results!! I shall tell on Saturday, the day after the 10th day of the cleanse.  Aaaand, above is a picture of Sydney. She sets the self timer on my camera and has a photoshoot of herself. This picture was taken Saturday night at Nikki's house after tubing. She's going to be a great photographer!

Lunch!

My salad was awesome. I am stuffed!

Organic Lettuce, Purple Onion, Tomatoes, Grilled Chicken
Balsamic & Frank's Redhot, delicious.

SIX!

Just a quick entry, I work late today so hopefully I will have more to post throughout the day. Woke up this morning with the intention of going to the gym at somepoint today, most likely during lunch but I forgot that my hours were 11-8 not 8-5. I took my probiotic pill, and drank a spark to get me going. I feel great today, had a 4 egg white omelet for breakfast, it does sound like a lot of eggs, but without the yolk its not heavy and, well I enjoy it. I also had a cup of green grapes. I grilled chicken last night and have a container of greens with tomatoes for lunch again today. I dont know what to do about dinner since I will be working through it. I can eat when I get home but I think that'll be too late to eat and then have enough time to take my herbal pills on an empty stomach. We shall see.

Friday is the last day of the cleanse, then the next phase is 14 more days. I hope it goes by quickly, but then again when I'm finished it will be in the middle of August. Almost time for Christmas! Time sure does fly by.

Today

Was looong.  Not so much this morning, we were lazy and hung out in the living room until noon or so. I made breakfast again and had an egg white omelet for myself with a banana. I never crave bread but lately bread has become synonomous with being full and I feel that if I could just have an itty bitty bite of bread I would be magically filled. Not happenin'. After our lazy morning we headed over to Steve's parents house. Let me mention that his dad is a phenominal cook, I constantly ask him for recipes and pointers to try and replicate the food he makes for us. So we get there and what is sitting on his counter? Chicken. Chicken that is fixin' to be fried. Great. This couldn't get worse, but it does. He also puts on the counter a can of beef consumé. I know exactly what that means...brown rice(not the healthy kind). Only my single favorite side dish he makes. At this point, I know that I need to get out of there before they eat this meal. Luckily it was just in the beginning stages so I had time before it was all ready. I left their house, leaving the gang there, and headed straight to HT. I know the only way to cut this off is to fill myself up first. So I grab a bag of their organic lettuce, the kind you get your own serving of. I love it because I can get what I want and I know that it won't spoil. I also get another pregrilled chicken breast, some onions and cucumbers from the salad bar & a roma tomato. Perfect, just assemble once at home and I'll have lunch. I head back and put my findings on a plate, just as soon as I do, Steve's dad offers me the food he has made! Crikey. I politely decline and he genuinely looks puzzled.  I never turn down his food (which is probably why I'm in this predicament in the first place!) Lunch is pretty darn good, I'm sticking with the wee bit of basalmic dressing & Franks Redhot for my dressing. We got out of there before they actually sat down for dinner.

After that we headed back home, Syd went down for a nap and so did I. I woke up about 5 starving. I made another egg white omelet and a bag of cauliflower/broccoli mix. It filled me up but don't be fooled, this girl was still making dinner. I had tilapia out and some fresh mushrooms. Again, I was craving carbs so I broke down and made the healthy kind of brown rice. I didnt want to sautee the mushrooms since they were whole, I made a packet-like contraption out of foil, put the mushrooms in there, poured organice chicken broth and minced garlice on top. I also sliced up a jalapeno in 4 pieces and just stuck them in the packet to infuse some spice. I put them in the oven at 400 degrees until soft. They were so good! The jalapeno definitely added flavor and heat. I will make them again for sure. That was my night. Just for the record, I feel the need to break down my food. So I will. Enjoy.

Breakfast:
4 egg-white omelete with tomatoes and jalapenos
1 Chiquita Banana

Morning Snack:
Green Grapes
6 or 7 baby carrots

Lunch:

Organic Lettuce Mix

Grilled Chicken Breast

Red Onion

3 slices of Cucumber

Roma Tomatoes

Newmans Italian Dressing (1tbsp)
Frank's Hotsauce

Pepper

Afternoon Snack (HA, more like a meal):

3 egg white omelet
Steamfresh Broccoli & Cauliflower

Dinner:
1.5 filets of grilled tilapia
8 whole white mushrooms
3/4c. brown rice

Oh fatty fatty, that seems like a lot of food, YIKES!

