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Menu Planning Monday: Advocare 24 Day Challenge Recipes

January 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

menu plan monday

I’m hoping to pull myself together so to speak this week.  I attempted to start the Advocare 24 Day Challenge only to be hit with a number of setbacks.  I got sick.  My kids got sick.  Work was super stressful.  My husband went out of town.  The timing was off.  So, I’m attempted to be prepared this week with meal planning and I’m planning to actually start my Advocare 24 Day Challenge tomorrow!  Wish me luck!

Here are some of my 24 Day Challenge menus from my previous challenge:

See my menu plans from previous weeks here–> Menu Planning Monday

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Do you like what you see here?  Make sure you also check out my favorite recipes board on Pinterest–> Melissa’s Bargains favorite recipes on Pinterest

slow-cooker-hobo-stew

SUNDAY:  Slow Cooker Hobo Stew – This is a “twist” on traditional beef stew because you use meatballs!  My kids love it and it’s a great way to get them to eat some extra veggies, too!  Throw everything in the slow cooker and it does the work for you!

MONDAY:  Skinny Three Cheese Penne Pasta – This is a new recipe for us.  My kids love pasta and I’m always looking for “healthier” versions.  I can’t wait to try this out!

slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup

TUESDAY:  Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla soup – This is a family favorite and I LOVE it because it’s a “dump and go” recipe!

WEDNESDAY:  Slow Cooker Pepperoni and Chicken  – This is another new recipe.  I’m excited to try it because it’s a slow cooker recipe and because it has things that I know my kids love, so hopefully they will love this, too!  Plus, it’s only 211 calories!  WOW!

THURSDAY:  Braised pork chops – I got this recipe from my mother in law awhile ago – I think she may have gotten it from a Martha Stewart magazine (or online)

melt-in-your-mouth-meatloaf

FRIDAY:  Slow Cooker Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf – My son LOVES this recipe!  We never have leftovers when I make it!

SATURDAY:  Skinny Lemon Chicken – This recipe looks yummy!  I’m planning on serving it with roasted asparagus and green salad for me and a side of pasta for the rest of my family.

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Weight Loss Wednesday: my first week of the Advocare 24 Day Challenge

September 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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I posted last week about starting the Advocare 24 Day Challenge.  I was SOO good about eating last week.  On the second day of the challenge, I went to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants for lunch with friends and skipped chips and salsa (which was seriously HARD).  I had salad with no cheese, sour cream, or guacamole and just grilled chicken and some salsa.  I gave up Sprinkles cupcakes.  I didn’t even cheat on my birthday.  I was SOO excited to weigh in.  I was hoping for a 2 pound weight loss, but truth be told, I was hoping for something even bigger and better.

scale-makes-you-cryI stepped on the scale and…nothing?  I was EXACTLY where I had been a week before. Surely something had to be wrong.  I stepped off and stepped back on again.  It was a half pound less.  I stepped on and off again.  Still at a half pound.  I was shocked and frustrated.  I have eaten better in the past week than I have eaten in a LONG time and possibly ever!

I have NO idea what happened or why I didn’t lose weight, but I know that I’m not going to give up.

What’s working on the Advocare 24 Day Challenge

 

Energy levels – I have more energy that I have had in a long time!  I used to crash around 2 in the afternoons, which usually resulted in me grabbing a Diet Coke (sometimes my second one for the day) or a not so healthy snack or sometimes both.  I would get home in the evenings and experience a second crash.  I’m not having those issues now and I’m actually sleeping better at night to.

Meal Planning – I’m enjoying meal planning again and the highlight of my week was when my daughter made the comment that “We’ve been eating healthy and it doesn’t even taste like it’s healthy.”  I’ve put some time into looking for things that the entire family could eat and enjoy.  I knew that if I had to cook separate meals for my family, I would be doomed for sure.  I have to admit that I have not missed some of the things I thought I would (like cheese)

One thing that I will be doing differently this week is adding exercise.  I had hoped to add in some exercise last week, but it was one of those weeks where we had something every night and I was wishing for a clone.  Hopefully this week will be better.  Last week I posted about a free iPhone app to help you track water intake!  I LOVE that and it really does help me stay on track!  This week I downloaded the free My Fitness Pal app!  It’s going to help me track my daily calories and my exercise!

