MelissaStuff

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...

Until recently, I hadn't. When they contacted me about doing a review, though, I was intrigued by what they offered: Indulge in $50 worth of expert-curated health, wellness, and fitness products, delivered right to your door. You'll get healthy food and drinks, workouts and apparel, skincare products, supplements, and more! Trying to eat healthier and stay in shape has not been the easiest task with three boys and a husband that would rather eat fast food than pretty much any other food option. I received a box of snacks from KLUTCHClub that also included a yoga DVD, and the entire crew dug in. There was trail mix, coconut water, energy bars . . . the list could go on. I loved the fact that I could try out the products without having to spend a bunch of money on each of them because there were definitely some that we didn't care for at all. But some of it was a great option and I would absolutely purchase it again in the future.  Normally these monthl...

If you pay attention to diet fads at all, you've heard of the HCG diet (and it's homeopathic counterparts). If you read MelissaStuff regularly, you'll remember I tried a similar diet through the Bouari Health Clinics here in the area. The biggest challenge of the entire diet is that you are supposed to eat around 500 calories a day . . . the rest of the nutrients your body needs are coming from the fat stores you are burning. At least, that's my understanding. But eating 500 calories a day is crazy ridiculous. Just try it. Everything you put in your mouth seems to count towards the limit and then you're not full and that makes most of us grumpy. It's just not a fun experience. However, I have the solution for anyone facing this dilemma - HCGourmetDallas.com . I was surprised to find out an old friend from high school was not only an accomplished chef but had started his own company catering to those attempting to stick to a 500 calorie diet. When he o...

So I’m about 10 days into this now and some of it is becoming easy and some not so much. I haven’t weighed. We actually don’t even own a scale in our home, but I think I’ve lost some more weight or inches because my clothes seem to be a bit loser and all of the sudden I’m getting comments every time I turn around about how much weight I’ve lost. However, I will say the struggle for me has been the food part of this diet. I have an easy time with taking the spray in the mornings and evenings. The appetite suppressant works well and gives me extra energy. But there’s no official diet plan and definitely not prepackaged foods or anything so I’m having a really hard time figuring out how to gauge how many calories I’ve eaten or if I can eat something else. And then there are all the blogging events that happen – which generally food and drinks that I’m supposed to consume and then blog about it! I’m afraid I’m eating way over the recommended 600-800 calories a day. Because I had alre...