Delayed post but RESULTS are in!

So the end of the cleanse came for me this past Saturday but I ended it on the beach with my family! I did my measurements but had no scale of course! The whole point of doing this 10 day cleanse was to re establish better eating habits and to detox my body from any sugar and processed foods I had been eating. It's just a good jumpstart for your digestive system and you feel amazing with energy! 

My main focus was on eating 5-6 smaller meals during the day and not so much snacking! The new fiber drink is awesome bc you can mix it with spark and it has no flavor or texture! Just don't leave it sitting bc fiber gets thick and expands like it does in your belly! That's why it's very filling. 

I worked out 4-5 days a week while doing this cleanse and focused more on strength training instead of cardio. Muscles burn more fat longer term than cardio. 👊🏻👊🏻

So here are my results! 4 POUNDS OF fat LOST! I lost an inch off my waist, my chest and my hips! I gained an inch of muscle in my biceps and quad muscles. 

Super excited with these results! The numbers don't have to move drastically for you to see huge results! Trust in the process and learn to be more in tune with your body. Strive for progress not perfection! 

Order your 24 day challenge or 10 day cleanse today if you want personalized coaching and accountability! Never too late to start your journey to health! 

24daychallengemovie.com explains the challenge in a 5 min clip!

Check out my page to order yours today! 

www.advocare.com/13076223 

Herbal cleanse days 3-5!!! Boom!

It's been go go go all weekend but it's been a good one. Still going strong on my cleanse! Keeping a positive attitude and just fired up about life in general! 

Key benefits of doing this Advocare Herbal cleanse: this is my own personal experience and nothing but personal based on what I've learned and heard. 

-increases your energy levels 

-increases your metabolism 

-detoxes your body of all the waste that builds up over time and leads to being fatigued and sluggish 

- the fiber helps to pull all that gunk out of your digestive tract 

- the probiotic helps restore the good bacteria your gut needs to digest food properly 

- the cleanse tablets help to regulate your bowel movements and get things flowing gently and uneventful :) 

Even though on the go I've had shakes for breakfast because they are absolutely delicious! 

I got a little over excited and jumped on the scale and I'm down 3 pounds already! I know it's several inches too just waiting for day 11 to measure! Don't focus on a number though focus on how you feel and how your clothes fit! 

Lunch has been pretty much leftovers! Chicken chili on Friday! Yesterday I was with a large group and we had Mexican. I ordered the chicken fajitas with no cheese, sour cream or tortillas! They were delicious! Little too much oil but best option I had to eat! 

Today lunch was baked chicken, green beans and a few sautéed red potatoes and onions. 

For dinner I had a grilled chicken salad with strawberrys! From Wendy's it's healthy and amazing! 

Like I said I've been on the go but meal planning and prep are the key to success! Tomorrow I will make a menu for the week and plan for that week! You can be busy but if you plan a few meals it will decrease the stress in your life even more! 

My timehop to my friend yesterday! 2 years ago and still going strong! It's a way of living and life! It's not a fad diet it's just saying to the world that you can get back control of your life and that your family needs you healthy!! What have you got to lose?! 

My journey with the Advocare Herbal cleanse.

I admit I've been in a huge funk over the past month and boy am I glad that's over! God is so good and faithful it's like one day I snapped back into! So much to share that has gone on but right now I'm just focusing on being healthy and getting my body back feeling good. God wants us to love ourselves and take care of us because if we don't take care of ourselves we are no good to our family, husband, friends or work! We are just ruined if we let our diet go down the drain and stop moving intentionally. You will hear that word a lot! Intentional! What are you intentional about?? 

Today I am sharing with you my experience of the Advocare Herbal cleanse and what it's like to be intentional. No this is not my first cleanse I have been doing Advocare for 2 years now but this is my first time into a look in my life and sharing my passion and love. I want you to have an in look into what it takes to commit to doing this cleanse or the 24 day challenge. 

