Tired of 20!!!!!

I am stuck at 20 lbs. I will gain a pound or two, then lose that pound or two, but I can't seem to get to 21 lbs. It is very frustrating, but I am going to keep taking my MNS supplements and drinking my shakes. Maybe, just maybe it will start falling off again. Makes me MAD!!!!

Despite my complaining, I am so very thankful for the 20 I have lost!

So I have seen a photo

capital "O" capital "M" capital "G". I have just seen a picture of myself at a function that took place over the weekend. First of all, I hate being in a picture and second of all who is that girl looking back at me? I am going to "RUN, Forrest, RUN" tomorrow. GROSS. I have a looooonnngggggg way to go, but guess what??? ...that gave me my motivation to get through the week.

I am so excited that I just can't hide it!

Since Sunday I have lost 3 more pounds for a total of 20 lbs....in a month! I love, love, love advocare. I wouldn't be doing so good without their products. It sounds strange or hokey, but true. There is something magical about them. I can't explain it, but I do know that I have felt better this past month than I have in the last 15 years. I have a desire to eat healthy, fresh foods. I have NEVER EVER been like that before. Well, I still don't love all veggies, but I am definitely eating more of the ones I do like.

Falling and I MUST get back up

Goodness GRACIOUS I have been BAD. Had margaritas Friday and it was all downhill from there. My eating and exercise was terrible the entire weekend. I will say that I quickly jumped back on the wagon Monday when I got on that scale. I have lost what I gained, but I could be down even more had I behaved myself. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!?!? I do love a margarita.

I will tell you all a funny story...when we were at the mexican restaurant enjoying our delicious margaritas, Brad said, "look Molly just walked it". I about choked on a chip (which I shouldn't have been eating). Not to mention the pitcher of margaritas were over half gone. He was kidding about Molly walking in, but we cracked up about it because we knew we shouldn't have been in there, but it sure was great. Those of you who don't know Molly, she is an advocare professional :o) and has lost a ton of weight using advocare's products. I found some of that weight she lost at the mexican restaurant.

I have learned my lesson...I hope.

One goal down, many more to go

Well, my first goal was to get thru the 24 day challenge and I DID THAT! My next goal is to lose 30 lbs. Hummmm.....wonder if it is going to be as easy as the first 17 lbs. Doubtful, but I am going to do it! You wait and see.

It ain't over until the SKINNY lady sings

I have officially finished the 24 day challenge!

Here's the skinny...

I've lost 17 total pounds and 13.5 inches all over. I have lost 4 inches in my waist alone. I had to measure and recalculate twice because I couldn't believe it! These measurements are only for the last 11 days, because I forgot to measure on day one of the cleanse. I am so mad at myself for not doing it the first day. This was the easiest diet I have ever done, if I should even call it a diet. If I can do it...ANYONE can do it.

What's next you may be wondering. I am going to keep doing what I am doing. Drinking meal replacement shakes, taking 3 Catalyst 2 times a day, taking Thermo plus, taking all the wonderful supplements in the MNS 3 pack, continuing to eat tons of fruits and veggies and lean meats, oh...we can't forget about Spark and Slam - I am officially addicted to them.

I will continue taking advocare products for the rest of my life. I love them so much. I have never been one that can take multi-vitamins or prenatal vitamins for that matter, because they upset my stomach terribly. I wasn't sure when I started taking advocare products that they wouldn't do the same. Thankfully they didn't. I can honestly say that I am taking the right steps to changing my lifestyle to a healthy one thanks to advocare. If I could meet Mr. Advocare, I would give him a great big hug and kiss!

This journey really has just begun...

A good way to get started

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What is Spark? Spark is a sugar-free energy drink. It sharpens mental focus and gives you long-lasting energy. I LOVE this product and so will you. I drink 1 to 2 a day (you can drink up to 4 if you need). You will be amazed how many vitamins and minerals this drink contains. I can't live without my daily spark - it is my coffee/coke!!

What is Slam? Slam is a high-powered, sugar-free energy drink. It is a liquid vitamin and amino acid supplement. I would compare this to a 5 hour energy drink, but Slams come without the jitters or a crash. GREAT before a workout or to help you get through a slump in your day. You will want to try this one! Slam is Spark on steroids.

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If you have any questions please feel free to email us at:

emily@doitwithadvocare.com or brad@doitwithadvocare.com

Bummed Out

I just got on the scale and I have gained 1.5 lbs. This is not the way I wanted to start my week. The crazy part is that last night when Brad had a moment of weakness - he ordered Papa Johns pizza - I refrained and had 3 meatballs, green beans, tomato slices and 2 small red skinned new potatoes. Sorry I call you out Brad. He is not going to be happy that I am telling "his business". Hee hee. I guess if I would have broken down and eaten the pizza I could see the weight gain, but I was good. I mean I watched him eat it and I didn't even have any. This is not fair. And he probably still lost weight. I have just decided that our scale must be broken :)

Winn-Dixie Specials

These were good finds at our local Winn-Dixie:

After church, Brad and I went to Winn-Dixie for some produce since our local farmer's market ended. We ran across some good deals while we were there so I thought I would pass along. Our new favorite Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich rounds are Buy 1 get one FREE! I was extremely happy about this one. The things that excite me these days :o)

Winn-Dixie brand canned tomatoes were 10 for $6.00 making them $0.60 a can. We have been trying to use fresh ingredients, but let's face it, sometimes we only have time for cans. We bought petite diced tomatoes, tomatoes with green chilies, Italian style diced tomatoes, and Mexican style diced tomatoes. We weren't there to buy tomatoes, but saw they were on sale so we snatched some up. Be on the lookout for some great recipes using these tomatoes.