Were you able to meet your weight loss goals this week?

 

Filed Under: Weight Loss Wednesday Tagged With: ,

Weight Loss Wednesday: My first day with the Advocare Program!

September 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2013-09-02 at 7.41.02 AMIt may seem silly that I’m typing this since I have only been on the Advocare 24 Day Challenge for one day, but for me it’s a matter of accountability.  I have tried to do these posts before and to post about my weight loss experiences and I have always fickled out after a few weeks.  This time I WANT to make things work and I know that part of that is going to come through having a plan for accountability! Some REAL challenges will come today because I’m going out to lunch with some friends at a favorite Mexican restaurant (and I seriously LOVE Mexican food and I love chips and salsa even MORE) and I’m going to a blogger networking meeting tonight with Chick Fil A and SPRINKLES CUPCAKES! Can you say SERIOUS temptation? I’ll keep you posted on how that goes!

One of the things you do with the Advocare 24 Day Challenge is drink LOTS AND LOTS of water.  I love water, but sometimes I get home and find that I haven’t had anything to drink all day!  I have trouble remembering to fit it into my day! So, yesterday I had a PLAN (I’ve decided the key to success with this is plan, plan, plan!)  I drank a bottle of water in the morning when I got up.  I drank another bottle of water on the way to work, and I took several bottles of water with me to work.  I know it sounds crazy, but I actually set an alarm on my phone to remind me to drink water throughout the day!

Screen Shot 2013-09-04 at 4.44.00 AMI haven’t tried this yet, but I discovered a free iPhone app to help you track water intake!  I just downloaded it this morning!

The biggest challenge for me?  CANDY!  I don’t even really love candy to be honest, but if you’ve ever worked in a school, especially an elementary school, then you know that treats are kind of everywhere.  In the past, when I would pass my assistant principal’s office or head into the workroom, I wouldn’t think twice about grabbing a piece every now and then.  Every time I walked through those areas yesterday, I had to remind myself to step away from the candy!

Here are some things that went better than I had planned:

  • No cheese – During the cleanse phase especially, you are supposed to limit dairy.  I anticipated that this would be VERY hard because honestly, I LOVE CHEESE!  I had a wrap yesterday and I thought I would hate not having cheese or mayo or ranch dressing, but guess what?  I added avocado and spinach and tomatoes and it was actually REALLY yummy!
  • Energy – I get up REALLY early in the mornings (think 3 a.m.) and my sleeping habits aren’t the greatest.  I have no problem falling asleep at night, but staying asleep is a different story.  I am a Diet Coke addict, and have to have a Diet Coke every afternoon to help me survive.  Even with that, I find myself struggling to stay awake in the afternoons and usually find myself crashing once I get home.  I was surprised at how much energy I still had left when I got home from work yesterday!
  • Being HUNGRY – I was really worried about being hungry because, let’s face it, I was used to basically eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I was doing a complete 180 and going to basically lean meats, fruits, and veggies.  Surprisingly, I didn’t have to worry about this.  I think that planning ahead and making sure that I had meals and snacks ready helped a lot.  Sometimes, I will go for long stretches at work without eating and then I will be starving and binge.  Or, I get home in the afternoons and I’m so tired that I start snacking to try to compensate.  Day 1 I really didn’t feel hungry.  I’m guessing it’s all that water??

Make sure that you check out my meal plan for this week-> Advocare 24 Day Challenge Menu

Next Tuesday will be my first time weighing myself.  Hopefully I’ll have some great results to share!  I also plan to share a giveaway to keep you motivated and help you achieve your weight loss goals!

What are your weight goals?  What are you doing to stick to them?

 

 

Filed Under: Weight Loss Wednesday Tagged With: ,

Join me in the Advocare 24 Day Challenge!

September 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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If you’ve been a reader for awhile, then you know that my weight has been an ongoing struggle for me.  I became a lifetime Weight Watchers member in 2000, so that HAS worked for me in the past, but it’s just not working for me now.  I think part of the reason for that is because I haven’t had time to attend the meetings and get that group motivation.  Several of my co-workers began using Advocare last year.  My principal started around Thanksgiving and has now lost 100 pounds!  Several other co-workers have had great results, too!  Still, I put off trying it myself.  I kept thinking that I KNOW what I need to do to lose weight and that I’ve been able to do it before. There’s a time and a season for everything, though and what has worked for me in the past, for whatever reason or reasons, is not working for me now.  When a co-worker gave me the opportunity to take the Advocare 24 Day Challenge, I decided to take him up on it.

