A friend recently introduced me to Advocare which is a company "specializing in health and wellness, weight management, vibrant energy and sports performance". I started reading about the 24 Day Challenge and decided to "take the challenge".
A lot of people have said that they have increased energy after the 24 days, in addition to losing weight and inches. I'm hoping for all 3 :)
Day 1
30 Minutes Before Breakfast: Mandarin Orange Spark
Breakfast: Fiber Drink (I am NOT looking forward to this tomorrow!), banana
Snack: 1 cup strawberries, hard-boiled egg
Lunch: Salad (romaine, baby bell peppers, cucumbers, Bragg's Raspberry vinaigrette), grilled chicken, baby carrots, hummus
The dressing is supposed to be sugar-free, but I just can't eat that again. So...I'm going to cheat and use Newman's Own Honey Mustard from now on because I think the salads will go down a LOT easier!
Snack: Apple slices, natural peanut butter (no sugar added)
Before workout: 3 Catalyst
Workout: Ran 2 miles
Dinner: Rotisserie chicken, brown rice, salad (with Newman's Own Dressing!), 1 Omegaplex
Bedtime: Herbal Cleanse Tablet
Nothing earth-shattering today except that all the water I drank went right through me. I've been drinking at least 64 oz of water most days for the past 3 months, but today it was like I just started drinking tons of water. That and the fiber drink - YUCK! Although, I guess if the cleanse does its job in ridding my body of toxins, then it's a price I can afford to pay.
Another thing I noticed was that running was a little easier. I'm not getting my hopes up in case it's a placebo effect, and it was only 2 miles because I had things I had to do. But I'm really excited about running getting easier as I lose more weight, and today was a little taste of that.
Weight Loss Ticker
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Soft-Serve Ice Cream
The first time I heard about banana ice cream, I had absolutely no desire to ever try it. It's not that I don't like bananas. They're ok; but I usually buy a bunch, eat 1 or 2, put them in the fridge when they start to get mushy and throw them out a week later.
But then I saw some pictures that looked really good. And I saw a couple people post somewhere that it didn't really taste too banana. So I cut up a banana that was getting freckled and put it in the freezer.
Fast forward two weeks to today when I was telling someone at work about banana ice cream and powdered peanut butter (PB2) which I bought awhile back but haven't really used.
So I decided to jump on the banana ice cream bandwagon.
But first, I had to unpack a new toy.
I took my previously frozen bananas (please note the freezer burn. Apparently I don't just burn food with heat...)
And put them in my new toy.
Pulse a couple times (which, incidentally, I think should earn me at least 1 Activity Point)
Throw in some PB2 (maybe 2 teaspoons?)
Pulse some more and viola!
It wasn't ice cream, but it was pretty good! Nice peanut butter and banana flavor. I can see myself eating a lot of this in the summer. This was maybe 2/3 of a banana (whatever didn't fit into the first container I used), and it made about 1/2-3/4 cup. Next time I think I'm going to add just a touch of milk to make it more creamy and some cocoa powder to make chocolate.
One "recipe" (I laugh when I call it that since it's just 1 ingredient) recommended slicing the banana and freezing it for about an hour. Maybe I'll do that, too, to eliminate the freezer ice crystals.
But then I saw some pictures that looked really good. And I saw a couple people post somewhere that it didn't really taste too banana. So I cut up a banana that was getting freckled and put it in the freezer.
Fast forward two weeks to today when I was telling someone at work about banana ice cream and powdered peanut butter (PB2) which I bought awhile back but haven't really used.
So I decided to jump on the banana ice cream bandwagon.
But first, I had to unpack a new toy.
I took my previously frozen bananas (please note the freezer burn. Apparently I don't just burn food with heat...)
And put them in my new toy.
Pulse a couple times (which, incidentally, I think should earn me at least 1 Activity Point)
Throw in some PB2 (maybe 2 teaspoons?)Pulse some more and viola!
