Reunion

My husband returned from his 12 month deployment in Afganistan on Friday night, and I was anxious to see if he noticed any change and what his reaction was. I also had several friends with me to take pictures and help me document the whole experience. As you all know, the camera adds 10 pounds, and in my case, typically about 30 pounds, so I was very nervous to see pictures. Somehow, when I look in the mirror each day, I know that I am fluffy, but I never see how chubby I really am until I see myself in a picture. I am my own worst critic though, so I see every single flaw in myself in a picture and that is all I will focus on. I was happy though, that in most shots, I looked pretty damn good! My husband was also thrilled with my results so far. He told me so many times during the first night how amazing I look, and for my husband, that is a big deal! He is usually not one to compliment, or go out of his way to make me feel special, so having him look at me the way that he did and compliment me over and over, really boosted my confidence! I am really starting to see and feel the results with all of the effort that I am putting into getting healthy with diet, exercise and Advocare! I am pretty proud of myself!

Well, yesterday was pretty shitty.

I'm trying really hard to look at the bright side of life right now, but I am having a rough time doing that. Yesterday, we went for the results of my daughter's MRI and they say that she needs brain surgery. That is SO NOT what I was hoping to hear. I know that God does not give us more than we can handle, so I am trying my very best to trust in Him and know that He has everything under control.  We will leave next week for the states to live in a hospital for the next month.
On a positive note, my husband is coming home from a 12 month deployment tomorrow, and I have lost an additional 13 pounds just since starting the Advocare Cleanse! I still have 14 days of the 24 Day Challenge to go! I am pretty excited about that! I feel great, physically, and I am more and more confident every day! I am so happy that I decided to take this journey! The difficult part will be staying on a diet and not blowing back up while we are in the states, so close to fast food chains, hospital food courts, and quick, convenience foods. I am going to be stocking up on my yummy meal replacement shakes, so at least one meal will be filling, low calorie, and healthy.
I am also so proud of all the ladies that started this journey with me! I am seeing changes in them every day, and I can't wait to see how far Advocare can take us all!

The cleanse results

So, I've finally finished my 10 day Advocare Cleanse, and I am so happy with the results! I lost 11 pounds and 4.75 total inches. I was pretty nervous in the beginning that I would be running to the bathroom all the time, but really, it was very gentle. The fiber drink was the worst part, only because it is hard to get down, being very fiberous. Much easier through a straw, I was told about half way through. Now, tomorrow starts the next phase of my 24 Day Challenge, the MNS Max Packs! I am super excited to see more results, and I still have several days until my husband comes home, so I am hoping to see more weight loss and inches lost QUICK!!! I ordered an extra supplement, called ThermoPlus which will help with burning calories, even while resting, and no weird side effects! I have to say, I am MORE than impressed with this company and all of their products! Even Dr. Oz says that Advocare is the best on the market...and if Dr. Oz or Oprah say it's good and safe, sign me up!

Advocare: The Cleanse

My stuff arrived on Wednesday afternoon so I was able to start the program yesterday. I was a little nervous since the first ten days is a cleanse, I didn't want to have an attack an upset stomach. I am so happy that this is so gentle and my stomach does not feel sick at all! So far, this is my second day, and I got my jeans out of the dryer this morning and put them on to find that they are feeling a little loose around my stomach! I am so excited! I also measured my body yesterday, so I know where I start. I got on the scale at the gym yesterday, whick I think might be broken, to find that my starting weight is 3 pounds MORE than I weighed last week. Must be the scale. Oh well, at least I know where I am starting. I can't wait to see more and more results as the days go by! I also had a Spark drink yesterday, which is part of my 24 day challenge. It is the most amazing energy drink, better than coffee, better than 5 Hour Energy, better then Ephedrine! I had so much energy, my mind felt clearer, I was not jittery at all, and the energy lasted from 7am until about 8:30 pm, when I started to feel a little tired. I went to bed at 10 and was able to fall straight to sleep and sleep all night, which is awesome! I was nervous that it would keep me from sleeping, since I already have a little bit of insomnia with the stress in my life right now. Gotta say, so far I am really happy that I decided to get started with Advocare!!!

And so it begins...

So, today I got my Advocare package in the mail! I am so excited! I have been doing pretty good on my diet, and really good with my workouts. Last week, I lost 3.25 inches all around! Keep in mind, I measure every single part of my body that can be measured, or decrease in size. I even thought about measuring my fingers, although, since my wedding ring falls off of me now, and I can't even wear it anymore, I would say my chubby fingers are improving...my ass, however...
So, stay tuned to find out how this all works! Tomorrow, I start the ten day cleanse. I am really hoping that it is gentle and I don't have...issues...because I don't really have tme to hang out on the toilet all day.  Either way, if I am a bit skinnier in the end, it is totally worth it!

