Rain, Rain Go Away!!

This week has gone by sort of slow. Mainly because we have had some cloudy/rainy weather. Mikey and I haven't taken our morning walk since Tuesday. Yikes! I miss them, but because of the chilly weather I haven't wanted to get Mikey out! If it was just me (and I could walk that far without a stroller) I wouldn't mind it! Wednesday morning Mikey woke up sneezing with a runny nose, so I didn't think the cold weather would do him much good. Yesterday morning wasn't as cold, but it still was chilly, and there was a chance of rain, and you know what happened last time I took that chance...I ended up with a cold/wet cranky little boy by the time we got home! Even though we haven't been taking our walks the last few days, I haven't been completely lazy :-), I have been doing some ab work outs, and boy can I feel it! I could hardly sit up the other morning when I woke up because I was so sore!

On Tuesday I had a doctor appointment with one of the surgeons from my many surgeries. He is audiologist surgeon. He discussed some promising options for me for hearing implants. There isn't any implant that will make me be able to hear out of my right ear, but there is one called Baha, which is implanted into the skull bone. The bone conducts sound vibrations and reroutes them over to my hearing ear. So even though I won't be able to hear sound out of my right ear, I will be able to hear what is going on on the right side of me. I'm going to test out the device before I actually get one implanted in a couple of weeks! I am very excited because I didn't think there was anything that would help me! I am really hoping that this will be covered by insurance!

Anyways, I continue to be excited about the results I am getting from Advocare! The other day I was able to wear a shirt that I haven't been able to wear since before I got pregnant! I am getting close to being able to wear a pair of my jeans, I can actually get them on, but I can't quite button them yet. But being able to get them on is a BIG improvement! And I still can't get over all the energy I have everyday! Its amazing, and I can't wait until it gets warmer again and we can continue our morning walks! In the future I really want to get a gym membership (with a childcare option) since I now know that I will actually want to go work out, then I can go rain or shine, cold or hot! But before I do that I need to overcome the hurdle of being able to drive again so I can actually go!

I really recommend this product, whether you are looking to loose weight, gain energy or build muscle, or to even just look great in a bikini in a few months! If you have absolutely any questions feel free to contact me, and I would love to answer any questions you may have!

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Challenge Day 24 & Beyond

Challenge Day 24 - Saturday

Saturday was challenge day 24, the last day of the challenge! Saturday was a girls pamper day with a friend! We went and got a spa pedicure, manicure and eyebrow wax! We had such a great time and then that evening we celebrated Easter with my in-laws! Mikey had a great time running around their yard and splashing the water in the birdbath!

My total results so far are 9lbs and I'm down 6 dress sizes in 24 days! Even thought the 24 day challenge is over I'm not going to resume my old eating habits. I am going to continue taking the products including the Max3 pack, which is what you are on for 14 days after the 10 day cleanse in the challenge. This will help me continue to loose weight until I get to my goal. I will also continue taking the Catalyst to help with cravings and Spark to give me energy so I don't have to go back to drinking soda and coffee to try to get energy. I will also continue drinking the meal replacement shakes every morning because I love them and they are a great and easy breakfast! The cleanse part of the challenge, which was the first 10 days is great to do every 90 days just to cleanse out your system (its not like other colon cleanse products that causes you to sit on the pot for days)!


Easter Sunday

Yesterday was Easter Sunday! It was a great day! We started out with a wonderful church service! Then we spent the whole afternoon at a friends house with my family. We ate lunch and then my dad few a kite with Mikey. Then the boys played basketball outside, and after that they shot clay pigeons. We didn't end up leaving there until after 6pm! Mikey was pooped not only did he not get his afternoon nap, but he spent all afternoon running around outside in the sun! Mikey fell asleep on the way home he was so tired. When we got home John and I took Mikey and Beau for a short walk before it got dark. It was a great day!

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Challenge Day 23

Yesterday was Challenge Day 23, and the energy continues! Even after our disastrous walk on Thursday I didn't give up! It was pretty nice yesterday, and the sun made it feel a lot warmer! We only walking around 2 miles yesterday, because we went off our normal path to stop at a garage sale. I got a couple of things for Mikey! A pair of Cars PJ's that go with his new big boy bed that I only paid 50 cents for was one of the items!

