Day 3 of my 24-Day Challenge is complete!
After taking Catalyst with Spark after eating some food first, I didn't feel any of the weirdness that I felt yesterday morning. Scrambled eggs with chopped peppers, and an orange sliced soccer game-style were breakfast again today. Another Fiber Drink was also on the menu. I literally gagged and almost spit it all back up trying to drink it! The good news is, I have 4 days where I don't have to drink any of the fiber drinks! WOOHOO!
I got to sleep in this morning - until 6:30! It's sad that I am excited about that. Workout today was a sprint workout on the track. Garmin Watch says it was 5 miles, but that can't be accurate. A little under 500 calories. It was a good start to the day!
Lunch was my usual big salad, and dinner tonight was chicken breast with broccoli. I made Matt chicken with the same BBQ seasoning I used. He got to have BBQ sauce on his too, boo. I also made him some mashed potatoes. I didn't eat any, but I tried them to make sure there was enough salt/pepper/etc... and they were damn good mashed potatoes... I was jealous. Snacks have continued to be fruit (bananas, apples, pears, grapes, blueberries), as well as some almonds.
I have been having some tummy troubles today, probably because my body is just trying to clean itself out and get rid of all of the toxins. I'm hoping the uncomfortable feelings and grumblings stop soon!
I just came across this quote, and it really resonantes with me. I have been guilty of this in the past, I'll admit. I have complained about my weight. I have complained about my fitness. I have complained about getting not-so-great grades. This quote is a reminder that you have no right to complain about something if you are not willing to roll up your sleeves (that's one of my favorite ASL signs) and do something about it. I don't want to accuse anyone or point fingers, but I think this could serve as a reminder for people. The next time you complain about something, let that little light bulb come on inside your head, and ask if you have the right to complain. Instead of saying, "I'm so fat, I am the fattest girl in my class," or saying "I keep getting bad grades, this major sucks," say to yourself "this is how I am feeling - what can I do to change it?" Motivate yourself to do something about your weight, and seek advice on how to change your study habits.
I said at the beginning that even though it would be hard to give up chocolate, candy, sugar, coffee, pasta, bread, etc., but that I could do almost anything for just 10 days. Well, I am 30% of the way through, and not turning back!
I am not looking forward to the challenges of the weekend, with temptation lurking around every corner.
Happy weekend, everyone! Thanks again for following along.
Day 2 completed ... which means only 8 more of the strict cleanse phase!
The day started off not-so-good ... the fact that I have been getting 6 hours of sleep/night hasn't been helping anything, I'm sure. I am tired - mentally and physically. Today's requirements for supplements etc. were the same as yesterday -- Catalyst with Spark on an empty stomach before breakfast. I did this - and as I was making breakfast, I all of a sudden got hot, dizzy, nauseous, to the point where I had to lay down for a few minutes because I felt so awful. Have you ever felt this way if you've taken a vitamin on an empty stomach? Yuck. Luckily, everything ended okay. From now on, I will wait until I eat before I take the pills.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs (2 whole eggs, 2 servings of carton egg whites) with chopped peppers. Big salad again for lunch today, with some extra chicken for more calories. Dinner was a salad, two tilapia filets, and some roasted asparagus.
Feeling better mentally/emotionally -- hopefully this continues!
Starting Numbers, for comparison purposes... I'll do these measures again at the end.
18.9% Body Fat
Right Arm 11"
Shoulders 41.5"
Chest 35"
Waist 29"
Hips 43.5"
Right Thigh 24"
Right Calf 16"
Total: 200"
Thank you for following!
Today is Day 1 for my 24-Day Challenge. Days 1-10 require 100% clean eating (nothing that comes from a can, package, or box).
I have a checklist for what I have to do each day. It's confusing, but hopefully I'll get used to it. On top of the basic products in the photo above, I opted to (pay more in order to) add the Catalyst product. This ensures you don't lose muscle mass during the challenge. Although some people might not be as concerned about this, I have been lifting weights 3 days/week for the last 5 months, so it was important to me!
This morning I had to take 3 Catalyst pills with Spark Energy Drink when I woke up, on an empty stomach. Then, with breakfast (poached eggs - and I messed them up. not good), I had to drink an Herbal Cleanse Fiber Drink. It was Peaches & Cream flavored, which sounds good, but ugh.. GRITTY! I definitely need to figure out a different way to drink it.