Cinco de Cleanse-o

After today, only 5 more days of the cleanse. I'm not as excited as one might think; besides wanted to eat the world yesterday, it hasn't been so bad. I admit, I forgot to take my Omega pills yesterday during dinner. I had everything else packed and ready to go and just remembered this morning about them. I need to see what I can do about that.

www.riversidecanoeing.com

Yesterday was a lot of fun. We headed to the mountains to 'Canoe the New,' after 4 hours of mishaps, we finally arrived at the Canoe Office. At this point its 2pm, we left Huntersville at 10. So we weren't able to canoe the 4 hour trip we originally planned for, so we opted for a 2 hour tube adventure instead. The people were super nice and even rigged a canoe for Sydney to float in. It was nice not having her sit in my lap the whole time!

I thought yesterday would be difficult for eating but the night before I spent almost an hour cleaning and packing fruit, making sandwichs (for my sister and Sydney)and grilling chicken for myself. I wasn't sure what the logistics of the whole day were but I wanted to make sure that I woud have plenty to eat so I wouldn't have to sneak a few chips or somethin'. I grilled chicken Friday night, it was so good. I marinated it in Frank's Red Hot & Minced Garlic. I packed lots of fruit and some carrots and hummus to snack on, again with the hummus. I still didn't like it this time in case you were wondering! Next I'm going to try to Sabre Red Pepper, the spicy one, and if that is a bust I will give up completely. The snacks came in handy while we were sitting at the gas station for two hours. Can't say I wasn't tempted to run inside and grab a quick bag of chip and a soda. My salad was awesome, I added tomatoes after I took the above picture, but for dressing I mixed 1tbsp. HT Balsamic Vinagerette & Frank's Red Hot Sauce (yes, more!) and poured over top once we got to the canoe site. It hit the spot. I was full and ready to go, thankful for all of the food that I brought.

Dinner last night was a cookout at my friend Nikki's house. She made a freakin' feast! Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Grilled Chicken, Pesto Skewers, etc. So much food. She also made bean dip, oh my, it looked so good and it definitely called my name on a number of occasions. It was denied, no worries. I also ate grilled chicken, grilled vegetables with Wholly Guacamole on top & Almonds. I did graze on more veggies after my meal, I chalk it up to the fact that I wasn't at home and the food was sitting out in front of me. True, I could have MOVED from in front of the food, but I didn't, and I dont feel guilty.  

I brought dessert over last night, which I didn't eat either. I usually don't eat desserts, especially ones that I make. I have a pizza tooth rather than a sweet one. Here is the recipe, it is so easy, it can be modified slightly with fat free cream cheese, but it is always a hit when I have it or bring it to parties.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans  (I've used almonds and hazelnuts on different occasions)

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2.Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  (The easiest way is to use wax paper to shape the ball)

3.Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving
 
I serve with graham crackers, but use whatever you like!
 
Amount Per Serving Calories: 65

Total Fat: 5.3g
Cholesterol: 15mg
Of course if you change the cream cheese, the nutritional content will be different.
 
Enjoy!

Day IV

Main Entry: temp·ta·tion

Pronunciation: \tem(p)-ˈtā-shən\

Function: noun

Date: 13th century

1 : the act of tempting or the state of being tempted especially to evil : enticement

2 : something tempting : a cause or occasion of enticement

THE GREATER THE OBSTACLE, THE MORE GLORY IN OVERCOMING IT

If the following don't look like obstacles to you, try being me. More imporantly, try being me today when I wanted to eat them all.

<>

Turkey Smoke Sausage, I cooked this for breakfast for Steve & Syd.

Wendy's Chicken Nuggets

Not with all those toppings, but a hamburger in general. Preferably from the Penguin.

This my friend, is a chili cheese coney from Sonic

Please let this stand for taco dip, guacamole, salsa and chips...

Just know that I did not want all of these foods at the same time, oh heavens no. The hardest was the taco dip that was sitting in front of my face. Chips and Salsa/Taco Dip sits right under Starbucks. I make my own salsa most of the time but still, it was VERY hard to resist. That's all for now. I will go to bed dreaming of pizza, popcorn & ice cream.

Canoe the New!

