Day 10

Day 10 ... one day late again.. sorry! 

The Cleanse is OVER! 

Last day of Phase 1 consisted of a Fiber Drink (mixed with Mandarin Orange Spark this time), oatmeal (in the 1/2 cup - 1/2 cup - 1/2 cup increments again), and two yummy runny eggs. Lunch was the usual salad with chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Dinner was a SALAD from Chipotle. Now, I really shouldn't eat complex carbs after 4pm ... BUT I admit I did it anyway. I had salad with brown rice, black beans, fajita peppers, mild salsa, and medium salsa. She put a LOT of medium salsa on there ... it was so spicy! I told Matt I could defrost the windows on his car just breathing on it. 

You might have seen this on my Facebook yesterday, but I came across it and it really stuck out to me... 

 

I want to make sure people understand why I am doing the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge. A couple of people have asked me, "how's your diet going?" Although it's a legitimate question, because the word "diet" according to Dictionary.com means "food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health," the connotation of the word "diet" tends to be a temporary deprivation from certain foods. 

The 24-Day Challenge will not really end once I hit Day 24. The challenge was just a way to motivate me and kick-start a long-term habit of better, healthier, more nutritional eating regimen. Many people do the challenge to lose weight, and people often do. I have seen people who have lost 30 or 40 pounds in the 24 days. These people, however, tend to be the ones who have a LOT of weight to lose. 

I don't have a LOT of weight to lose. Based on my weight and my body-fat percentage, which I had measured at the RIT Health Sciences & Technology Fitness Lab (which is AWESOME, by the way), I only have about 31 pounds of fat in my body. This doesn't mean that I need to lose 30 pounds. Female athletes tend to be around 14-20% body fat, where as females with only essential body fat (that which is necessary for organs to function properly) is 10-12%. I am around 18-19%. So, instead of trying to "lose weight," what I'm really trying to do is lose fat and gain muscle mass. Even if the number on the scale stays the same, I'm fine with that as long as my body fat percentage keeps going down.

I know it sounds really cliche, but I'm a big believer that you shouldn't "diet," but rather should make a lifestyle change. Again, cliche, but very true. If you do the stereotypical "diet," you will just gain weight back as soon as you stop following it. 

My food intake seems to be a little boring, I'm sure... I eat basically the same things every day, mixing up dinner every week. However, I think this is helping me stay on track. I also am getting enough variety - lots of different fruits and veggies - that it doesn't seem like I am limiting myself. 

I'm proud of how far I've come - but I am still missing my coffee in the mornings... 

THANKS for following!