First thing is food prep is key because if you fail to plan you plan to fail and it's true! I grill chicken breasts, boil eggs, make protein balls, cool crockpot chicken to use for meals during the week and have lots of frozen and canned veggies to use for recipes! This cleanse I've been on a tighter budget with groceries so I'm learning to be more wise planning my menu for the week. No eating out! It's not an option! So prepare food! Protein in bulk and have lots of snacks for small meals. Think 5 small meals per day instead of snacks! It's what I have to train myself to do! 

Here's a picture of what I'll be doing the next few days! 

So heres what my day looked like! 

First thing I did before the gym at 5am is weighed and measured! Then to the gym for a sweat session with weight training. I'm focusing more on weights right now than cardio. I'm aiming at lower impact workouts until I can get my energy levels back up and this body feeling better. Dr orders! 

Came home and mixed my mango strawberry spark and unflavored  fiber drink and chugged it down! Followed by 2 probiotics which are good bacteria for your digestive system and 2 omega plex which are good fats to flush out the bad fats! Omegas are good for every system in your body! They help your skin, nails get stronger and hair gets healthier and longer. This was around 7am! 

Around 30 minutes later I mixed my shake and FELL IN LOVE! I am drinking the new lemon ice cake shake and it's DELICIOUS! I don't chug it so I can savor every gulp! :) These shakes have 24 grams of carbs and 24 grams of protein in them so they are balanced to keep you fuel and rev up your metabolism! They taste sooooo good! I'm just not a breakfast person so shakes are great for

Me! 

So that was my morning routine! 

I cleaned a house that morning and had a quest protein bar for a snack around 1030! This is a minimally processed delicious way to get my protein in while on the go! 

Around 1pm I got home and had lunch. I ate a chicken breast, boiled egg and hummus! It was yummy! 

Followed by my 2nd liter of water and 2 more omegas! Fueled and ready to go! Having another house to clean I drank another scoop of spark and went on my way! Energy for hours! Feeling really good! 

Around 3pm I ate a handful of almonds and drank more water! Be intentional! Eat every few hours and drink lots of water! 

For dinner we ate before church at 530 and I had left over turkey spaghetti with whole wheat pasta. Not much pasta more meat sauce than anything and it's better to use spaghetti squash or zuchinni noodles as other options! I had a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and 2 more omegaplex! 

Finishing up my 3rd liter of water I was actually hungry before bed so I grabbed a protein ball and a banana and enjoyed those! 

Today was a good day! I'm still logging my food on my fitness pal but Advocare has a great 24 day challenge app to guide you along your day! 

Saw this quote and loved it! Why not you? Why not me? Why not learn to love yourself and learn to love life?? Here's to a healthier future with consistency around all the borders! I'm going to try to write about each day if not every other day! But today is Day 2 and I'm feeling more motivated than ever! Let's do this! 👊🏻👊🏻 How can you be more intentional today?! 

Just a timehop memory

Amazed at my timehop some days. My how 3 years changes so much! I was 8 weeks post baby and tapping the scale over 200 lbs and my sweet boy was headed for his 2 month shots. 3 years later he's 3 years old and acts like he's grown and I weigh less now than I did before I ever got pregnant. (I'll prob never share the exact number bc I'm just private like that) Bittersweet memories but definitely was a lot of struggle of weight loss after gaining 50 pounds during pregnancy and then having a c section. A year and a half later I said yes to Advocare and it's completely changed my focus of nutrition and diet.. Alongside exercise and running. Saying yes to Cristina that Summer of 2013 was the best decision I have ever made! For me and my family physically and financially! Just reminiscing today😊 #nolookingback

The gift of helping others.

Almost two years ago I was introduced to Advocare and not only has it helped me get my health back and fight eating disorders but it's allowed me an opportunity to help others. It's been such a blessing in my life during some dark times especially after resigning from my career as a nurse. Today is a milestone for one of my friends and I just have to share this post I shared on fb! 

