TOM is HERE

Let me tell you now, I'm hormonal - which means that I'm pissy, tired, SHOUTY and couldn't control my tears if i tried. It's been all chick-flicks and seriously craving some Ben&Jerry's...and then my rational mind briefly stepped in to present my health-conscience. That bitch!

Trying to diet and workout these past few days has been so-freaking-hard! I've wanted to just curl up into a ball and lay on the couch, resigned to be a potato for the next several days. UGH! 

But no....that didn't happen and I can't allow it to happen tomorrow or the day after, either. 

It's a challenge...duh! 

Thankfully, this Cleanse system has been easy to follow, but I totally wish this would work:

If you haven't seen 'Pitch Perfect'...I highly recommend you get your cute derrier to the theatre!
I hearted it!

The downside? 

I absolutely loathe taking down pills. Bleh!

The second part of the Advocare Cleanse deals with Meal Replacement shakes (mine is the Chocolate flavor and it's delicious! I'm adding a banana to the shake tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes) and you've also got a 4-piece packet with bundles of vitamins and good-for-you supplements. It's all legit, I checked. :] 

As a science major, it's difficult for me to try anything that isn't FDA-regulated, but this system is quite sound. I'm very impressed with it and am happy to be noticing these results. 

I'm down 5 pounds in two weeks!

Too much ROCK for one hand!

Shameless plug <--- Check this out!

It's now the end of day 13 and I've still got a ways to go. I hope you're sticking to your good nutrition habits and meeting your workout goals. I find that I feel so much better when I don't go to bed guilty about what I've eaten or the fact that maybe I missed a workout. 

This diet (which is the cleanse, plus extra veggies/fruits and lots of water) is not terribly difficult. I'm snacking all day long and even get my coffee-fix (otherwise I would be much crazier)...I am avoiding chocolate though. 

Instead of going out for the red-velvet cake cheesecake (found at any Cheese Cake Factory, and happens to be my TOM go-to) I went to the store and grabbed a couple of boxes of CLIF energy bars. They have a carrot cake option and white chocoloate macadamia nut. Both of these are super healthy options, with a piece of fruit and bottle of water. Totally sated my sweet-tooth. Winning!

How's your journey going?

I'm hoping that very soon I'll be able to do this...except, with my abs!

I can hardly wait to go all Incredible Hulk on someone with my abs.
Countdown?
T-minus 90 days!

Much love! 

Kick your own ass this week!

*hugs*

 

Whoop, Whoop!

Six days down! Can I get a whoop, whoop?!

I'm not starving, which is a plus. My workouts have been pretty consistent (I missed Friday night, but did get a late night walk in on Saturday, so I didn't get thrown too far off.)
My energy is soaring! I think that's my favorite part. It's almost like there's extra hours in my day. Being extra-productive is epic and reading for class is much more appealing when I don't have to hold my eyes open with scotch-tape or by the influx of Mountain Dew. [Have I mentioned that I have been soda-free for three weeks? That's right. Throw your hands up for restraint!]

Now I haven't gotten a work-out in today, so my rear-end is going out for a run in just a few minutes. When you're as busy as I am, it's nearly impossible to have a set workout time. Thankfully this cleanse system is helping me get that extra "oomph," so my  late-night runs aren't an issue. I can run, shower, grab a bottle of agua and then relax for a few minutes before I climb my slimming derrier into bed.

Let me tell you, be sure to catch your nightly zzz's! Whether you snore or not doesn't matter, but how many hours your brain rests definitely does. Everyone differs. I am at my best with 5.5-7 hours of sleep. Any more sleep than this and I'm a zombie, no amount of caffeine can make me happy. It's awful, but at least I know this.

On to better things - recipes!
Tonight's menu consisted of Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup. My boys have been sick all weekend and the medicine wasn't doing them much good. So, I made them this beautiful dish:

Hearty Goodness with an extra smack of love!