It wasn't ice cream, but it was pretty good! Nice peanut butter and banana flavor. I can see myself eating a lot of this in the summer. This was maybe 2/3 of a banana (whatever didn't fit into the first container I used), and it made about 1/2-3/4 cup. Next time I think I'm going to add just a touch of milk to make it more creamy and some cocoa powder to make chocolate.
One "recipe" (I laugh when I call it that since it's just 1 ingredient) recommended slicing the banana and freezing it for about an hour. Maybe I'll do that, too, to eliminate the freezer ice crystals.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Chopped Salad and Upside Down World
Is it weird that I hate salad but loved chopped salad? Apparently if something is in small enough pieces, it's more fun to eat and tastes better. Hmm...
I found some Chopped Salad Kits at Sam's Club last week. Tonight I had the Chopped Asian Salad with some (chopped) chicken. It was good. A little too much green onion for me, but I'll eat it again. Tomorrow.
I also took some before pics tonight. I wasn't going to post these anywhere for a very long time, but I remembered when you take your picture in a mirror that is slanted it doesn't look so bad. So here's my before. Actually my during since this is 29 pounds down from when I started. And unfortunately 11 pounds up from where I was.
Yes, my ceiling has a gaping hole in it. Yes, my mirror is dirty. It's been waiting to go to the garage for trash day. Now that that's out of the way...
Seeing these pictures in the mirror reminds me of something I used to love when I was little. I would take a hand-held mirror and hold it facing the ceiling. Then I would look into it and walk. It's like a whole new world! You need to step over door jambs, watch out for light fixtures all while trying not to bump into anything back in the "real world".
Yes, I realize that makes me a little different. Enough to think maybe I shouldn't mention that another favorite thing to do would be to spin in circles and lay in the grass while watching the sky spin. Actually, I still do that. And I may or may not have taught my niece and nephew how to spin...
I found some Chopped Salad Kits at Sam's Club last week. Tonight I had the Chopped Asian Salad with some (chopped) chicken. It was good. A little too much green onion for me, but I'll eat it again. Tomorrow.
I also took some before pics tonight. I wasn't going to post these anywhere for a very long time, but I remembered when you take your picture in a mirror that is slanted it doesn't look so bad. So here's my before. Actually my during since this is 29 pounds down from when I started. And unfortunately 11 pounds up from where I was.Yes, my ceiling has a gaping hole in it. Yes, my mirror is dirty. It's been waiting to go to the garage for trash day. Now that that's out of the way...
Seeing these pictures in the mirror reminds me of something I used to love when I was little. I would take a hand-held mirror and hold it facing the ceiling. Then I would look into it and walk. It's like a whole new world! You need to step over door jambs, watch out for light fixtures all while trying not to bump into anything back in the "real world".
Yes, I realize that makes me a little different. Enough to think maybe I shouldn't mention that another favorite thing to do would be to spin in circles and lay in the grass while watching the sky spin. Actually, I still do that. And I may or may not have taught my niece and nephew how to spin...
Monday, January 2, 2012
Toasted Apple Marshmallows
Ok, so this post doesn't really have anything to do with marshmallows; but I'll get to my reason for the title a little later.
I was told I need to update my blog. I guess it's about time.
Today I spent some of the day compiling healthy recipes from my Pinterest Healthy Recipes board. Basically I've pinned every other recipe I see from Dashing Dish and Chocolate Covered Katie and quite a few from Emily Bites and Skinnytaste. These are some terrific blogs, and I highly recommend that my 2 followers check them out!! ;)
Other than that, I celebrated a milestone today in that I actually made something that I found on Pinterest. Finally! It was this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken.
Mine didn't look quite look the picture (ok, I thought it looked pretty disappointing), but it was really good! I added a bunch of fresh broccoli about an hour before it was done. I actually messed up because my slow cooker only has 2 settings for high (4 or 6 hours) and 2 for low (8 or 10 hours). I'm not quite sure what I was thinking, but I knew it had to cook for 5-6 hours on low. So I chose 6 hours on high. Duh.
It was only a little burnt, but it was still really good with plenty of sauce for my rice. I got 5.5 servings out of it which I figure should be a little less than 7 Weight Watcher Plus points plus 3 for my rice.
