MelissaStuff

The third week of my  Advocare 24 Day Challenge  was an interesting adjustment. The vitamins, pills and supplements you take are easy to follow and understand. I didn't have any kind of negative side effects. The only thing that was an adjustment for me was that the pills make me AMAZINGLY full and if I ate normally it was like just finishing Thanksgiving dinner. I literally had to lay down after the first couple of meals I felt so full. I quickly learned that if I would just eat less, I was just fine . . . which I'm pretty sure is the point. And I lost another 1.5 to 2 lbs as a result. LOVING the results I have to say. I even convinced one of the members of my family to try it out. That's a high recommendation right there. The cost is about $40 for 2 weeks of this product - but so far I have been pleased with it and would definitely find it worthwhile to jumpstart a weight loss plan or when you hit a plateau along the way. Now to finish up the last few days. Onc...

I have officially completed the "cleanse" phase of the  Advocare 24 Day Challenge . First my thoughts on the cleanse . . . #1 - It works. You can tell it's cleaning your system out. However, I didn't feel sick or like I was running to the bathroom. #2 - However, I did discover the weekends were hard for me to stay on "clean" eating. We go out. We eat out. I don't work out. So combining that with the cleanse did cause me some stomach problems. I think if I would have just stayed on the track I was on, it would have gone without a hitch. #3 - After some research I found a recommendation to mix the  Herbal Cleanse - Fiber Drink  mix with juice. It was a HUGE help. I used mango juice and peach juice which were both way better than the plain water. The original recommendation was for OJ with no added sugar. #4 - The biggest surprise in this first stage for me was the effect that the cleanse had on my skin. It was very noticeable to me . . . as was t...

I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge just a little over a week ago now. (You can read all about the beginning of this journey here .) After the first three days with the  Herbal Cleanse - Fiber Drink ,  I didn't have to do that anymore. Thank goodness. That was the only part that was really difficult for me. On the flip side, I've become a fan of  Spark - Advocare's energy drink . I have to be completely honest - you know, cuz that's how I roll - overall I've tried to do well with my diet and I think I have. But there have been a couple of lapses . . . a coke here and maybe a piece of homemade cheesecake my honey brought home special for me. But I've also gone to the gym more days than not - run my 3 miles, lifted my weights, you know. So my report at the end of the first week is that I'm 6 lbs down . I know - that's a lot. I think it may have been a lot of water weight after being out of town Labor Day weekend just before starting the challeng...

Why yes I am participating in the 24 Day @advocare challenge . . . Why do you ask? ;) pic.twitter.com/mQhmByK79n — MelissaStuff (@melstuffblog) September 5, 2013 Yesterday, I started the 24 Day Advocare Challenge  yesterday. Our Disney cruise is coming in almost exactly one month so the timing couldn't be any better. After slacking for months and then having surgery and then recovering for several months, I've been working out 2-4 times a week since May. I've lost about 10 lbs. and definitely gotten some stamina and some muscle mass back. But I still have a ways to go and I just haven't been making progress very quickly. So when I was approached about doing this Advocare Challenge by  WWW.ADVOCAREHEATH.COM , I was all over it! This is how my first few days are going typically: First thing in the morning, I start with Spark - Advocare's energy drink . It tastes good, has ZERO sugar and works well. It comes in little powder packs that are easy to take ...

Okay, so I just started eating low carb a couple of weeks ago. I've already lost 5 lbs and this time around I'm actually enjoying the food. So I'm going to share some of the recipes I love with you . . . For July 4th, my husband barbecued - which is obviously fine - but I needed some sort of sides. Now I'm not hard core low carb. I'm very free with fruits and vegetables and allow most sauces. So I cut fresh tomatoes, had a plate full of carrots, pickles, grape tomatoes and Ranch dressing. And I made this Cauliflower Potato Salad . . . that seriously tasted like the real thing except the consistency of the cauliflower and the potatoes is different. But even my husband and friends ate it and they're not eating low carb. Cauliflower "Potato" Salad 16 oz. bag frozen cauliflower 
 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped 
 2 stalks celery, chopped 
 3 green onions 
 3 tablespoons yellow mustard 
 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
 2 tablespoons dill p...

Losing weight is fun when your clothes are too big and people are complimenting you . . . it’s not so fun when you are trying to get down protein shakes or everyone else is treating themselves to ice cream or cookies and you can’t have them. My latest solution . . . Smoothie King ! My family loves ice cream and several times in recent months we’ve used vouchers for Coffee’n’Cream in the Villages at Allen. My mom – ever the healthy one – always walks across to Yogilicious Frozen Yogurt to get a bit healthier treat.  On average, the yogurt has about 22 calories an ounce, 5 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of protein. Much better than ice cream, but still high for what I’m supposed to be eating. I eat several different smoothies but even the one that’s the least healthy, ordered “skinny” has 16.9 calories an ounce and 4.2 g of carbohydrates. If you are willing to go for more protein and less fruit, you can have the Gladiator for 9 calories, .05 carbohydrates and a little more than 2 g ...