Feeling like a fatty, but things are bout to change!

So, this week has been the week from HELL! Did I mention that I am an emotional eater? Well, I am, and this week was very emotional, so I really wanted to throw my diet out the window and just be a whale. I tried really hard not to undo all of the hard work that I put in though, and only cheated on my diet a few times. I am waiting for my Advocare to come in the mail, and I am really motivated, especially now that I have found a few friends to take the challenge with me. I am much less likely to give up if I am accountable to someone. Tonight a friend mentioned that she thought my face looked thinner and that the shirt I was wearing (and will continue to wear everyday for the rest of my life) made me look thinner. PS: I hope you all like this current shirt, because it's my new fave!
So this week, I mentioned was super emotional, I found out that my little girl has a cyst on her brain. Could be benign and may just be monitored over her growth, but could also need intervention... INTERVENTION?!? Like, you want to intervene in my child's skull??? Where are the damn oreos? This is why I have had a hard time staying on my diet this week. I wish I was one of those people that, if a tragedy occurs, they can't bare the thought of eating a leaf of lettuce, and just a drop of water hitting their tongue makes them puke...no, I am not this type of person. I get stressed, and my first craving is for c.a.r.b.s. UGH! I hate it! It was much easier when I just allowed myself to consume diet pills, celery and water. There is no screwing that up.
This time, I am determined to be healthy, get lose weight, and feel better about myself. I used to think that I wanted to get thin for my husband, or to be more attractive to the world, or even to feel like I am not invisible to other people, but now, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say, that I am doing this for ME!

Well, here's the truth...the good, the bad, the chubby.

Alright, so here it is...
I have always struggled with my weight, since I was in elementary and middle school really. I can remember pretending to be sick on the days that I knew the gym teacher was going to use the "arm pincher" to see just how fat I really was...of course in front of everyone in the gym. I'm pretty sure I almost failed a few gym classes, yes, the easy A classes, just because I would hide under the bleachers while they did the dreaded "Let's see how fast you chubbos can run a mile" excersizes. Of course, the perfect cheerleaders ran so fast, with their perfect hair and perfect bodies (I hated them all), while I choked back tears and wished it was a cheeseburger that I was choking on. Yes, I am an emotional eater, which has not faired well with some of the hurdles that I have had to overcome in my life.
I debated on whether to be brutally honest and share...numbers...on this blog, since I will be encouraging close friends and family to follow my journey, and I will have to face them and hope that I don't see jusgement in their eyes. But, here goes...At my heaviest, I weighed over 260 pounds, yes, you heard me right. I could have broken my husband in two, out weighing him by 100 pounds. *gasp* When my husband joined the army and went to basic training, I decided that I wanted to lose weight and look good for him, so I started a serious, dangerous diet of basically eating maybe 500 calories a day and taking diet pills. I was able to lose quite a bit of weight, getting under 200 pounds for the first time in 4 years, but the second I stopped taking diet pills and put a crouton in my mouth, I started to plump back up. Now, I am hovering right around the 200 pound mark, but my goal is to weigh around 150-160 pounds. It sure would be nice to walk into a room with my husband and not wonder if people are thinking "Why the hell is he with HER?" or to walk into a room with my husband and worry that my husband would rather be with the skinny blond with big boobs over there, you know, the one that I am praying will fall flat on her face.
So, this is my plan...I have been going to the gym 5 days a week, for 1-2 hours, and working out on the elliptical, stair stepper, and treadmill for a few months, but still not seeing much improvement. I have also just added the Chalene Extreme workout video that I do in my home 4-5 times each week. That system focuses on weights and muscle strengthening, which Chalene promises will boost my metabolism and burn fat. The biggest thing that I am adding is the amazing and SAFE supplements from a company called ADVOCARE. They have the most amazing, effective products, endorsed by and used my so many professional sports teams, celebrities, and important people in the medical world. I have also signed up to be a distributer of these products, so if you are interested finding more about these products, there is a link directly to my ADVOCARE site on this blog page. I would love to have some people do this along with me, and encourage me to keep it up, and I will encourage you to do the same!
I have ordered beginners packet from ADVOCARE, which is called the 24 Day Challenge, and it should arrive very shortly. The first several days, I will use the Cleanse System to clean out all of the junk and toxins from my body, then I will start the vitamin regemin, which is guarenteed to boost my metabolism and rev up my energy, which I need because with two small children, and a deployed sopuse, I need energy!
I will update my blog often, with the honest truth. If I have a great day, and I feel awesome, you will know. If I have a bad day, and I want to curl up with a bag of Doritos and cry on the couch, you will know. My hope is that this blog will encourage anyone else out there who might be going through the same struggles as me.