WIAW #2 - Clean Eating Goodness

I'm back for another What I Ate Wednesday!!! 

I love being back on track with clean eating, thank you to the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. I am feeling better and honestly still not craving the sugar and fatty stuff like I thought I would (although I am not entirely sure that I will ever permanently give up coffee, that is the one thing I am missing and really cannot wait for!). I am still in the thick of it with another week to go but going strong! 

I have been doing a LOT more food prep, and it has been so nice to have quick and easy meals waiting for me. On tap this week:

For breakfasts I have been doing the meal replacement shakes. I am kind of picky about my protein but this chocolate is pretty darn delicious I must admit. In a pinch I am just mixing with water in a shaker bottle - but mornings when I am home I have been mixing with frozen banana and spinach and chia seeds. Delicious! 

I also made a batch of the Fitnessista's quinoa pancakes - I had a ton of leftover quinoa I had prepped and do yourself a favor, make them. Simple, quick and nutritious! 

For snacks I finally made homemade hummus. What have I been doing buying this my whole life??? It is so simple to make, and such a money saver. I went a tad heavy on the garlic this round but it was still so so good. 

I have been eating rice cakes for snacks as well. This combo - one with spicy mustard and daiya cheese, plus another with mashed avocado and sea salt, so tasty - and with a side of shredded beets. Yum!

I have been eating tempeh a bit lately - I was feeling so lazy Sunday night and wound up just slicing up some 3 grain tempeh with a side of raw veggies. I like tempeh straight out the package, don't judge! 

Then some quick grilled chicken (with Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute - it is addictive) with a side of roasted brussel sprouts and butternut squash. I think some times the simpler the better. 

And of course can't forget my favorite date night this week - went to Guantanamera for some great Cuban food and live music, this paella was loaded with seafood and simple and delicious. And massive! Love me some seafood. 

I have been really good about not eating after dinner, but Sunday was feeling snacky so whipped up this massive chocolate protein muffin in the microwave. I will share the recipe it is sooooo good. Topped with some peanut butter and berries, heaven. Totally hit the dessert craving I was having. 

And there we have it. So much good food and all my eating has been on point. That makes me happy! 

AdvoCare Cleanse Phase Recap

I cannot believe that the first part of the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge is already complete! Time sure does fly when you are having fun...errr something like that. 

I have to say, so far, so good. So thank you Becky for getting me involved! 

First up the initial 10 day results:

Pounds lost = 5.8

Inches lost = 5.25

Now to be fair, no I KNOW I did not lose 5.8 pounds in 10 days. The initial weigh in definitely dealt with bloating and a body a little out of wack from long runs and salt intake over that weekend. So I am sure the first weigh in number is slightly inflated. However, I can attest I am wearing skinny jeans today and they are feeling mighty comfy compared to a couple of weeks ago when I was feeling less than stellar. 

Regardless it is nice to see the progress! I can't wait to see what happens in the max phase, bring it on! 

So let's talk a little bit about what happens during the cleanse portion and what a typical day looks like : 

Days 1-3:

• Wake up: 1 serving of Spark mixed in 12 oz water + 3 Catalyst, wait 20 minutes
• Fiber Drink mixed with 8 oz water + 16 oz water, wait 30 minutes
• Breakfast + OmegaPlex pills
• Morning Snack
• Lunch
• Afternoon Snack + 1 serving of spark + 2-3 catalyst (if I was working out at night)
• Dinner + OmegaPlex pills
• Before Bed: Herbal Cleanse tablets

Days 4-7:

• Wake up: 1 serving of Spark mixed in 12 oz water + Probiotic Restore + 3 Catalyst, wait 30 minutes
• Breakfast + OmegaPlex pills
• Morning Snack
• Lunch
• Afternoon Snack + 1 serving of spark + 2-3 catalyst (if I was working out at night)
• Dinner + OmegaPlex pills
• Before Bed: Herbal Cleanse tablets

Days 8-10:

• Wake up: 1 serving of Spark mixed in 12 oz water + Probiotic Restore + 3 Catalyst, wait 20 minutes
• Fiber Drink mixed with 8 oz water +  16oz of water, wait 30 minutes
• Breakfast + OmegaPlex pills
• Morning Snack
• Lunch
• Afternoon Snack + 1 serving of spark + 2-3 catalyst (if I was working out at night)
• Dinner + OmegaPlex pills

On mornings when I worked out I would wake up, drink the Spark and take the catalyst prior to it. Once finished I would then continue the regime (because taking a fiber drink prior to running when you already have an iffy stomach does NOT sound good!).