Last night we celebrated my little brothers 19th birthday that was on Thursday. He came home for Easter weekend last night from K-State. We ate a Kyoto's, which is a Japanese steakhouse where they cook the food on a big grill in front of you! It's not the best place to eat when you are trying to watch what you eat, because of course they cook with a lot of soy sauce which is full of sodium! With each meal you get soup, salad, veggies and white or fried rice. I substituted my rice for extra veggies because I knew I didn't want any, and therefor I wasn't tempted to eat it. I got the salmon and steak meal, which I only ate half of, and probably about 1/4 of my veggies since I got extra, but John ate the rest. I had a couple of his scallops. So I felt like I did pretty good!

After we ate, we went back to my parents house to have cookie cake. I got Dylan a big double decker cookie cake from Sam's. Talk about calories galore! Normally I would eat a pretty good sized piece because I love sweets! I only ate a very small piece of the cake, and I couldn't even eat much of it because after not having sweets like that for the last few weeks, it was incredibly rich and sweet!

All in all yesterday was a great day! Even though I strayed from my healthy eating plan a bit, I didn't gain any weight back, which was great! But the products played a big role in not overeating, like is very easy to do at Kyoto's where the food is very yummy!

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Challenge Day 22

Happy Good Friday everyone! What a glorious day it is going to be today! The sun is shinning bright and I get to see my baby brother tonight who just turned 19 yesterday!

So yesterday was day 21, it was kind of chilly yesterday morning so I had to find a pair of pants to wear to take our morning walk. So I tried on a pair of athletic pants that someone gave me that I have never been able to wear before since they were to small. I had kept them around because I've always had good intentions to loose weight. So anyways, I put them on and they fit! And they aren't tight, and these aren't stretchy athletic pants, if you try to wear them and they are to small you are in danger of ripping out the butt if you bend over! LOL!

Before we went on our walk yesterday morning I made sure to check the weather to make sure it wasn't supposed to rain. It wasn't, so dressed in pants and jackets Mikey and I took off with Beau in tow. It wasn't to bad out, besides a little chilly. We got about 1.5 miles from home and it started sprinkling...I didn't think it was supposed to rain I thought. Well I decided to turn around anyways. Well a few minutes later it started sprinkling a little heavier. We were still about a mile from home and Mikey started to get cranky because he was getting wet and that was making him cold. Before we made it home he started throwing a huge fit! I didn't know what to do but walk as fast as I possibly could to get home. The poor guys hands were freezing by the time we got home, so I got him inside and warmed up as soon as we got home!

So after that disastrous walk we stayed inside the rest of the day! Yesterday evening I had John take me to get an Easter dress. I was planning on wearing the one I got last year, but of course it was way to big, which is a great feeling! So I went to try on dresses at my favorite store Maurices. I love the dress I got and I can't wait to wear it on Sunday! And get this, it is 6 dress sizes smaller than the size I started out with! I couldn't believe it! What a great way to end what started out as a disastrous day!!!


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Challenge Day 21

Yesterday was day 21! I still can't believe all this energy I have! Yesterday morning Mikey and I walked 3.2 miles in 1 hour! Wow! Never would I have thought I could do this! I put on my facebook yesterday, "If you would of told me (even before all my surgeries) that I would ENJOY walking this far every morning, I would of laughed in your face! I have never been one to ENJOY exercising in anyway! Advocare is changing my life, and for the better!!" This is so true! Anyways, before we left on our walk yesterday I asked Beau if he wanted to go for a walk, and of course he got excited, but I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into! Towards the end of our walk instead of Beau pulling me, I had to pull him! LOL!

I know Mikey is enjoying have a much more energetic mommy! Even though I still can't do some things, like run around with him since I still have some physical limitations, I feel like I am doing a lot more with him! I can't wait for my hubby to build a playset in the backyard this summer so we can go outside and play on that! Once it gets warmer again we have a water table to put on the back deck for him to play with, and I really can't wait until the pools open so we can take him swimming! By then I will be well on the way to my weight loss goal, and looking great in a swimsuit!