You already know how much I lurve to cook, so tweaking my favorite dishes has been a blast! This nummy-for-your-tummy (and immune system) was only tweaked a bit. I used much less salt than the regular dish would have, also - I cut out the avocado, because the FM was out and the grocery store's choices were way past ripe. Eww! As forthe seasoning, I used my all-new favorite 21 Spice Salute from Trader Joes. It's salt free and all-natural. Much love for this, the newest member to my spice rack!

Alright ya'll, it's time for my sneaks to hit the pavement.
Off I go! I hope you have had a wondefully healthy and joy-filled weekend.

Cheers to a kick-ass week!
My mini-goal: Run 15 miles (throughout the week) and have Jillian make my thighs cry, every day. Oh yes, sweet actin-myosin interactions! Mmmmm!

Get your sweat on!
Peace and love!

Love Affair

Day Five!

I went to work and came home to the beau and one of my besties waiting for me. Coffee run (the Starbucks ban didn't last too long, but I did stay within my caloric intake limit for the day and even got a TALL size. Can anyone say epic restraint skills?) followed by lounging and a Thai food adventure. It's been great and the energy is still coming on strong. I've started taking a few more supplements with the Advocare cleanse (a probiotic - which protects your immune system and keeps you healthy - gets added in during the 24 days) and it's no bother at all. 

What is a bother though? 

NOTHING!

These triceps of mine (which were hidden beneath seriously stretchy skin - you know the kind, girls) are starting to form up. And my biceps? Well, believe it or not, they're getting chiseled! I kid you not. I'm seeing results in just 5 days. Brilliant! I can hardly wait to post before and after pictures.

I'm working my ass off though. 

Make no mistake about that, bub.

It starts with healthier snacking.

Apple + Sunbutter = Bliss.

This is a lifestyle change and I'm getting creative with it.

No, I'm not cutting out all of my favorite foods or mad skillz for lounging about and reading for hours at a time. In fact, I'm keeping it all. EXCEPT for the bad habit of coming home and resting my big butt on the couch. If that happens....I'm a gonner! 

NO. I can't be a gonner.

I come home, make dinner. Workout, shower and then eat dinner. :)

In case you didn't know, your muscles absorb the most nutrients after a workout. FEED THEM! This is a great thing to know, so that you can give your body what it needs - yummy nummies! Protein and some great veggies (I'm leaving complex carbs for earlier in the day). You should try this. It works really well! By making dinner first, it keeps me busy and then I have no excuses to miss my workout by getting too comfy in the living room. 

My schedule is hectic, but making the little bit of extra effort to plan my meals and pack some snacks in the morning is key to meeting my goal. I'm starting to try new things. Tomorrow, I'm making KALE CHIPS. 

Kale Chips! Bake 'em and then snack your way through the day!

Why?

I need to make great use of the fall fruits and veggies, so I'm branching out from my comfort zone (and seriously admitting to my love affair with fruits & vegetables. I swear, there's not a single one that I've encountered and NOT liked. I love them all.) 

The summer is officially over, which means that my most beloved watermelon and citrus will be disappearing. Don't fret though, we've still got some granny smith apples (these are palatable [I kinda-sorta dislike tangy-ness] with some sunbutter and raisins) and delicious squash! I'm going to try out eggplant and attempt to fall in love with peaches. Plus! Peppers will be around for a while. I've developed a huge girl-crush on sweet peppers. They come in this fantastic assortment and can be eaten raw. MMMM!

Start getting friendly with your Farmer's Market peeps!
They'll know all the best ways to prepare these beauties!

I'm going to be adding more scrumdidlyumptious recipes soon and am thinking of adding a tumblr account, to make it easier to flip through them. Excitement!

So much progress and only 19 days to go! 

Stay motivated, friends!

The Cleanse

Alright...so far, so good.

It's been three days and (though I feared it may happen) I was not constantly sprinting to the bathroom. Anytime I hear "cleanse" I think the worst! Spiritual cleansing is one thing, but flushing out toxins from the human body just sounds dangerous. 

