Day 4

I admit it... I am beginning to miss chewing.  It's really my own fault.  I have not bought or fixed or prepared veggies to snack on.  I looked at them at the market yesterday, but couldn't muster the desire to buy them and prep them to have on hand.  So dumb.  So my Day 4 tip is be armed and ready with your favorite or a new veggie, prepped and ready for snacking.  I think that it is an important tool for success.

Evening came, morning came:  the fourth day.

Day 3

Mixed it up a little today... drank the tea with the vitamin.  Made the citrus fizz tabs.  Today I put them in warm water (1 1/2 tabs) and then when they dissolved, I added ice.  Putting the ice in too soon, not good.  Drinking it warm, not good.  And they do dissolve best in warm water.  So after adding the ice, I headed to the gym for a 30 minute bike ride and drank my fizzy drink while pedalling to no where.  Then I remembered to weigh myself before heading home.   I had my chocolate shake with a frozen banana.  I am now up to 12 oz water, under 1 tsp of olive oil and half a scoop of fiber with the 2 scoops of chocolate and one frozen banana.  I do a quick mix before adding the banana and then put it on puree for about 75-90 seconds.  I have finally found, for me, the best combination and cannot imagine why in the beginning I found it a bit grainy. 

Off to the movies... I had ZERO popcorn today.  Not one kernel.  I mean because it's that first one that does you in, am I right?  I did have a chew and drank so much water that I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the movie.  Drinking water, good; missing movie, bad.  Home and it was 4 hours from my last shake so I had my vanilla/blueberry combo, again using the 12 oz water.  Now I didn't wait for the berries to thaw and blended them that 75-90 seconds.  Gum, I just gotta chew gum afterwards or brush cause my teeth were covered again in blueberry skins.  But it is so yummy. 

Dinner was 2 oz pork tenderloin, 1/2 c mashed potatoes (probably a big no-no somewhere but really it pork and mashed potatoes are a perfect match and usually I eat WAY more than a measly 1/2 c) and a big old salad with greens, pumpkin seeds and a scant amount of light dressing.  Then I had a second bowl of salad.  Then my calcium chew.  Then a Arbonne chew cause I just needed the sweet to finish my meal.  This evening I've been great and I am making some peppermint tea to bed down with now.  I really think this is working for me.  I don't feel hungry, I have energy during the day and I am not having any more constipation problems since adding the oil.  I am having a serious hankering for a beer, though. 

Evening came, morning came: the third day.

Day 2

I am out of frozen peaches, but I have frozen blueberries so I tried that.  However, I let them thaw too much and so it was very blueberryskin-y when drinking it.  I mean, I had the skins stuck in my teeth like no body's business requiring an extra brush of the teeth (and at that it was extra long brushing, too) before leaving the house.  However, it was really, really yummy!  Tea, check.  Vitamin, check.  That was morning/breakfast.

Now everyone has their favorite type of water bottle.  Mine happens to be an insulated cup with a top and straw.  It holds just over 16 oz; I know this because I measured it today to see what it held.  Now, since I know it holds one of those water bottles I keep in the car, I should have known that it holds 16 oz, but I measured it just the same.  Today I used the Citrus Fizz Tabs and I discovered that they have a line down the middle so you can split them.  So I had 1 and 1/2 citrus tabs in my water this morning.  After a 60 minute Zumba class, I had a chocolate shake with a banana.  Both shakes today had some olive oil and fiber, too.  I may have had the shake too late, or something else is going on because I have a migraine.  And yes, I have had six 16 oz cups of liquid today.  I had one chew at the movies.  Although it didn't keep me from eating some popcorn (which is probably not something I was supposed to do, but didn't look it up before and now my eyes hurt too much to read), it did keep me from buying a box of Milk Duds which previously I've considered as essential to going to the movies as the movie ticket itself.  For dinner I had a chicken stew with mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes (I skipped over those), and chicken (though I have no idea if it was free range which I think is what is suggested.  I have to buy the 10 lb bag of breasts in the store to feed my family and that nearly breaks the bank so I'm not likely to start changing that).  I also couldn't resist a slice of sourdough bread with butter which I am SURE IS ON THE DO NOT EAT LIST.  However, I am a girl that likes her wine, beer, coffee, cereal with milk and Fiber One Bars and I have left all of those things behind.  Baby steps.