Broccoli bunches were Buy 1 get 1 FREE. I could have just passed these right on by since broccoli really is not my favorite. I always think the next time I eat it I will love it, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe one day. If I could just smother it in cheese or fry it.

All natural skinless, boneless chicken breast packs were also Buy 1 get 1 FREE! We loaded up on these and froze most of them. We are eating A LOT of chicken these days.

Please know that I am in NO way affiliated with any of these brands or Winn-Dixie...just a lil' tid bit I thought you might appreciate. I didn't pay attention to when the sale ends. That would have been smart of me. Sorry.

We saved $36.00 using our Winn-Dixie customer card. Pretty good.

Meatball Spaghetti

We haven't completely made the switch to using 100% ground turkey in our meals yet. So in the meantime, we are using half ground turkey and half extra lean ground beef (97% fat-free) for our recipes. Brad made these delicious meatballs using the half and half mixture. You certainly can use all turkey and I am sure would be just as delicious - or maybe not.

We did a bunch so that we could freeze some for later.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the above ingredients and form into balls. Our meatballs were medium sized. Feel free to make any size you wish. Place meatballs on a baking sheet about 3/4" apart. Bake for about 20 minutes.

We added Preggo traditional spaghetti sauce to our meatballs along with whole wheat spaghetti noodles and a fresh green salad to round out the meal. This was yet another good one!

We plan on using the leftover meatballs with our whole wheat sandwich rounds to make meatball sandwiches. We are going to add a little part-skim mozzarella cheese and bake the sandwich halves for a few minutes. YUM!

New Development

This is a GOOD one. This morning I thought I would try on an old pair of jeans....just to see. To my surprise, they fit! With ease. Didn't have to jump off the bed into them. They just slid right on like they should. Now this is going to be the start of a great day!

Thank you, Brad!

I am not even sure if Brad really reads this blog or every single entry. I hope he reads this one, because it is for him. I am truly blessed to have such a loving husband. I often ask myself how I got so lucky. Without out him, I am sure I would have already failed this challenge. He encourages me and helps me daily. He makes sure I stay on track and really goes above and beyond for me. He cooks the most delicious meals (expect that one with the broccoli). If I could clone him I would and give him to all my friends for Christmas. If you know him, you know exactly what I am talking about. He is the BEST!

Brad, I want you to know that I thank God everyday for giving you to me. You are my best friend and the best husband in the world! Thanks for all you do! I love you more and more everyday.

Cajun Chicken Sandwiches & Mini Pizzas

Brad made up both of these and they were delicious and something different.


You must buy the Nature's Own 100% WHOLE grain Sandwich Rounds. These are the best invention since sliced bread :o) You get to enjoy a whole sandwich without overdoing it with regular sized sliced bread...and it really is a perfect portion. Great product to keep in your pantry. 2 slices only have 20 grams of carbs.




Lil' Tid Bit: A friend of mine, who studies nutrition, says that when you are looking at how many carbs are in a product, you can subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of carbs to calculate your net carb intake.


Since these sandwich rounds have 20 grams of carbs and have 5 grams of fiber, my net carbs are only 15 grams. That makes these rounds perfect for this diet!





Now for the Cajun Chicken Sandwich Recipe...if you can even call it a recipe:





Sprinkle Sugar-free Cajun seasoning on a chicken breast and bake or grill.


I prefer my chicken thin, so we pound it out before cooking. We added a little part-skim mozzarella cheese to the chicken just before taking off the grill. We completed our sandwiches with fresh tomatoes and lettuce, as well as a little mustard. Who needs Chick-Fil-A...


We also made homemade sweet potato fries to accompany our chicken sandwich. These are super easy to make and sure helped cure my cravings for chips AND french FRIED potatoes.


To make the sweet potato fries you simply wash and slice into small fry shape pieces. Then lightly brush with EVOO and add salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place fries on baking sheet or rack making sure not to overlap or crowd the sweet potatoes. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes then turn fries and bake for another 15 or 20 minutes until golden brown.



PIZZA rounds


Today for lunch, Brad had this brilliant idea for pizza. Yeah, you heard it correctly, pizza. Using our new favorite sandwich rounds, we spread a little jarred spaghetti sauce (not even a whole teaspoon for each round) on to 4 rounds (2 for him and 2 for me). Then we built our pizzas. I added 2 pepperoni slices to each of my rounds and topped it off with part skim mozzarella cheese. Brad had to go on and get fancy and sauteed green bell peppers and onions and fresh mushrooms for his pizza making it gourmet. He left off the pepperoni which was probably the better decision, oh well - mine were delicious and 4 pepperonis really don't have that much fat (I will walk an extra mile tomorrow morning). He also added mozzarella cheese. Then we baked all 4 rounds at 350 for about 8 minutes, then turned oven to broil and watched the tops brown ever so slightly. I hearted these! Something different, yet easy and real good. We added some fresh fruit to round out our quick, yet yummy lunch.