So thoughts on the cleanse phase, the good and the bad:

Pros: 

• Honestly, I FEEL FABULOUS. I feel lighter. I am not bloated. My clothes are back to feeling normal. 
• This has not by any means effected my training. Still taking Body Pump 2-3 times a week, running about 30 miles and never felt off during this period.
• The realization that I honestly do not really CRAVE the sugar and fatty food. I forgot how much I love fueling my body to perform vs. for quick satiation. I gave myself such a pass and ate what I wanted for the better part of 3 months and had a few pounds to show for it. Not cute. 
• Listening to my natural body hunger cues. I honestly usually didn't want to snack. I would eat a couple almonds or half a banana to have the bare minimum but it was nice to wake up HUNGRY. Cause, you know, I stopped snacking before bed which I have a bad habit of doing out of boredom. I am remembering what hunger feels like. A good thing!
• My runs have been better. Better fueling = better performance. Easy as that.
• TMI moment BUT I am finally pretty "regular" in the bathroom. That fiber drink will help as will eating up all the fruits and veggies. I'm even going multiple times per day. Sorry for sharing but from the girl who can never go (unless in the middle of a run/race) this is GOOD NEWS. Test will be the half marathon Saturday for just how well I hold up. 
• Money saved. Yes there is the initial investment. However, I am meal planning, bringing my breakfast/snack/lunch mostly cooking dinner and not drinking at happy hours or drinking coffee. Umm hi my bank account is super thrilled! 
• Realizing - I don't necessarily really need to drink alcohol when out. I have been to a handful of social events and was totally FINE with water! 

Cons:

• Well I could lie, but the truth is there was some sips of wine on 2 separate occasions. What is date night without wine? I actually have no regrets for either. It did not derail my food choices or my workouts or the rest - and we are talking about not much, I didn't go on a bender. For once I did not beat myself up and just moved on.
• The supplements. Oy. I barely remember to take my multivitamin and vitamin D (that this vitamin deficient girl is supposed to take, oops). So yes I did find it cumbersome. The good news is I am more used to it so that is helpful as is the daily checklist to aide in remembering.
• I think less coffee somehow made me a tad sensitive to caffeine. A couple times post spark and catalyst I felt very very energized more than I have EVER felt with coffee.
• I miss coffee. The taste. But I have also learned that I do not NEED coffee. No caffeine withdrawals (probably thanks to Spark) and also my wallet thanks me for those 2-3 trips a day. 
• The fiber drink - as helpful as it is to get things moving...it was NOT my favorite. However I must be a sick person because I am contemplating using it a few times a week to help me. It is just the worst texture. Ugh. 

For a look at what I am eating take a peak at this post.

So here we are now in the Max phase! I'm feeling good and excited to see the progress once I am finished! Hoping that I continue to lean out. I will be in Miami the last few days of the challenge which I think is actually a good thing! Who wants to be bloated in a bikini? Plus I am visiting my sis who is a trainer/group fitness instructor and soon to be FLYBARRE!!! instructor. There will be running, flywheeling and barring and her class while I am down there. I will totally earn my lounge chair pool side bum status ;-)

Today Lauren who runs the great facebook group for those on the challenge and beyond; had a great blog post with tips for getting the most out of the 24 day challenge. Take a look over there, she is a wealth of knowledge - and ahem has amazing results! 

So there we have it. Any questions please feel free to contact me! 

I should mention I am so impressed with the products that I have purchased a few from the performance line to test out (what was I saying earlier about not liking to take supplements...) and am stoked to see how they work with my marathon training. I am already thinking beyond the challenge portion - this has all put me back in line with my goals. 

Happy Friday all!!