Challenge Day 20

Yesterday was day 20! I started my morning like every morning (but I have no problem getting out of bed anymore!), getting up at 7am and doing my morning Bible study before Mikey wakes up. The weather was beautiful yesterday!

Mikey and I took Beau on a nice long walk yesterday morning, 2.2 miles in just under 45 minutes! I can't even express to you how much energy I have and how great I feel! Some of you may be thinking that I am just feeling better because I had several surgeries in the past couple years so that is just what made me feel bad in the first place. Well that may have very little to do with it, but I feel better and more energetic than I ever have, even before that! Just for example in gym class in school when I was younger, you have to run the mile twice a year. It took me almost the longest in my class to finish, I can't remember exactly but I think it was approaching 25-30 mins for one mile. Right now I am even walking faster than that! I am still not really able to run or jog, even though I would like too, but my balance isn't good enough, and the slight weakness on my right side makes it more difficult!

One of the reasons this challenge isn't really considered a "diet" is because its not just "weight loss", its promoting a better lifestyle. It gives you energy that makes it easier and even desirable to work out and gain muscle, which weighs more than fat, but doesn't take up as much room in your body. So even though the scale doesn't show weight loss, your body will. That is what is wrong with a lot of "diet" programs, they only focus soley on the weight loss side of it. I know I am gaining muscle from all this walking because I can feel it in my calves when I walk, and arms when I am pushing the stroller and hanging onto Beau's leash. And I see that fat, especially in belly area (where I have a lot to lose from my pregnancy belly) disappearing!

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Challenge Day 19

Yesterday was challenge day 19! I am only 5 days away from the end of the challenge! Yesterday was a scorcher, almost hitting 90 degrees! We figured out yesterday that our AC wasn't working, not what you want to find out when you try to turn your AC on! Thankfully today isn't going to be as warm, only getting into the 60's. We have someone coming this afternoon to look at it, hopefully we don't have to get a new unit!

Anyways yesterday morning, Mikey and I took our morning walk, but for the first time we took Beau. Beau isn't a great leash walker, he has husky in him so he has that pulling instinct, and even though he is small he can pull! Since I still have balance issues and walk with a cane the only way I can take these long walks is by pushing a stroller for the stability. So I didn't feel comfortable taking Beau because his pulling makes the stroller roll faster and I didn't know if I would be able to keep up without losing my balance. It wasn't too bad, yes he did pull a lot, and its worse when we are passing another dog, but after a while I got the hang of it! So I think we might be taking Beau with us more often, and I know he will like that!

I still can't get over how this challenge is making me feel! I love all this energy! Not to mention the meal replacement shakes that I drink in the morning are delish, and it makes breakfast a no brainer! I used to not eat breakfast half of the time because I never knew what to have, now I don't even have to think about it! Some mornings I add different flavors like almond extract, orange extract, and raspberry extract for a little variation. On St. Pat's day I added a little mint extract and green food coloring to my vanilla replacement shake to make a shamrock shake! It was good! I have even added banana to a chocolate shake, strawberries and mango pieces to a vanilla shake. There are all kinds of things you can add to these shakes to give them a bit of a variation! I prepare mine with a little ice and water and blend them in my magic bullet, which is awesome! So I can't rave enough about these products, I love them!!

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Challenge Days 17 & 18

Challenge Day 17:

Saturday was a great day! We woke up earlier than we normally do on Saturday's because we took Mikey to the Easter egg hunt at my parents neighborhood! He got lots of candy, and had a chocolate covered face by the time we got back to my parents house! It was funny watching him pick up eggs because he was more interested in throwing them or putting them in someone else's basket rather than his own! It was super hot by the time we got back to the house! After we left my parents house we went to Lowe's to get some plants, planters, potting soil, and a tiller for the garden.

Later that evening was the KU game, and even though I am a die hard K-State fan, I was very happy that KU was able to turn the nail-bitter of a game around! During halftime of the game we got Mikey's big boy race car bed put together so he could sleep in it for the first time! He did pretty good for his first night!