<----That is what I am doing today, so freakin' excited. I have my snacks packed, my lunch and I have already prepped for breakfast so I can't make any excuses! Luckily, no fiber drink today, two probiotic pills in the morning then follow the same plan for the rest of the day. I packed a Spark in my lunch in case I get a tired attack on the river, I hate tipping over. That would make for a real crappy day! I am super tempted to get on the scale this morning but I don't think time permits. I have cook  breakfast for the army (which consist of Steve, Sydney & myself), but like I said, I already sauteed the onions and mushrooms for the omelets, cut up the jalapenos and broke the eggs in a container. Shoot girl, I'm on top of it. Please, please don't think I'm always this organized. I am the least organized person you will probably meet, just something lately has kicked my big booty into gear and I am actually getting things done around here, just not the laundry. I still have to pack for the trip which shouldn't be too hard considering we are sitting on a canoe all day. I hope the weather holds up and I can get nice and tan in the process. wait...I hear the scale calling, oy! Pictures of my lunchbox later, hold the excitement please!

Busta Move.

The work day is finally coming to an end. I swear this week has flown by but today crept minute by minute. I mean new fashions were going to be in style before the end got here. Its almost 5 and I have a little time update. I posted my link on facebook, so thanks for checking this out. Anyhow, I had my breakfast this morning which was filling, but around 11o'clock I wanted a snack. Since I didn't wake up in time for the grocery store I had nothing to eat! I opted for a spark. So delicious, seriously. It definitely gave me a jolt of energy and held me over until I had my lunch break.

This is a picture of the salad on
my camera, not good quality!

Oh lunch, why do you tempt me so. I seriously could have eaten a cow. I wasn't really that hungry but a huge burger was lurking in my mind. Nevertheless, I grabbed a premade grilled chicken breast at Harris Teeter, some roma tomatoes and a cucumber then headed home to assemble the salad. I wasn't looking forward to it at all, especially going from lingering thoughts of a hamburger to rabbit food. To top it all off, I ran out of salad dressing (no pun intended). Dear Franks Red Hot, you are now my #1 friend. Lunch turned out to be super good with the addition of hot sauce.

DO. NOT. LIKE.

Afternoon snack time was looking pretty dim too. Not an exciting food day, to say the least. I had hummus in the fridge. I don't like hummus, I just buy it to say I have it. Whatever. So me and my nub carrots got together with hummus in a container to make a snack. Gross. I posted a picture, but the quality is again from my cell phone. The hummus is spinach and artichoke Sabre hummus. The funny thing is (I'm at home now, not at work), I went to the grocery store after work and bought MORE hummus. I don't like being left out! I also ate a nectarine, meeh, wasn't too good. I'll stick with peaches.

Now I'm home and getting ready to head to my parents for dinner. I guess I'll have to pack some food. I am still tired but I don't want to drink another Spark in case it keeps me up all night. Tomorrow I am going canoeing, so excited, but I probably bought the whole produce section just to make sure I wasn't deprived of food. Luckily NO fiber drink tomorrow, sweet! Just the probiotic pills which hopefully I can manage. I seriously can't believe its almost the end of day 3, like I said before, the weekend will be the biggest test. The scale has already lowered by 6.2lbs, I mean who couldn't stay motivated with that?!

Shout out to Katy, she is 3 days away from being done with the cleanse!

Troisième Jour

I am a bit sluggish today. I planned on waking up at 5:45, HA!, to go grocery shopping so I would have food for today but my first glance of the clock this morning was 6:58. Oops. Luckily I cut up some strawberries last night, put my fiber drink & spark in my lunch box and had it ready to go in the fridge. I made an egg white omelet, I also burned said egg white omelet. I shoved it in a rubbermaid container and set off to work.

sriracha sauce...SPIIIICY!

Last night's meal was super easy to whip up. I marinated some porkchops when I got home from work using 1 tbsp. of Kraft Free Zesty & Ceasar Italian and 1 tbsp. Sriracha Sauce (the best SPICY chili sauce ever). I poured the mixture over top and let sit in the fridge for a couple hours. Around 7 I heated up the brown rice & vegetables from the night before, tossed Steamfresh green beans in the microwave & put together a salad. The salad was lettuce & tomatoes with black pepper. Nothing fancy. I browned some turkey smoked sausage in a pan for Steve & Sydney in addition to their dinners. Want to make sure they're not neglected! Dinner was really good, I overcooked the chops, probably because they were super thin, I swear they were on the grill for maybe 4 minutes. Still edible though, can't complain.  I was extra hungry yesterday, I noticed. I grabbed some almonds at my parents house around 6 and had those tide me over until I made dinner. I also took 6 Omega pills last night instead of 4. They aren't the same kind that Advocare recommends, but they are...kinda.