This is just one example of why I do what I do.. This is my good friend Robin who came to me almost a year ago wanting to do the 24 day challenge. She had a 4 year old and 4 month old little girl and was working long hours as a nurse.. She was tired and fed up and wanted a change. Fast forward to where she is today is simply incredible! She has gone from a size 14 to a size 6 and has officially lost 65 POUNDS!!!!!  She's literally half the size she use to be. And the best part is she's grown to love herself and enjoy life in a way she never knew existed. Because of her yes we have grown into great friends and I have enjoyed seeing her journey this past year. I'm so proud of you girl! You deserve that cruise. Here's to many more years of reaching all your goals! 😊👊🏻 #goalcrusher

Just a simply incredible journey and so thankful God has placed this in my life to help me turn the negative into positive. You can do it too! Just one yes can change your life. It has ours. 

The road to a healthier future. Accepting the reality.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well I ran across this picture from this past Christmas. I knew I had gained weight last year but I didn't realize how much until I saw this picture. You may or may not no my struggles or know my story right now. But last year was a very hard trying year... I react to stressful situations by eating. I've always been that way. We moved into a new house on my birthday may 17th last year. From that day to September I gained 20 pounds... The entire 20 pounds I had worked so hard to lose. I didn't try to do this but in the blink of an eye it happened. Fighting depression is not a joke.. It's real. Luckily I was still an avid Advocare user bc I probably would have gained even more had I not been using their amazing products.. In September I finally got fed up. I couldn't fit into ANY of my clothes. I tried so hard to get back into running and working out but nothing sparked my motivation. I joined #versus September 30th of 2014.. I could barely run 400 meters.. That's 1/4th a mile. ( I love to run and have ran 2 half marathons to keep in mind) and the first class almost killed me. It was just the motivation I needed. I lost a few pounds the first few months but it was up and down. January came and I participated in the #allin 24 day challenge and did the #iamversus challenge. I lost 10 pounds that month and everything finally started falling into place. It was a struggle and a fight to change my mindset and to make healthier choices. Fast forward  to now I have lost over 25 pounds and my size 10 pants are loose. I look back and realize how defeated I felt because my weight has always been a struggle. I weigh now less than I did pre pregnancy and determined to continue striving to stay healthy. I can run 4 400m laps in a row no stopping and can do real push-ups! Versus has pushed me beyond my physical limits and I'm thankful for awesome coaches! Advocare has forever changed my life and teaches me the importance of fueling our bodies. Struggles are real and everyone has different kinds. Just know that God created us to live a healthy life and to take care of ourselves. With him you can overcome anything and any obstacle. Don't give up and surround yourself with those that lift you up! Thankful for my #versus and #advoamily. #transformationtuesday 

The struggle is real. Binge eating and starving is no way to deal.

I have posted things on fb but I feel like this could relate to so many others! This is real life! Obstacles make us who we are today! God allows trials in our life to turn us closer to him!

Repost from journaling last summer. So its just been updated.

Transparency.... Wow this going to be hard!
1 : something transparent ; especially : a picture (as on film) viewed by light shining through it or by projection 2 : the quality or state of being transparent

This post is by far hard for me to do. I will not tolerate any negative comments so if u have them keep them to yourself!

My life has been turned upside down this year. Many of you know my personal story but many of you don't know my inner struggle. My entire life I have battled an eating disorder and had the biggest desire to just fit in. My mother died of a heart attack at 37 from obesity and my dad was 49 and died of heart attack bc he was an alcoholic. I chose to be a registered nurse to help save lives and keep people from making those same mistakes and losing their life. After my mom died I started not eating. I was always the fat kid in school and the year she died in 2000 I lost 60 pounds in 3 months by starving myself. I battled for years with an eating disorder. Secretly I battled something called binge eating. But for the past few years I have learned to be healthier and the past year since Advocare in my life I finally grasped the concept of consistency and health and wellness. Saying that... Well we are human. After some life changing events earlier this year the Devil took hold of my weakness and in 2 months what I had worked so hard to get to and achieve was lost and I found myself in a deep dark hole. Apparently I do well at hiding this. I found myself binge eating in secrecy and the biggest trail of guilt followed. I knew I was gaining weight. Stress had me a a hault. Emotionally hurt mentally tired and in a state if depression I hid. I fought it. I honestly did. I tried attempted several cleanses and challenges. Nothing. I was mentally not focused. It was not until over 4 almost 5 6 months ago I came to the conclusion that if this didn't change ASAP I was headed in a bad place. I admitted to my husband my weakness and the truth. Not easy. This was where my journey of learning to fully trust in The Lord to guide and direct my path bc I no longer could control my life. Binging was my way of feeling in control. But instead I was losing control.

