BOOM! Nailed it! Day 4

May 24 Day Challenge day 4 has started off with a boom.  I woke up feeling great and when you have no kids to get around and ready, it goes even better! I lazied around this morning, drinking my Fruit Punch Spark and taking the next part of the cleanse…

I’m now up to 3 Catalyst caps, 2 OmegaPlex Caps, and 2 Probiotics every morning. And now I remember what is so hard about AdvoCare.  ALL. THE. SUPPLEMENTS. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I know they’re doing for me, but sometimes, I wonder if I’m not as hungry because I’ve eaten so many supplements!

All in all, it’s working.  I’m cleansing my system to prepare it for the better vitamins I’ll be taking in, and it’s going to be worth it! As a matter of fact, I was reached out to this morning via my Instagram post, and was asked some really good questions.  One of which was “How do you like supplements?” Honestly, no one likes swallowing pills.  But, AdvoCare is a great product.  I’ve known that for 15+ years.  I decided to give it a chance again, just because I felt like my system needed a cleanse. THAT’S why I started.  AdvoCare has tons of different supplements available, some for added energy, some as a probiotic, some just as a vitamin.  It’s a pick-and-choose, but it can also be spelled out for you if that’s what you need!

I’m finishing this challenge because it’s important to me. And, while I haven’t seen/noticed a major change in the 4 days I’ve been on the program, I stepped on the scale so that I could give this question an honest answer.  I’m down 2 pounds as of this morning.  Eating clean(er) foods, drinking more and more water, and this cleanse has helped already.  Why not finish it to see what it CAN do?! What *I* can do!

Yesterday I had snap pea crisps for breakfast… don’t judge me. lol. 

I didn’t want anything, but needed something, and they were close by.  They’re baked, a vegetable, and taste amazing, so I went with it.  I also ate some pistachios since I could use some healthy fats. For lunch I had some shaved, gluten free turkey meat rolled up, and a bag of steamable mixed veggies.  I love those things. And yes, when I say a bag, I mean the WHOLE DAMN BAG.  Not the greatest lunch for me, but I had it here at work, and it sounded good.  Nothing fried, nothing rolled in butter or sauces, so I call it a win.

Since the honey and I were kid-less last night, we hit up Fuji for dinner (I did steak) and then hit up Sam’s for some necessities. Back to Fuji’s--- I had the steak, I ate the rice, and all the veggies. No, steak isn’t one of the “recommended” foods on the cleanse, and neither are the sauces, but I def portioned it out and didn’t finish it.  I got leftovers for lunch today! At Sam’s, we picked up lots of fruits and I may or may not have eaten several pieces of mango before we made it home. The main reason I like Sam's... I log more steps on my FitBit Force... Added benefit. 

Knowing that I had a load of carbs for dinner, I came home and immediately took two Carb-Ease Plus capsules, and my Omega’s, then just before bed, took the 3 Catalyst and my 3 cleanse pills too. Again, this morning has gone well, and I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot already! No Fiber drink this morning (YAY!), all the supplements down the hatch, Spark-ed up, and met some amazing women on IG this morning!  (Hi Ladies!) This morning I’m having grapes for breakfast, leftovers from last night for lunch (with another set of Carb-Ease caps) and I’ve got grapes, apples, and pistachios around for snacks while I’m at work.

Is there anything specific you’d like to know? Questions about the supplements? Need a coach or want to purchase? Please! Contact me if you’ve got questions about what I eat, what I’m taking, or just about me in general.  It’s the interactions here, on IG and on FB that keep me going! Seriously! After connecting this morning, I’m even more pumped to do this thing all the way this time!

Hope you all have a great Thursday! We’re on the last of our leg to the weekend! 

Back Again... For 24 Days at Least!

Well… I’m BACK!  (whoo-hoo, yay!- Don’t everyone cheer at once!)

I’ve fallen WAY off track lately, gained everything back that I lost at the beginning of the year, and I’m trying it all over again. This time, I’m trying it with a cleanse and actual program.

Enter: The Advocare 24 Day challenge

 

The 24 Day Challenge pack comes with a 10 day cleanse, some supplements, some shakes and a spelled out program.  Do this- Not that.  Eat this- Not that. THAT’S why I picked it. I’m the type that has to have my hand held.  I need someone to say “this is it”.  “Don’t eat that.” “You can do this”.  So… Here I am!

Day one starts with your Spark and I’ve added the Catalyst to the mix as per my coach’s recommendation. Wake up, shake it up, and drink it down.  The Spark flavors that I picked are actually something I don’t mind drinking and the Catalyst caps aren’t so big that I have to choke them down, so the morning routine is A-Okay.  I picked Strawberry-Mango for one box of Spark and fruit punch for the other. I also had some grape… and It’s terrible. Like, so bad, terrible.  I’ve been told that they will let you return them and send you a different box if you find that you don’t like the flavor, so I’m going to email them today and see what we can do about those. 

As soon as I get to work, I shake up the Fiber Drink for the 10 Day Cleanse and drink it IMMEDIATELY.  I picked the Peaches and Cream flavor (recommended by Mama Laughlin herself) over the citrus flavor because I remember the original Advocare citrus products from 20 years ago… BLECH! That’s stuck in my head, and I probably won’t try ANY of their citrus products, just because of that.

After drinking the fiber drink, I’m doing one of the Meal Replacement Shakes for today. I’ve had the chocolate shakes before, and they’re not BAD… But I ordered the vanilla shakes this time, so that I can add berries or flavors to it, if I need to.  I mix the shakes with water the first go around, just so I can make sure I know what it ACTUALLY tastes like… I may add almond milk to it one day if I feel like I need it, but right now, water is working.  Honest opinion? Vanilla is actually yummy… Chocolate is a little chalky.  Like, I want to add chocolate syrup to it to make it taste like chocolate.  *but you can’t do that Niki* 

One of the things that I don't think the Advocare (or its distributors) advertise enough? Theres an app to help you with your 24 day challenge! 

I downloaded it, plugged in my weight and measurements, and I'm checking off everything as I do it! It's SOOOO handy! The only think I wish it had? Reminders.  To let you know "Hey! It's time to take your Catalyst!" Or something along those lines.. Or tell you suggested foods compared to what you've already consumed today.  Just my two cents worth! Either way, I like having the app to help me SEE what I need to do. They have it in iTunes AND the Play Store, so download it if you're starting soon too! 

I'm part of the way through the day, and so far... I'm good.  The Spark gives you a nice jump start in the day, the fiber drink helps fill you up, the shake is filling, so yeah.  SURELY I can do this for 24 days? right? I'm hoping to do some meal prep tonight since yesterday was the birthday party of the century (more on that later) and I collapsed just in time to watch The Walking Dead and Talking Dead. (big fan's in my house, and we're Team Daryl)

If you're interested in what Advocare does for me during this 24 day challenge, then come back and I'll hopefully have some good news for you!  Also- I've still got the Heavy Cupcake Facebook page that I sometimes post things on, as well as a *NEW* Instagram just for Heavy Cupcake and starting over. Please, come look me up, follow along and KEEP ME ACCOUNTABLE! 

*Also- Just because I'm using the products, if you're interested in looking into them, here is the website where you can look, price and think about it... I don't expect you to buy from me if you already know "a guy", but I'm just throwing it out there.*