If you’ve ever struggled with weight issues, then you know a big part of weight loss is your MINDSET.  You have to be committed and ready to change.  I think I’m at that place now.  I spent the whole weekend planning out a menu (I’ve learned that being organized when it comes to food is a HUGE part of being successful with weight loss) and buying all the groceries!  You can see my menu for the week here–> Menu Planning Monday:  Starting my Advocare 24 Day Challenge

What is the Advocare 24 Day Challenge?

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The Challenge consists of 2 phases.  The first 10 days are the “Cleanse Phase” and the focus is removing waste and preparing for optimal nutrient absorption.  The second phase is the Max Phase (days 11-24) where you focus on working toward your weight management goals!

The thing I love about this program is that it’s not a “diet”  It’s focused on helping you make a lifestyle change which includes exercise, managing daily water intake and eating healthy foods.  There are handy checklists to help you monitor your progress   The challenge is PERFECT for people who are trying to jump start weight loss (like me) or for people who have hit a weight loss plateau and want to break through it!

24-day-challenge

To find out more about the Advocare 24 Day Challenge or to join me in the challenge, click here-> Advocare 24 Day Challenge

Each 24-Day Challenge includes:

  • One box of Herbal Cleanse-Citrus
  • One bottle of OmegaPlex®
  • One box of AdvoCare Spark®-Mandarin Orange
  • One box of AdvoCare Spark®-Fruit Punch
  • Your choice of one box of Meal Replacement Shakes – Chocolate Mocha, Chocolate, Vanilla, Berry or Non-Dairy Dark Chocolate
  • Your choice of one box of MNS® Max 3, C, or E

I’m excited to update you on my progress and to share my results!! I’ll be sharing my weekly results in my Weight Loss Wednesday posts

DISCLOSURE: I received the 24 Day Challenge products for free. All opinions are 100% mine.

Filed Under: Weight Loss Wednesday Tagged With: ,

Menu Planning Monday: starting my Advocare 24 Day Challenge!

September 2, 2013 by 3 Comments

This week I had to put a LOT of planning into my meal planning.  I’m starting the Advocare 24 Day Challenge  You can find out more about that here-> Join me in the Advocare 24 Day Challenge

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I’ve learned that one of the biggest things that will make or break weight loss is being PREPARED!  So, I planned out my breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and even snacks for the whole week!  You can see my full menu here-> Advocare 24 Day Challenge Menu

See my menu plans from previous weeks here–> Menu Planning Monday

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Do you like what you see here?  Make sure you also check out my favorite recipes board on Pinterest:

Melissa’s Bargains favorite recipes on Pinterest

MONDAY:  Lasagne – This is one of my favorite foods and is not “holiday” or BBQ related at all, but it’s what I wanted as my last mean so to speak before I start the 24 Day Challenge!  I just use the recipe on the back of the Barilla Oven Ready noodles.

italian-green-bean-and-chicken-bake

TUESDAY:  Italian Green Beans & Chicken Bake – I’m modifying this and using Fat Free Zesty Italian dressing instead of a dry seasoning packet and butter and I’m also using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes

WEDNESDAY:  Balsamic Chicken with Green beans – I found this when I was searching for Advocare friendly 24 Day Challenge recipes

melt-in-your-mouth-meatloaf

THURSDAY:  Slow Cooker Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf – I’m going to modify this and use oats instead of bread crumbs and Splenda brown sugar for the sauce.  We always use turkey already!

FRIDAY:  Turkey Meatballs – I have actually tried this recipe before and it’s yummy!

SATURDAY:  Fajitas – It’s my birthday and I wanted something yummy and figured this was a safe bet!  I’ll have lots of veggies and/or a great salad with it!  I also found some 50 calorie whole wheat tortillas if I decide I want to splurge and have a tortilla!

Filed Under: Menu Planning Monday Tagged With: , , ,