Seriously, you should try these sandwich rounds if you haven't already.

Great Chicken Dish, thanks to Brad!

Spice-Rubbed Chicken Finger with Cilantro Sauce

This is FABULOUS!!!!!! Actually one of my faves. A must try! My friend Kim joined us for this meal and she really enjoyed it too (or at least she said she did). The dipping sauce is delicious. It is great to have such a wonderful cook in the house. Thanks Brad! We also had okra and tomatoes with this (former recipe). Since Kim was here we decided against busting out the camera like dorks and taking staged pictures. You just have to try it for yourself. I look forward to having left over chicken lettuce wraps tomorrow for lunch. YUM! The recipe is as follows. Bon Appetite!

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound chicken breast tenders

1/2 cup cilantro sprigs

1/4 cup parsley springs

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

1 serrano chile pepper seeded (wear plastic gloves when handling)

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons EVOO

2 tablespoons water

Sprig cilantro, for garnish (we don't do this part...garnish, smarnish)



Coat a grill rack or broiler-pan rack with cooking spray. Preheat the grill or broiler.


In a cup, combine the chili powder, cumin, and salt. Place the chicken in a baking pan and coat completely with cooking spray. Let stand for 10 minutes.


In a food processor (or blender), combine the cilantro, parsley, almonds, garlic, chile pepper, and salt. Process until chopped. While the processor is running, add the lime juice and oil through the feed tube, stopping the machine one or twice to scrape the sides of the container until the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce into a bowl. Stir in the water, cover, and chill until ready to serve.


Place the chicken in the prepared rack and grill or broil 6" from the heat, turning several times, for 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 170 degrees F and the juices run clear.


Serve with the sauce and garnish with the cilantro...or not.

14 lbs.

I have lost 14 lbs. I was getting a little discouraged, but the scale was on my side this morning. And I couldn't be happier. This is the easiest diet I have ever been on!

Holding strong on day 16

No real weight change this morning. I am still at 12 lbs. I guess staying the same is better than gaining. I know that Advocare is also helping me lose inches that do not show up on the scale every morning but I am loving seeing the clothes get looser and looser. I will say that I am feeling GREAT! I am amazed, really. We can't get hung up on the lbs only, because Advocare really helps hold on to the muscle while we lose the fat. It's bath time!!! See you tomorrow.

Black bean soup

This was just okay for me, but Brad loved it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup dried black beans
6 cups of water
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery with leaves, chopped
Ground black pepper
1 tsp celery seeds
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

Soak beans overnight. Drain beans once and add fresh water. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and celery. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the beans and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low then cover. Let simmer for 2 hours until beans are tender.

Remove half of the beans into a food processor or blender, adding liquid from soup to cover and puree. Add black pepper to taste and celery seeds. Return pureed beans to the pot heat stirring occasionally until soup thickens. Stir in lemon juice.

Garnish with sliced lemons and celery leaves.

I HAD to add a little salt :o) It was better left over to me. Great source of protein and fiber. You can have this on the 10 day cleanse. Add a salad to this for a perfect meal (remember, no vingar on the cleanse).

Moment of weakness

I am having a moment of weakness. I really want a glass of red wine. The only problem is I think that "a glass" might turn into "a bottle". Hummmm, what to do?

From ALL black to ALL white & Halter Top

Okay, so I have decided that I am going to set some new goals for myself. One of the new goals I am going to call the "from ALL black to ALL white" goal or challenge. My goal is to go from wearing ALL black to one day hopefully, maybe, with a lot of prayer, and sweat and tears to wearing ALL white. You heard me....ALL white. Who am I kidding, other than myself, that wearing all black really hides a thing??? It definitely makes me feel better so whatever it takes, right? I know many of you out there feel the same way. I don't know how or when my challenge will come to fruition, but I have to believe that it will. Stay tuned for that one...

When I told Brad of my new goals he said what about a bikini goal....I am still laughing about that one. Those days are loooooonngggg gone. That does kind of lead me to my next goal though. I will call this one "Halter Top". I am going to expose the big guns. Well, they will be little guns when they are exposed - the arms are coming out. No bikini, but be on the lookout for a strapless something. How about a white, strapless something. The point is no more 3/4" sleeves. Can I get an Amen?

The next goal is "Off the Rack"...need I say more????

Who wants to take one or all of these challenges with me? Or make up your own challenge. Just set a goal and join me on this journey. I can not do it alone, plus it is kind of fun dreaming....wishing....hoping.....

Monday Night Mixer

Thank you to all of you that came Mondy. We had good turn out. Be on the lookout for another one coming soon!

14 days and 12 pounds

Oh happy day!!!!