I get that I jump around and haven't exactly explained what I am doing and what my goals are...I feel that is boring. No, I am pretty bad at explanations, seriously. Ask my husband. He cannot stand when he asks me something and gets a one word answer in reply. I dont like answering questions sometimes, its weird.  Its more that I dont feel like talking, which sometimes is necessary but not in my book. I promise at one point in time I will fully explain. Just know that it encompasses 24 days that I have to go without Starbucks!

Cosmetic Work.

My blog needs a face-lift. The site I was previously using has to switch host sites because photobucket can't support their banwidth anymore. I am trying to find something that doesn't have tags posted in the middle of the page. I felt the need to share. I am in the middle of real work & trying to update this thing! Argh!&%*#

No MOE!

, oOh Joey, I think I love you!

Seriously it's another addiction but this is one I am still able to eat! Sweet!! So between last post & now I have consumed 11 pecans & a Moe's Joey Streaker. I had to modify the streaker from my normal but still healthy version to the Advocare approved version. The lady looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for about a tbsp of black beans. She was like, really? Yes lady REALLY. My streaker consisted of 1 tbsp. black beans, grilled chicken, lots of lettuce, pico & fresh jalapenos. I stuck some El Guapos Famous Salsa on the top and voila; it was wonderful. I skipped out on the chips and salsa which is a favorite of mine. I immediately stuck a piece of gum in my mouth after I was done. I didnt want to be tempted by those chips.

HuevosRancheros, http://www.health-bent.com/

Now it's 3:46, I'm sitting here thinking about, well FOOD. I'm googling recipes and have found this pretty awesome website. They follow the Paleo Diet, which means no processed foods; everything is something you can hunt or gather and the recipes look so good. If you're curious, Click HERE. You probably can make some modifications according to your taste but they look so good. A guy at work made (and brought in for himself but I got to try!) the shepards pie and also the Mediterrean Salad which was good but not my style. I really want to make the Huevos Rancheros. Check it out! I love to cook so I might share some recipes too. I have one for buffalo burgers, can't wait to try those, anything with hot sauce is right up my alley.

I think I'm going to try a Spark now for the heck of it, lets see what it's all about. Ok, twenty minutes have passed and I made the Spark. Pink Lemonade flavor kicks all the other flavors outta the water!

So...I caved.

Hold on! It's not what you think. Its only 10:40 and I've already eaten 1 single solitary peach and 1 grilled chicken breast with iceberg lettuce and 1/4 cup tomato. Yes, I've basically eaten my lunch.  I asked Steve to bring me my phone charger, since my phone is always dead. Then I added if he would be so kind to pluck the leftover salad from dinner out of the fridge, he did! I dont think I could get to my desk quickly enough, I was that hungry. So I've already scarfed that down. I used pepper and a tiny bit of salt for the 'dressing' and it was so good. I'll probably wait an hour and take the catalyst pills before I go home and eat another salad. Like I said, don't judge!

Let me show you what goodness is on my mind, I'll just put a picture because as Andie says, "I'm gonna be all hot and shit."

Hoagie....yes I'm just dreaming.

Day 2

I thought I was going to have time last night to upload pictures and update this thing-a-ma-jig with my food-filled day, but alas I forgot about some homework that needed to be completed by midnight. Leave it to me to be super last minute...on everything! So I didn't get around to it then and now I'm at work so it'll just have to be a big-girl entry without pictures. Dissapointing, I know!

After updating yesterday about the fiber drink ordeal & my breakfast, I grabbed some almonds (7 to be precise) and pecans (about 5) for a mid morning snack. I didn't think they would hold me over until lunch, which they didnt but the crunchiness definitely hit the spot. I opted for a Steamfresh bag of Brocolli around 11:30, added some pepper & crushed red pepper flakes and it was magnifico! I probably wouldn't describe it like that, but it filled me up. 

Lunch was uneventful too, iceberg lettuce, cucumbers w/ basalmic vinegar & grilled chicken. I added a tbsp. of Kraft Zesty Italian dressing, and overall it was good & filling. Once back to work I had a piece of gum, I was craving Starbucks so badly.

Starbucks, I miss you! Please know that I WILL be back...just not anytime soon.

The gum definitely helped satisfy the craving. I had to ask Katy first if I could chew gum. I didn't want to break the rules on day 1. That would be my luck. After I was tired of the gum, I had a peach. I swear when I know I'm not supposed to eat a lot, I shovel food down like its my job. I guess it could be worse, like eating a pizza.