For lunch, I ate a BIG salad -- spring mix/spinach, chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, half of a cucumber, all with olive oil and balsamic vinegar -- which was satisfying. Snacks today have included an apple, raw almonds, baby carrots, blueberries, and strawberries. I had another Spark Energy Drink around 4pm (which is when I usually crash). I didn't feel the "instant energy" that I had anticipated feeling based on what I was told. I have been advised to keep eating clean, and that some people don't feel the energy burst as quickly until they have been eating clean for a few days.
Dinner tonight is chicken with green beans. I have a headache, and am thinking it might be from too few calories for the day. Based on advisement from a Registered Dietician, I should consume about 2000 calories/day to lose weight without putting my body in storage/starvation mode. (During the whole challenge, I will be continuing with the workouts that I have been prescribed by my running coach, Nate. This morning's burned over 600 calories.) Today, I will have only consumed 1500 calories. This is NOT enough -- I am going to try to eat some more fruit when I get home, but it's LATE! I definitely need to plan ahead for tomorrow. I am going to try adding some more protein into my diet. My salad today only had half of a chicken breast - I am going to add more.
Consensus so far for Day 1: not feeling any changes yet. I haven't been hungry, but this headache right now is kinda hurting... Need to consume more calories for Day 2. Stay tuned!
The past few days, I have been feeling kind of blah. I can't put my finger on what's going on. My mind is racing in so many directions, and I have my focus spread so thin that I really am not focusing on anything. I have an awful feeling in my gut, the one you get right before or right after you've made a mistake, or something bad happens. It's a terribly uncomfortable feeling.
I am hoping that my negative feelings are just the result of the stress I am feeling coming back to school. Due to the quarter system at RIT, our first week back after a nice two week break is Week 5 out of our 10-week quarter. Have you ever tried jumping onto a treadmill that is going 15mph? That's how it feels coming back to this.
I have no reason to be unhappy -- I came home on Saturday to my wonderful, loving boyfriend; I just had a great Christmas and New Year at home with my family; I am keeping myself busy with work and school and soccer. I can't put my finger on what is wrong... I just feel "off," and not like myself. The only thing I have going against me is that I strive to be "perfect" -- I want to eat great, workout often, change my sheets every 2 weeks, cook all my own meals, get As in school, do all my homework, be the best girlfriend I can, etc. I understand that it's impossible to be perfect. I get that. I just always strive to be as close to perfect as possible. Sometimes, there just aren't enough hours in the day for perfection.
I, as many people did, ate a bunch of CRAP over the holidays. I "only" gained 3 pounds (although it took me about twice as long to lose that 3 pounds as it did to gain it back). I am thinking/hoping that the reason for my melancholy state is because I am stressed, and I have been eating a load of junk.
On that note ... here's to a fresh start for the new year.
I have never heard of AdvoCare before. I have a friend who graduated from RIT a little while ago who did it months ago, and I played right along with the sale they were trying to do. AdvoCare reminds me a lot of Mary Kay in terms of the "business" aspect... if you "work" for them, you get a discount, and you can make money selling their products to other people. At this point, I am just trying the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge for the first time. I am skeptical. Not going to lie, I spent a LOT of money getting what I needed and more, and becoming a Distributor just so I could get the 20% discount forever (it meant me spending $80 to become a distributor in order to save $60 right off the bat). Again, I played into the trap, and am just hoping it's worth it.
My plan is to give you a 100% honest view of my experience with AdvoCare's 24-Day Challenge. That way, if I love it at the end of the 24 days, you can see my journey and become inspired. Or, if I hate it, you can see my journey and decide for yourself to never fall into the expensive trap that I did.
I am hoping this challenge will change my life, even if it's just temporarily. I am not doing this as a weight-loss tactic - although I am going to enjoy that side effect. What I am hoping to get out of this challenge is a better lifestyle with a fresh, NUTRITIOUS start. I am hoping to increase my energy, and just feel GREAT about myself and my life. I am hoping this will kickstart healthy habits that I employ on an ongoing basis, which will ultimately aid my refereeing career.
Here's to a better version of myself.
