AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge

I didn't do a good job of keeping the blog updated during this challenge, mostly because I totally underestimated how busy I would be with my teacher internship this semester. I have now completed my 24 day challenge, and I would call it a success. I lost 12 pounds during the 24 days, and my clothes are fitting a little looser. I think this was a good kick-start to weight loss.

I am going to continue eating healthy, following the plan that I used during the challenge. I also need to get into the gym more, but that is a time issue more than anything right now. I just need to make the time for it, which is hard for me to do.

I should have taken a before picture when I started the challenge, but I forgot to do so. Here is an after picture...

I still have a long way to go to get to my goal, but this was a good start.

Devotion from AdvoCare Day 2

I didn't have time to upload this yesterday, but I found a great devotion on K-LOVE's Facebook page yesterday as part of their #30daysofprayer4newlife campaign. This prayer was written by Amanda Carroll, and it really spoke to me on multiple levels:

Father, help me not to cling to the old things in my life that I enjoyed but were a distraction from my relationship with You.

For Jesus said, "Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity." (John 12:25)

Lord, I know You want us to experience joy, just not at the expense of sinning against You. Father, show me how to love the life I live. Not the one that I design, but the one You have planned for me.

I love this prayer! I think that it is so powerful and so true. We live in a fast paced world that offers us many distractions. It is easy to get caught up in things. Even things that are not wrong or harmful in themselves can be dangerous for us if we allow them to take over our lives.

Food is a great example. Food is a necessary part of life. It is something that God created to provide us with nourishment and pleasure. If we weren't supposed to enjoy eating, why do you think God made such tasty things? But food can become a problem if we allow it to become too important or try to use it to fill a void in our lives that it should not fill.

This prayer can also talk about toxic relationships, TV time, money...ANYTHING that you allow to distract you from God. We need to daily surrender those things.

AdvoCare Challenge Day 2

It has been a long day, so I am uploading this straight from my notes on my phone where I am tracking what I eat.

8:30 a.m. - Today did not get off to a good start. I woke up so late that there was no reason to even try to get to class on time, because, barring the invention of a time machine, it just wasn't going to happen. I chugged my fiber drink (still not my favorite thing) and even though I didn't really want it, I made a breakfast wrap with a whole wheat tortilla, turkey, and veggies. Not exactly breakfast food, I know, but it was good. I packed a quick lunch (so glad I took the time to prepare my fruits and veggies into individual bags and cups on Monday night. It saves tons of time.) And then I headed to class, knowing I was going to be an hour late (which I hate). But on the bright side, my radio was on point this morning. Hoping the rest of the day goes a little smoother.

10:30 - Spark

11:30 - Lunch Turkey sandwich on wheat with grapes and almonds

Devotion from K-LOVE (I will post this for you guys tomorrow.)

3:30 - Carrots with peanut butter

5:30 - Fruit cup

6:30 - pork, brown rice and veggies

I have not really been hungry today, but I haven't been satisfied either. I think it has more to do with being stressed and running around so much today. I didn't plan my meals ahead enough and ended up kind of grazing and overeating at dinner... But, tomorrow is a new opportunity to do better! Goodnight, and God bless! 

Christina

AdvoCare Challenge Day 1

There are lots of ways that I could do this, but I decided the best way to really let you see what the AdvoCare Challenge is like would be to break it down and tell you exactly how each day goes. Note that this is NOT an advice page and that I am NOT an AdvoCare coach. I am not an expert on how this challenge should be done. I am learning about it as I go, so I am sure there are days when I will mess up. In other words, don't follow my diet as your plan. Make sure if you start AdvoCare that you get a good coach to help you out! Most of the AdvoCare coaches that I know are awesome, so I am sure that you will be able to find a great one to help keep you motivated and on task to reach your goals.

Today's Devotion - Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

I am going to be spending a lot of time over the next 24 days thinking about what I am eating and drinking and what is going on with my body. I am serious about seeing a change in my body, but it is important that I don't lose focus on God and His plan because I am too concerned about such insignificant things. There are lots of reasons that I want to lose weight and get healthier. I want to feel better and look better and have more energy. Those reasons are partly selfish. But I need to keep my focus on God's plan. How much better can I serve Him if I am healthy? How much better of an example for Him will I be if I feel better and have more energy to help others and share His love with others? I may be worried about what I am eating and drinking, but God is concerned with bigger things. I know that I can trust in Him and that He will help me be successful in this journey as long as I keep my priorities straight and rely on Him.

Today was my first day on AdvoCare. Here's how it went...

7:45 a.m. - I am not a morning person. At all. I am also not a breakfast person. I usually don't want anything to eat until I have been up for a couple of hours. I know that isn't good and that you need to eat in the morning to get your metabolism going, but that doesn't mean I like it. This morning, I was supposed to drink the AdvoCare Fiber Drink and eat breakfast. I did drink the Fiber Drink, but I didn't make it to eat anything (mostly because I was running late this morning). Also, the Fiber Drink totally filled me up and I really didn't want anything else. Now, I better warn you about this Fiber Drink. I mixed mine with water. It actually tasted okay (mine was the citrus flavor), but the texture (it was kind of gritty) was a little hard for me to get past. I am a really picky eater, so I basically just chugged the drink like it was medicine. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever had, but I am glad that I don't have to drink one every day for the next 24 days.