WIAW - AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge Addition

Holla! So as I am on the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge, a lot of friends, colleagues etc. have been asking me just what I have been eating. So I thought what a good opportunity to join in on a little blogger fun! Without further ado I bring you...

Or maybe it should be called "what I am eating on the challenge" but whatever, you get the point! And note to self...take some prettier pictures - I swear everything you see tasted fabulous!

First up, some meal prep for the week! Definitely helps to make the right decisions along the way. 

Grilled chicken, quinoa, grilled asparagus, cut veggies - things to grab and go with long days.

Lots and lots of fruit - and some laziness ;)

Fruit and hard boiled eggs (usually eat 2 whites and 1 with the yolk) has been a solid go to breakfast.

Chipotle burrito bowl lunches! I do fajita veggies, a little black beans, sofritas or chicken, mild salsa + corn and lettuce. No shame I've hit up Chipotle like 3 times thus far.

Bananas + PB2 in this instance a soupy PB2 - but still tasty!

A new obsession - zucchini, squash, and carrot "noodles" with ground turkey and a simple sauce. I do not miss pasta (and honestly am not that big of a pasta fan to begin with so I love this as a replacement!)

And for the sweet tooth that has kicked in a couple times - peanut butter chocolate banana "ice cream". I only had this after a particularly grueling day of workouts - 8 miles plus body pump I knew I needed some extra sustenance before bed so added a half scoop of protein to the ice cream. Just fabulous.

And that's pretty much the basics! Lots of fruit and veggies and lean protein. I am not the biggest carb person in terms of eating rice and pasta and bread. I do however LOVE crackers and have miraculously not missed them at all. I have replaced them with cucumbers and peppers to dip in hummus when I snack. 

I have to say that thus far, I am not really finding eating to be a problem. I am not going to lie I have had some sips of wine on 2 separate date night occasions. And do not feel an ounce of guilt over either. It's life. 

But the eating has been very clean and my body is thanking me for it already. I can't wait to post up the first post cleanse results! 

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge

Today marks the start of my AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge! 

I have to say that I am pretty excited to begin. I was contacted by Becky over at Olives 'n Wine and asked if I was interested in joining the challenge this time around (Becky sent me the cleanse portion of the 24DC products - I purchased the rest). And am so glad. I have read about her and some others results from it, and I think it is just the swift kick in the butt I need to get myself on track as marathon training looms in the very near future. 

You can check out some of her posts on it:

AdvoCare Cleanse Phase 
AdvoCare Max Phase Part 1
AdvoCare 24DC Results

First off the results speak for themselves. I was second motivated by Becky - who is obviously a healthy living and fitness enthusiast - also about to train for her marathon - and I was comfortable being guided by someone who shares a similar lifestyle - and let's not forget the obvious, a good glass of wine or a nice happy hour. 

The balance she demonstrates in her life parallels mine (although I have ahem gotten a little off course with about 10 too many happy hours and a few too many burgers lately). Fitness isn't a problem for me but the way I am feeling is not so great. I am feeling sluggish and my stomach has been troublesome so I want to get my body back to feeling great before I start upping my mileage and workouts for marathon training. 

So goodbye to coffee, dairy, sugar, alcohol and fatty foods for the next 24 days. And I couldn't be more excited. I've invested a nice amount of money in this so I want to stay on track. Goodbye random cake days (yes at work we randomly will buy a cake and have a cake day - that needs to stop). I think out of everything I will miss coffee the most (I might be a like 100 ounces of coffee a day kind of person, oops). 

This weekend I was trying to think of what I would miss most to have it "one last time" and it came down to coffee, gummy bears and greek yogurt. I didn't even bother to have a drink at all. I am ready to FEEL better. I am really proud of my willpower so while I know I will have my moments I know that I am an all or nothing person and plan to use that determination.

Oh and the fact that as the challenge ends I am heading to Miami might be a little bit of motivation. Bikini living, eye on the prize baby. 

So I have my haul of products ready to go! 

And, spent a good amount of time food shopping and food planning over the weekend to be able to stay on track without excuses. 

So here goes nothing! I will be reporting back updates on how I am doing and the first round of results after the 10 day cleanse phase finishes.