Vinnie's Pizza...Pittsburgh, PA

I digress...finding pictures of food is so much more fun right now though! Dinner was already planned in my head. I went home, cleaned the kitchen and got to work. The menu: Grilled Chicken, Brown Rice, Salad consisting of lettuce & tomatoes, and sauteed, by sauteed I mean put in a pan with PAM and let cook, no butter,  vegetables (onions, mushrooms & zucchini). I was starving by the time everything was ready. I read that I can half 3/4 cup of a 'starchy carb' so I did just that and packed my little serving cup to the brim. I was going to enjoy every bit of it.  And I did. After I was done eating I went in the kitchen and put the leftover food away, I didn't want to tempt myself to pick like I usually do.
 So that's what I ate yesterday. After dinner I retreated to my room and finished my homework, about 9:45, I took the herbal cleanse pills and hit the sack. It was nice to get to bed early.  Today is day two. I woke up early and planned on making eggs for breakfast while drinking that nastiness, i mean fiber drink, but that didn't happen. I was whisked out the door so quickly I could only grab another peach. Torture. I. am. starving. I did manage to pack a bag of steamfresh green beans, but at 8:45 in the morning? No thank you.

Cleanse Phase - Day 1

Coming downstairs this morning I was so optimistic about starting my cleanse today, I guess I had a dream about it last night or something because I never pop out of bed that quickly. I gathered my boxes and arranged them next to each other on the kitchen counter, still wondering if they will work by themselves...no such luck. I was mentally preparing to take my first step and make the fiber drink that is required on days 1,2,3 and I think 9 & 10. Katy, Andie's sister is also doing the cleanse and today is day 6 for her, she has enlightened me on how awful this stuff is; so of course I pump it up in my mind that is is going to suck. BOY WAS IT TERRIBLE! Holy moly, I had to drink it in two seperate parts because my chugging skills are definitely lacking since college. To put in perspective, think of soaking shredded wheat in milk, then putting it in water. Doesn't that sound so good? Exactly. I pushed through and was proud of myself when I rinsed the empty cup out in the sink.

For breakfast I whipped up an egg white omelet with crushed red pepper flakes & black pepper and grabbed a container of strawberries that I cut last night. I stuck some pecans (like 7)in the bag because I dont have any almonds and also a steamfresh bag of brocolli; just in case I got the hankerin' for a snack before lunch.

My water is filled up and I am ready to go. I will post pictures later!

the point of no return...

I am now in possession of my Advocare products. I have the whole shebang and I'm still processing the idea that they dont perform miracles, they don't work sitting, unopened, in the boxes and most importantly they don't do dishes.


I am starting tomorrow and I can't have ANY Starbucks for 24 days. If you know me, you know this WILL NOT BE OK. If you don't know me, pretend you can't breathe and that is how necessary my Venti Non-Fat, No Whip Iced Mocha is to me every morning.


Here are the products:




And I'm off!

oh boy...what have I gotten myself into?!

So I have decided to start this blog, not only because I am jealous of the fab editing & creating skills that my friends have on their blogs, but to keep track of my new journey. I know you are just dying to know what I am talking about. More on that later.

First, this whole blogging this is quite time consuming. People's blogs that I read range from the beginner to good-lord-you-are-super-mom-with-what-you-have-accomplished! Mine, hopefully, will fall right in between. I do enjoy reading about other mother's adventures with their children, and keeping up with their lives, especially more so when they have cute little pictures included...and since blogs are more than 160 characters, it takes up more time at work to read. (Which is always a plus). I am still trying to figure this out....if you click on a link for something and it takes you to a link like THIS...don't judge! I'll figure it out sooner or later.

Now, my new journey. Its more of a 'self preservation' type deal. My friend Andie sold me on this program called AdvoCare. It's a 'cleanse-weight loss' thing and she looks FAB! She has been doing it for 5 months now and has lost almost 40 pounds. She wasn't 'fat' in my opnion to start and has lost that much weight, so I figure I have a good chance at it. I just need to STICK TO IT! Steve, my skeptical husband, is just itching for me to start. He wants to see 'real results' (like most all men) before he can believe something actually works. Sheesh. Give a girl a break tubby!

So tomorrow is my first day of the 'cleanse' phase. I am sitting here thinking of the most delicious dinner a girl can possibly have before I give it all up...and for a good cause might I add!
Until tomorrow...

PS- I don't really want pizza!