Thankfully, the Advocare Herbal Cleanse is surprisingly gentle. Yes, I'd been told it was kind, but I had my doubts and feared for my undies (and my coworkers). 

Day three and I'm feeling great!

Jillian is kicking my ass (and I really kinda hate her skinny bitch self) but I <3 that she pushes me through the workout. 

My diet has not changed too much, but I have made a much more conscious effort to include 8 servings of fruits & veggies throughout my day. 

TRY THIS!

It has truly amazed me how much of a difference this makes. I am constantly snacking on fruit. In the past three days, I have single-handedly assassinated a whole watermelon, half a pound of grapes, and an entire army of spinach with their carrot swords. None of them stood a chance. 

Dinner - with 1.5tbsp dressing to three cups of salad. DELISH!

I feel so awesome with all this energy during the day. Not quite like having the strength of ten men or anything, but pretty freaking fantastic! I'm pretty convinced that I may have the strength of ten men after these 60 days. Remember, I've got the 24-Day Cleanse + Jillian's 30-Day Shred. Then the 90 mile challenge for the following 30 days. 

I'm so stoked about all this fitness! 

Sic' Em!

Holy Chobani!

I'm officially a yogurt-convert! 

Let me tell you, I have always loathed hated never particularly cared for yogurt. It's a texture thing. No one has ever gotten it right for me. Dannon...eh. Yoplait came close with the (dare I tell you?) Go-gurt line, but I soon grew out of the flavors, as they're specifically designed for the more sucrophillic teeny-weenie kiddies and NOT for the more adult palate. [Yes, I still love a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but a fruit roll-up simply doesn't taste the same anymore.] 

 Anyhow...my hat's off to CHOBANI!

I am deeming your entire yogurt line the new "Creamy Crack!" 

It's delicious! I'm sure you all know this and you should mark this accomplishment of converting me to a Chobani lover in your list of conquered persons. Ok? 

I can hardly wait to try every flavor. So far, the peach one is my favorite, but the strawberry flavor is great too. What a perfect little cup of heavenly whipped Greek yogurt and the added fruit surprise at the bottom. <3 so very much!

I'll admit, when my boyfriend offered me a cup, I wanted to run in the other direction. I've heard many horror stories of people hating the taste of Greek yogurt. To you all who told me to stay away from this goodness - SHAME on YOU!

I haven't fallen for something quite so hard since J.K. Rowling's HP set! Officially in lurve. 

Now...on to new adventures! 

I've kickstarted a new diet and nutrition guide today with the help of my wonderful aunt Julie and her suggestion of starting the Advocare 24-Day Challenge!

I was not too thrilled about it at first, but day one has been a success!

It's a 10 day gentle cleanse, followed by a 14 day Metabolic Nutrition System enhancer. First you lean out in the first ten days. Then in the latter 14 days, you tone up. It's a smooth transition to help you BOOST your metabolism. 

The goal is 10 pounds and 10 inches in 24 days! It's healthy and very much do-able, as long as you workout. This is not one of those, "let me sit on my butt and watch t.v. while the fat melts away" kind of gimmicks. PUH-LEASE! You gotta work the booty to get the body!

I'll admit, I fell off the workout bandwagon and needed a restart button. This is it for me. I'm getting back to it and loving it. Being as busy as I am with school, work, tutoring high-school kids - life gets crazy! This system helps balance you out and set you on the right path to losing the weight. For me, I need to see results and really dislike the plateau phase in most workouts. By keeping to this, I'll jump-start my metabolism and by eating right, I can avoid that phase. 

It'll take some work and dedication, but all good things to those who [work hard]!

What am I doing to work out? 

Well...Jillian Michaels is kicking my derrier! I started the 30 Day Shred today and am fully committed to her monstrous workouts. I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures at the 24 day mark! :D 

If you have any questions about the Advocare line, feel free to ask. I'll point you in the right direction.