I recently bought this amazing invention from a Pampered Chef party. (Amazon actually sells the same thing for less.)
I'm still trying to get the hang of cooking without burning (and not just on this!!), but I have some apples I need to use up so I decided to try my hand at apple chips.
This plate is probably 1/2 - 3/4 of an apple (some were still cooking and quite a few didn't make it to the plate...like the whole first tray!). I sprinkled the apples with cinnamon before cooking. The best part? 0 points!! And so much more fun than eating an apple... Oh, and the burnt ones taste like toasted marshmallows.
I was told I need to update my blog. I guess it's about time.
Today I spent some of the day compiling healthy recipes from my Pinterest Healthy Recipes board. Basically I've pinned every other recipe I see from Dashing Dish and Chocolate Covered Katie and quite a few from Emily Bites and Skinnytaste. These are some terrific blogs, and I highly recommend that my 2 followers check them out!! ;)
Other than that, I celebrated a milestone today in that I actually made something that I found on Pinterest. Finally! It was this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken.
Mine didn't look quite look the picture (ok, I thought it looked pretty disappointing), but it was really good! I added a bunch of fresh broccoli about an hour before it was done. I actually messed up because my slow cooker only has 2 settings for high (4 or 6 hours) and 2 for low (8 or 10 hours). I'm not quite sure what I was thinking, but I knew it had to cook for 5-6 hours on low. So I chose 6 hours on high. Duh.
It was only a little burnt, but it was still really good with plenty of sauce for my rice. I got 5.5 servings out of it which I figure should be a little less than 7 Weight Watcher Plus points plus 3 for my rice.
I recently bought this amazing invention from a Pampered Chef party. (Amazon actually sells the same thing for less.)
This plate is probably 1/2 - 3/4 of an apple (some were still cooking and quite a few didn't make it to the plate...like the whole first tray!). I sprinkled the apples with cinnamon before cooking. The best part? 0 points!! And so much more fun than eating an apple... Oh, and the burnt ones taste like toasted marshmallows.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Breakfast
(3) Special K
(1) Milk
Morning Snack
(3) animal crackers
Lunch
(7) Chicken Corn Chowder - mmm
(3) Veggie Straws
Afternoon snack
(1) string cheese
(0) apple
Dinner
(7) Meatloaf sandwich
(4) bread (for sandwich)
Evening snack
(1) string cheese
(0) apple
(4) brownie
I should not have eaten the brownie because now I want more chocolate. Argh!
(3) Special K
(1) Milk
Morning Snack
(3) animal crackers
Lunch
(7) Chicken Corn Chowder - mmm
(3) Veggie Straws
Afternoon snack
(1) string cheese
(0) apple
Dinner
(7) Meatloaf sandwich
(4) bread (for sandwich)
Evening snack
(1) string cheese
(0) apple
(4) brownie
I should not have eaten the brownie because now I want more chocolate. Argh!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 24
I'm watching a movie called Spirit of the Marathon - it's about the Chicago Marathon. They just said that several runners have PRs of under 2:07...wow! I'm nowhere near even THINKING about a marathon, but this is pretty inspiring. They panned the runners - there must have been thousands and thousands of them! 35-37,000 people, they just said - I can't even imagine the energy that must have been in that crowd...
Anyway, craft show season is in full swing; and it's getting really busy! I am part of a small family business that makes various handmade items (click here to see our website!), and I also make paper crafts and altered items (click here to visit my Etsy shop!). From the end of October to the end of November, every weekend is spoken for by craft shows. Of course I don't make it easy on myself by making my items ahead so every night is spoken for by crafting!
The good news is that it keeps me busy. The bad news is that I'm not a very good planner, and I don't like to take much time out to do necessary things like making dinner, doing dishes, etc. So I tend to eat poorly. Last year I didn't even try to eat healthy. This year I see myself slipping back into old (bad) habits so I need to figure out how to get out of the rut I've been in. I get 29 Weight Watchers Plus points/day. Some days that seems like a lot...most days it seems like hardly any. Especially when I get the munchies. I ordered a microwave chip cooker from a Pampered Chef show yesterday - I'm excited to get it. Hopefully that will allow me to have crunchy, low point snacks.