Challenge Day 18:

Sunday morning we went to church, and Pastor Phillip Kelly gave a great sermon! When it was time for Mikey to take a nap yesterday afternoon we weren't sure how it was going to go in his new bed. Well, it was an epic fail! He was up there for about 3 hours and I don't think he slept at all! John and I were out on the deck planting our plants in the planters we got. We planted 2 different types of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro, basil, parsley, chives and green onions. We still have 2 of the planters left, and I think we are going to get some other herbs like thyme, rosemary and mint. I'm looking forward to being able to cook more with fresh spices! John still has to till the garden so he can plant the veggies! That night Mikey went to bed with no problem because he was exhausted from not taking a nap!

I have been noticing my belly fat diminishing, and I am so excited! I am so glad I added catalyst, which is optional for the Challenge. Catalyst helps first with appetite control, it aids in your weight loss, and it helps tighten your loose skin like a flabby belly or those annoying little "flaps" under your arms like women tend to get! But I sure think this is what is helping make my pants so loose! This is great, I am so happy with my weight loss so far and I the great/energetic feeling I have! I am so looking forward to being able to look great in a swimsuit this year!

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Challenge Day 16

Yesterday completed challenge day 16! I am down 7.5lbs in only 16 days! Wow! I am feeling great and so energetic! Late yesterday morning Mikey and I took a walk, and not just any walk, but a long walk! We walked (well I walked, and he rode in the stroller) for 3.5 miles in 1.5 hours, stopping at a few garage sales on the way! I think that is probably the farthest that I have walked willingly! The awesome thing is, I didn't even feel worn out when we got back home, like I used to when we went for walks that weren't nearly as far as that! I was hot from walking in the direct sun on part of the way home, and my legs felt a little "rubbery" for a while (since I'm not used to walking that far), but other than that I felt fine! That was a great feeling, to know I can walk that far without completely crashing when I'm done!

Then later that evening after my hubby got home, we took Mikey and our dog Beau to the adopt-a-thon at Wayside Waiffs, we have been thinking about getting another dog, and adoption fees this weekend are only $25. We had to wait to have our "meet & greet" with the dog we wanted to see for 3.5 hours! Since we knew that we were going to have to wait for several hours we went a head and got something to eat while we waited. When we finally got to see the dog it was about 9:15pm. Jazzi was the dogs name, she was a medium size black lab mix, and she was a little over a year old. When she was in her kennel she seemed super calm and mellow, but once we got to meet her out in the meet & greet room she was super hyper. Which may be just because she had been locked up in a small space, but Beau didn't like it, and she knocked Mikey over a couple of times. So after waiting for about 3.5 hours we went home empty handed. Oh well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be!

After that super busy, active day, I should have been exhausted, but I wasn't! I wasn't any tireder than I should be at 10:00 at night. I love how Spark makes me feel! Spark is a tasty and overall a great drink! If your used to drinking, or even crave soda, coffee or any other sugary and caffeinated drink full of carbs, you really need to try Spark! Spark gives you loads of energy without the "crash" that you get after drinking a typically caffeinated beverage! I used to drink coffee every morning full of creamer and sugar because I do not like coffee black (and it you drink coffee you have to agree that liquid creamer is much tastier than powder, even though powder has less calories), and I would drink soda when it was around, just because. Now, since I started drinking Spark in the morning in place of coffee, or during the day when I want something "sweet" to drink, I feel much more energetic and aware! I no longer even make coffee in the morning, and I don't miss it or soda! There are so many different flavors of spark, I think my favorite is the mango strawberry...yum!

Anyways, these are great products and so far I love how they make me feel, and the results they have given me!

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Challenge Day 15

Yesterday I spent most of the day cooking and preparing food for bunko last night. I hosted bunko at my moms house so I had to prepare the food. The menu included chicken salad with grapes and celery on whole wheat pitas, and fruit salad that had cantaloupe, strawberries and kiwis in it, and a veggie tray! All healthy and delicious! The dessert, maybe not so much...homemade chocolate bowls with homemade whipped cream and berries on top! I did pretty good last night, and I couldn't even finish my dessert, because after not eating sweets for the last 15 days, it was incredibly sweet and rich! I didn't gain any weight back from little splurge! I am down 7.5lbs!