I forgot to weigh myself at the gym and will try to remember to do that tomorrow. However, I did take my waist and hip measurements.  And I will share them, but not with the public at large.  I just didn't like the numbers.  I may not even share the weight number.  Rest assured, I will tell you what I drop in pounds and inches! 

Finally, a couple notes to yesterday for those of you following closely... I had 2 oz grilled chicken on my salad at dinner last night and ate about 3-4 cups of mixed greens.  I sadly couldn't sleep so by 10:30 I was starving.  I ate a chew and drank more water and that seemed to help.  Also, yesterday's exercise was about 45 minutes of laps/water exercising and 2 minutes of the hoola-hoop.  I am recovering still from a severe ankle sprain and the hoop still kinda hurts to do, but I may stick with it a couple minutes a day.  None today after Zumba.

Evening came, morning came:  the second day.

The NEW OFFICIAL DAY 1

So things are going very well today!  Had my vitamin with Detox Tea.  Fixed my pomegranate fizz drink.  Made my morning smoothie.  Today I measured everything but the peaches in first and gave it a pulse or 5 to get it mixed around.  Then I put in the peaches actually measuring them this time around.  I discovered I totally shorted myself yesterday!  I put in like half of what I was entitled to!  Then I let the shake sit while I packed a picnic lunch for my son, and packed 2 chews for me and another bottle of water for when the Fizz is gone.  Got dressed and got him ready to go to the park.  Then, I zapped the shake blending it to a much smoother consistency than yesterday due to the resting in the shake which I made with tepid water so the peaches definitely were partially thawed.  Again YUM!  And not so grainy today at all, so some combo there fixed it.  And FYI, I am using 2 scoops vanilla, 9-10 oz water, 1/2 scoop of fiber and 3/4 tsp of olive oil.  And you cannot taste the oil.  Not at all.  And I thought that it was weird that all of the recipes said to add some kind of oil.  But the Lord put on my Yahoo page an article reaffirming that good oils help with fighting belly fat!  (I can't find it now, but I swear I read that!)

I drank the Pom Fizz at the park along with another bottle of water.  Today I added the Pom tablet to twice as much water and it tasted great!  So that solves that problem about needing to order more of those.  I got home and made a quick shake of just water and chocolate powder with fiber and oil.  YUMMY!  And I did a quick pulse, let it rest then blended thoroughly a few minutes later.  During the afternoon I drank more water.  When I got home from my swim workout, I made another chocolate one, this time with banana and no fiber or oil.  I freeze overripe bananas so I used 2 frozen halves (they blend better than a whole) and I thawed them a bit.  Again YUM!  The materials say to drink a shake after working out which is why I had it.  I am supposed to be done eating by 7, however, I am just now sitting down to my large salad that has some healthy nuts on it.  I don't think I am supposed to use salad dressing, but I use light and I measure it out and I cannot eat my salad without it.  After dinner I will have my calcium, drink more water and have some tea before bed.

Now today, I did not weigh myself because I have no scale.  Nor did I take my measurements.  But I will do that tomorrow since I doubt one day will make that much of a difference.  But I will say, I don't think I was cranky from hunger.  I really wanted something munchy at the park so I think next time I will take some par-cooked green beans.  I love them so! 

Evening came and morning came: the first day.

PRACTICE DAY... I Really Start Tomorrow!

Okay.  I should have known that going to Denver was going to really mess me up.  And it did.  So tomorrow I start.  However, today I learned a few things:

1) Peaches + Vanilla Shake = GOOD
2) Slightly thaw the peaches
3) Don't forget the healthy oil you are supposed to add to the shake or you might be a bit constipated later on.
4) It was a bit gritty.  I think thawing the peaches some will help as it was kinda chunky and had those chunks been blended in, it would have been perfect.  Trying again tomorrow. 
4) Chewy tabs are good for pushing back hunger.
5) Really liked the Pomegranate Fizz Tab, but needed to water it down more than I did.  I was afraid I'd need 2 a day to keep me going, but thinking one is going to work.
6) I can substitute my chamomile tea in the evening instead of Detox stretching the Detox tea supply so it lasts longer.
7) Although I am supposed to avoid artificial things, I will be continuing to take my allergy pill, my anti-depressant and wear my hormone patch as these things are medically essential.