8:45 a.m. - I got to class, planning to eat some fruit for breakfast when I got there. Like I said earlier, I was running late, so I didn't really get an opportunity to eat anything because we dove right into some group work as soon as I got to class (I am in my student teaching semester and am currently taking my seminar class with all the other teacher interns). Despite not eating anything for breakfast, I wasn't hungry (which didn't really surprise me, since that Fiber Drink was so filling and since I usually skip breakfast anyway).

10:45 a.m. - Our instructor let us have a little break, so I mixed up a Spark in my water bottle. It tasted great, and it was great to have the caffeine since this is about the time of day that I start craving my first Dr. Pepper of the day.

11:30 a.m. - Lunch break! Being in these seminar classes (we get about an hour for lunch each day), I typically run through a fast food place and grab a burger or chicken tenders for lunch.

 My typical lunch...which probably has enough calories for an entire day in it...

Last night, when I got home from the grocery store, I went ahead and fixed all my fruit and veggies in little snack sized portions so they would be easy to pack. I grabbed a few bags of veggies and a bag of fruit and tossed them in my lunch box with a turkey sandwich that I made on a whole wheat sandwich bun. It was actually way more filling than what I normally eat, and since I planned ahead, it didn't take that much extra time to pack it.

My AdvoCare lunch

 Oh, by the way, check out how cute my lunch box is! I love Vera Bradley! :)

2:00 p.m. - The afternoon is one of my worst times when I am trying to diet! I always get hungry around this time of day and start scrounging around for something to eat. I had tossed a little 100 Calorie Pack of almonds and walnuts in my purse this morning, so I grabbed that while I was listening to a lecture this afternoon.

3:30 p.m. - I mixed up another Spark, mainly because I could tell that I was needing some caffeine (my addiction to Dr. Pepper is no joke, apparently).

6:00 p.m. - I finally got home from school and was a little hungry, but not starving. I probably should have waited (you're not really supposed to have 2 snacks between lunch and dinner), but I grabbed a little bowl of fruit (strawberries, fresh pineapple, and kiwi).

8:00 p.m. - I have always been a late eater, so I waited until now to eat supper because I knew if I ate earlier I would be starving before bed. I took my OmegaPlex Fish Oil pills and had a lemon and herb pork chop with steamed broccoli and carrots and a piece of wheat bread. You can find my recipe for lemon and herb pork chops here.

Now I just have to take my Herbal Cleanse Caplets (Holy cow, they are huge! Haha.) before bed.

Day one of my AdvoCare challenge is in the books, and I can honestly say that I have not felt hungry or deprived at all. I really think this plan for a healthier lifestyle is going to be a great thing for me and I am looking forward to the next 23 days!

Blessings,
Christina

Recipe of the Day

Lemon and Herb Pork Chops

(this recipe serves 2)

2 butterflied lean pork chops
Lawry's Herb and Garlic Marinade with Lemon Juice
1 lemon

Slice the lemon and put the lemon slices into a quart Ziploc bag with the 2 pork chops. Pour in about 1/3 of the bottle of Herb and Garlic Marinade. Put the bag in the refrigerator and let the pork chops marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make a foil packet for the pork chops on a cookie sheet and bake them for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and open the foil packet so that the chops can brown. Return to the oven and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer, until chops are done (they should be white all the way through when you cut into them). Serve with steamed veggies.

Let's Get It Started

This year, instead of a list of New Year's Resolutions, I decided to make a list of experiences that I want to have in 2014. The first thing on my list was to complete the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge.

I ordered my challenge kit a few weeks ago and finally got the chance to go pick it up yesterday. Today, I planned my meals and did my shopping. Now I am ready to get started!

I am determined to fully commit to this plan for the next 24 days. I don't think it is going to be a miracle cure that will instantly make me lose 20 or 30 pounds, but I am hoping to lose a little weight over the next 24 days and I want to improve my energy and decrease my craving for all things sweet. I am also going to be training for a 5K over the next few weeks, so I am getting more active, too.

I don't just want this to be a cleansing of my body. I am also going to commit to a devotion plan for the next 24 days and will include Bible reading every single day.

I am going to be blogging about my experience - telling you all about what I'm cooking and eating, what I'm doing for exercise, how I'm feeling (from what my friends say, this AdvoCare Spark is supposed to be the best thing ever and should give me TONS of energy) and what I'm learning in my devotions each day.

I currently wear size 12 jeans (they are tight and I have a major muffin top when I wear them, though...ugh). I am not going to share my weight or measurements, but I will be reporting on if I have lost pounds or inches at the end of the first 10 days and at the end of the challenge so you can see my progress.

I have a great coach and some friends who have already done the challenge with great success, so I am looking forward to the next 24 days!

Now, let's get it started!

Here's to 2014

I really don't do well with New Year's Resolutions. I typically sit down and make a list of things that I would like to accomplish in a new year, but I almost never stick to anything long enough to actually see those resolutions through.

This year, instead of resolutions, I am going to plan some experiences - things that I want to do and places that I want to go this year. I listed twelve experiences, one for each month of 2014. And unlike my normal resolutions, these aren't things that I have to focus on for an entire year (which is good for me because I can't focus on anything for very long).

January - Complete the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge
February - WinterJam with my little brother to see Lecrae
March - Dance Alabama! Spring Dance Concert
April - Braves vs Nationals game in Atlanta
May - Memphis in May with my Papaw Hoot
July - Mary Poppins at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery
October - Canton Flea Market with Mama
November - Alabama Football Game
December - Graduate from college!

Other events (which don't have specific dates yet)

The Color Run in Tuscaloosa
Participate in part of the Southern Literary Trail
Beach trip

Here's to a year full of great experiences and lots of fun times and great memories with family and friends.