Anyways, last night was great and I didn't break the challenge to much and even though I did have a little bit of sweets I'm not craving it again like I normally would! Well, its time for my morning walk with my son since I hear him awake upstairs!

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Challenge Day 14

Yesterday was Challenge day 14! Yesterday was a scorcher, it hit around 81 degrees but it felt much hotter! Yesterday Michial and I spent the day with my mom. We ran around most of the day getting prizes for Bunko tonight! Normally with as much running around as we did, I would be completely exhausted. But I wasn't, amazingly I felt great the whole day!

We decided to have lunch at Red Robin, because we love their salads. But as you may know, Red Robin is known for their bottomless basket of fries! We could of just asked them to not bring any out, but Mikey was with us, and he loves them! So we got the fries, and I avoided them the entire time we were there. I didn't have one fry, and believe it or not I didn't even miss them! Mom and I got a salad to share, and I could only eat half of my half of the salad and I was already full! Normally, I would eat probably about half of the basket of fries (at least) and my whole half of the salad!

Its great not to have cravings for these non healthy foods! I wasn't a big coffee or soda drinker so I haven't had much of a problem wanting those, although the spark actually gives you more energy than any kind of sugary caffeinated drink. I did however crave other sugary foods that were full of carbs! I think I probably ate chocolate about everyday! Now, I don't even crave it or other sweets! It's great, I feel free from these foods that I thought I had to have and I couldn't live without!

One of the big things I have learned in these few days, is listen to your body. It will tell you when your full or if your really hungry. I was an emotional eater and I snacked when I was bored. But with the 5 mini-meals you eat everyday I no longer think I'm hungry or feel the need to snack at random times.

If you want to loose your cravings, have more energy, and even loose weight, (there are plans that don't encourage weight loss if you don't need that, they just promote feeling better and more energetic) then ask me about how you can get started! I would love to help you reach your goals!

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Challenge Day 13

I know I didn't start this blog on day 1, because I still was skeptical of how it was going to work. I am so glad I gave it a chance! I have lost 6lbs, and my pants are so loose that I had to go buy a new belt to keep them up! Not to mention I feel great, and it is much easier to get out of bed in the morning, since I sleep great and get fully restored for the day ahead! I have had awesome results in only 13 days!

I guess I should share a little bit about myself. Almost 2 years ago now I had my first son, Mikey. Not even 6 weeks after childbirth I was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 24. A little over a week after I was diagnosed I had surgery, and 2 more surgeries while I was still in the hospital. I was in the hospital for inpatient rehab for a month after my first surgery. I had to learn to walk all over again, from a wheel chair, to a walker, and even now with a cane. And to do other basic functions. So needless to say I was unable to loose the weight I gained when I was pregnant. Plus I put on additional weight while being almost immobile, sitting in a hospital bed, and eating hospital food for a month, and not much activity for several months after. That was in August 2010. In February 2011, I had brain surgery once again to remove the rest of the tumor. This time I didn't loose as much function but I still lost enough to warrant me in inpatient rehab for a month once again.

After this all happened I felt emotionally and physically drained. I had to force myself to get out of bed most mornings to get the day started. I had to entertain a toddler which wore me out even more! It still takes me more energy to do things because I have weakness on my right extremities. But, this challenge has changed all that! Spark is amazing! That's the only way I can describe it! It gives me so much energy! I no longer feel exhausted in the afternoon even after a long walk in the morning with my son.

I had tried loosing weight on my own by eating less and walking more, but that made my energy plummet even more. Not to mention I only seemed to be able to loose a few pounds in several months, but always gaining it back because I would give in to my cravings! With Advocare I have no cravings anymore. It has been 13 days, and I don't long for sweets, carbs, or even CHOCOLATE anymore! Yes, I said chocolate, that has always been my weakness!

I can only wait for the days ahead of me, because I know they will bring more weight loss and lost inches! I want to be able to comfortably fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans once again, and I know I will! If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me!

Remember, this is not a diet, its a nutritional program!

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