It's been almost 6 months now that I've committed and surrendered to change. Not only for myself but for my family and 2 year old little boy that is my world. I completed the cleanse with great results! I fit back into my shorts by success school! That was big to me! So this is my transparent moment! With the encouragement of my husband and wonderful friends I declare myself free from the secret any longer.
The above picture was me in may at my leaders and friends Diamond ceremony back in May 2014. I was disgusted with myself, binge eating in secrecy and depressed from life circumstances and tried to stay away from the camera. The picture below was taking today and at SS two weeks ago! This is the real me! 5-6 days a week of hard core workouts, eating clean and learning to be happy in my body that God gave me! With the help of #advocare products and consistency and determination my life has turned around. God has blessed me so much not only with my amazing business and the chance to impact hundred of lives but that being honest, humble, transparent and full of integrity is what true life is about! We can't control our life but we are the variable to a solution and can choose to make a Change. 

Why am I posting this? Because everyone needed to know the truth! I help people on a daily basis and I truly love what I do! But we are human! My body was triggered by stress and this is reality! I did not fail! I picked myself up and took action! God has brought me too far to let anything tear me apart! Don't for one second ever think you are not worthy to be different! YOU have the power to change the world! But the change starts within YOU! I could have stayed depressed and angry but a wise man once said "depression cannot be planted in a great full persons heart!" Andy Andrews . Never spoken so true! Pick yourself up! Dust yourself off and become more! I have a ways to go but I'm getting closer each day!! We were born to be CHAMPIONS!! I am a Champion! They say transparency can change the world! Just imagine what would happen if everyone owned up to themselves and dared to succeed!

Fast forward to where I am now. Breaking through depression and life with exercise and a healthy lifestyle! No more secrets just living life one day at a time and slow progress is good progress to me. Going from a size 18 in 2013 to a size 10 healthy and leaner than I have ever been in my life. Its easier for me to turn to food as comfort but I know that only leads to a disaster and more weight gain. My main battle is stress and the weight gain from stress is a very real situation. I will continue to overcome it with clean eating, Versus and running. Im not where I was but I am definitely not where I use to be and for that im truly thankful. God created me in his image and my responsibility is to love my body and take care of it. So my main goal is to be HEALTHY! Not to focus on the scale or numbers. Even though they do get me excited. Fitting into all my clothes again in my closet has never felt so good. I don't need to go shopping because I have brand new clothes in my closet I have waited to wear for over a year!!! YAY.

 

 

The above picture is me 20 pounds lighter this past weekend at a 5k race with some friends.  The picture to the right is me 2 years ago at a 5k race wearing the same tank top and 25 pounds heavier. Granted I still carried baby weight but it was no excuse. It was just a few months later that I discovered and was introduced to Advocare. It is no miracle diet but simply just a jump start to a cleaner lifestyle while be fueled by some world class nutrition that is safe and absolutely amazing. No more starving myself or binge eating at night when everyone goes to bed. Its forever changed my outlook with food and nutrition. Along with Versus AT and our outside bootcamp style workouts! KILLER!!

With some strong faith and hope in Jesus he has provided such blessings in my life!

"I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:10-13 NIV)"

This too is just another part of my bipolar mind and all the changes and actions that come with living with this illness. Its definitely contributed to my weight gain and mood changes along the way. But the ultimate decisions fall in my hands.