Today's Menu:
Breakfast (5):
(3) Special K
(1) Milk
(1) Coffee w/SF Peppermint Creamer
Morning Snack (5):
(2) WW yogurt (apple pie ala mode - yum!)
(3) animal crackers
Lunch (10):
(7) Enchilada, tamale, Spanish rice (frozen meal)
(0) grapes (they were weird tasting)
(3) Sensible Portions veggie straws
Midday Snack (0):
(0) apple
Dinner (11):
(7) Meatloaf sandwich
(4) Italian bread (the bread part of the sandwich)
Total: 31
But I still have the munchies!
So I made some crafts, packaged up an Etsy order, checked Facebook while watching my marathon movie and decided to blog.
Anyway, craft show season is in full swing; and it's getting really busy! I am part of a small family business that makes various handmade items (click here to see our website!), and I also make paper crafts and altered items (click here to visit my Etsy shop!). From the end of October to the end of November, every weekend is spoken for by craft shows. Of course I don't make it easy on myself by making my items ahead so every night is spoken for by crafting!
The good news is that it keeps me busy. The bad news is that I'm not a very good planner, and I don't like to take much time out to do necessary things like making dinner, doing dishes, etc. So I tend to eat poorly. Last year I didn't even try to eat healthy. This year I see myself slipping back into old (bad) habits so I need to figure out how to get out of the rut I've been in. I get 29 Weight Watchers Plus points/day. Some days that seems like a lot...most days it seems like hardly any. Especially when I get the munchies. I ordered a microwave chip cooker from a Pampered Chef show yesterday - I'm excited to get it. Hopefully that will allow me to have crunchy, low point snacks.
Today's Menu:
Breakfast (5):
(3) Special K
(1) Milk
(1) Coffee w/SF Peppermint Creamer
Morning Snack (5):
(2) WW yogurt (apple pie ala mode - yum!)
(3) animal crackers
Lunch (10):
(7) Enchilada, tamale, Spanish rice (frozen meal)
(0) grapes (they were weird tasting)
(3) Sensible Portions veggie straws
Midday Snack (0):
(0) apple
Dinner (11):
(7) Meatloaf sandwich
(4) Italian bread (the bread part of the sandwich)
Total: 31
But I still have the munchies!
So I made some crafts, packaged up an Etsy order, checked Facebook while watching my marathon movie and decided to blog.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
This and that
I'm becoming a connoisseur of tv dinners. I like to cook, but not just for me. It's much more fun to cook when I know that someone else will enjoy it, and I won't have to eat the same thing for the next 5 days. Plus it's so easy to just grab a meal to take to work. And this is a pretty busy time of year for me so when I don't want to stop working to eat, I can convince myself that it will only take 15 minutes!
The up side is that I get a wide variety of meals that I wouldn't normally eat. The down side is that it's all processed food. I figure if Nutri-System works, it's basically the same thing but much more expensive! I won't bore you with the rest of my frozen food theories...
Insert segue here...
I was thinking today that this is the first year I'm not looking forward to winter because it gives me an excuse to not exercise. I don't want to lose the running momentum (small though it may be) that I've built this year. Fortunately my sister has lent me her treadmill until the spring. I don't normally like running on the treadmill, but I know it will come in handy on snowy, icy winter days. And, I'm hoping that I can use it to train myself to run faster. We'll see.
The up side is that I get a wide variety of meals that I wouldn't normally eat. The down side is that it's all processed food. I figure if Nutri-System works, it's basically the same thing but much more expensive! I won't bore you with the rest of my frozen food theories...
Insert segue here...
I was thinking today that this is the first year I'm not looking forward to winter because it gives me an excuse to not exercise. I don't want to lose the running momentum (small though it may be) that I've built this year. Fortunately my sister has lent me her treadmill until the spring. I don't normally like running on the treadmill, but I know it will come in handy on snowy, icy winter days. And, I'm hoping that I can use it to train myself to run faster. We'll see.
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