Better start tomorrow armed with today's knowledge.

The First Day...

Woke with a killer headache.  Took a hot shower and drank my Detox Tea.  Didn't make 4 cups, just one really strong one. There is a whole list of things to avoid on this fitness Challenge and somewhere it mentions medications so I am trying to get through without. 

I really like the Detox Tea! As a rule, I don't care for green tea, but this has other things in it that make it yummy.  I have also started my Pomegranate Energy Fizz tab in water for the caffeine boost and YUM.  I took my multi-vitamin with the tea, so check that box off.  I am prepping to make my shake(s) as I am headed to Denver for some fun with friends.  I'll let you know how it goes later.  Happy Monday!

Prep Work

I've read through the entire packet of information and some of the pages I've reviewed twice or three times.  I unpacked my box and set up my smoothie making station in the kitchen.  I've moved my coffee to the pantry (boo-hoo! bye-bye coffee!) and put my Detox Tea and Energy Fizz Tabs front and center as they will replace my morning coffee routine.  I also have my multi-vitamin there to take each morning.  I have a huge stock of some multi-vitamin for women that I got at SAMS and I haven't bothered to look to see if it is name brand or generic.  I just started taking it regularly last week and I want to be upfront about it not being the Daily Power Packs which Arbonne sells and suggests you take along with their 30 Feeling Fit Kit.

So far I have figured out that I need to place another order for a couple of things probably to finish out my 30 days, which I find a bit off-putting.  They propose that you drink the Detox Tea up to 4 times in their suggested daily plan.  In the kit, there are 40 tea bags.  I guess if I start the day with using 2 teabags to make a pitcher with 4 cups in it, I will have enough for 20 days, not 30.  I may need more Fiber Boost as well; it says to use 1/2-1 scoop in each smoothie and I anticipate having 2-3 smoothies each day because I plan to use the protein shakes to replace 2 meals a day, plus they recommend having one after exercising.  Since 30 servings are in the container that I have, I am guessing I will run out of that as well.  I was surprised that throughout their Fit Plan they do not suggest when to use the Fit Chews although there are 60 included which would be 2 per day.  The plan includes several times each day to use the Fizz Tabs, but again only included 40 which means either I order more or I only use one a day.  If I order more of these three items, it's another $77 dollars, so this is the first thing to keep in mind.  However, if I find it to be successful, it will absolutely be worth it!

I have frozen berries in the freezer for my shakes and some spinach I am going to try to include at some point.  The shake recipes call for some oil and I will hopefully pick up some flaxseed oil, though I wish I already had, I am not going out tonight to get it.  I feel ready.  Negatives aside, I am excited to start tomorrow!  I have enjoyed a chocolate Easter egg and pizza this weekend.  So long to those things until May!  Happy Sunday!

3 Days Until We Begin...

So the right combinations of circumstances came together two weeks ago culminating in me making a decision for ME (the cost be d***ed!).  Was it an impulse decision?  Yes!  Did I have second thoughts?  Surprisingly, no.  Am I excited?  Surprisingly, yes.  (I can hear that phrasing in my head... it's from a movie... I can see it, that cute Lizzy McGuire is in it and it's a Cinderella remake.  Oh the title escapes me, whatever). 

So I begin Monday and today I am going to check with my FABULOUS consultant, Jen.  She's going to be with me every step of the way and in return, she will give me her baby.  Just kidding about the baby.  She is going to be with me coaching me, encouraging me to a healthier place.  I am using the Arbonne Feeling Fit Kit and I am receiving no perks, payments or such from the company.  I have been waiting to jump start my weight-loss and this came along calling my name.

When I decided to skip out on an Arbonne party she was doing to go to a hockey game, I stopped by her house to look through the catalog.  After trying a couple of the products and hearing what she had to say, I was convinced that this was what I had been waiting for this year.  I have already been exercising and making smarter choices so I am no longer gaining weight.  In fact, I'm headed in the right direction.  But I want more for myself. 

I will be blogging all about this adventure in my Feeling Fit journey to a healthier me.  Join me most days to hear how I am feeling, what I think about the products and if I am a healthier me in 30 (+3) days.  Happy Friday!