3-Day Shakeology Cleanse // Explanation & My Results

Last week I decided I was going to do the 3-Day Shakeology Cleanse. You can see a bit about my day one here, day two here and I will be updating you on how my last day went in this post. :-) I know those of you that followed me on this may be wondering if I survived and stuck to the plan on that final day!

Before I give you that update though, I want to share why I chose to do this and go into more detail on how this cleanse works. I did not do this with the intention of losing weight. My main reason was because I needed to detox from the sugar I put in my body over Easter. I still can't get over how having sugar just made me go crazy wanting more and more.

What is the 3-Day Shakeology Cleanse?

The main purpose of the 3-Day Shakeology Cleanse is to jump-start your fitness, break a plateau, or shred pounds fast and effectively in a healthy way.

The Plan

• 3 Shakeology Shakes a day
• 2 Green Teas a day
• 1 or 2 pieces of fruit a day (optional for those needing additional calories - I chose to have one fruit each day... why not? ;) )
• 1 salad for dinner (only white grilled protein in salad)

No:

Dairy or extra sugars

Only low fat dressings 

You can put your snacks before or after any of your major meals (breakfast, lunch or supper).

This cleanse is not for pregnant or nursing women.

Example of how my days went:

Start: 

Drink one cup of green tea to start your day.

My girls joined in one of the mornings.

Breakfast: 

Make your Shakeology (140 calories) with ice and water. You can have 1/2 cup of fruit at this time too (60-90 calories). Like I said above, I chose to have my fruit all three days. I love to eat, so if it is an option, I will take it.

Snack #1: 

One piece of fruit (85 calories)

Lunch: 

Shakeology (140 calories) with ice and water and 1 cup of green tea

Snack #2: 

Shakeology (140 calories) with ice and water

Supper: 

Salad... this thing ended up monstrous every night. I was full afterwards, no issues there! You put three servings of greens in your bowl, top with 2 tablespoons (no more!) of non-dairy dressing, and then add 4 ounces of grilled white meat (fish or poultry). 

I mentioned last week that I tried to do this cleanse back in November and failed from the start. I was worried I wouldn't make it through this time, but I stopped those thoughts in their tracks after My Hunter reassured me that I *could* do this. So, day one and day two, as you read earlier, were followed to a "T" for me. I couldn't have felt more proud or better! 

Now, let me catch you up on how day three went. My Hunter got home at 5:00 pm so that I could get out the door and get to the church for setting up my conference. This was the end of my day for eating. The cleanse had been followed to a "T" again. YAY! A success!

I have to share this next part though. I thought some of you would get a good laugh. On my drive to the church, I had to stop by and pick up the rosettes and verse cards that a friend put together for me that I needed for the event gifts. I was chatting with her real quick, with my hand on the door ready to jump back in my van to keep moving when she said, "Oh! I made an awesome dessert for the conference tomorrow. You have to try it!" {This is where I should have just told her I was doing this cleanse and I really, really did not want to eat anything outside of my plan, but do you think I did that?? Nope. Silly me! Worrying about what other people will think again.} 

She pulled me into her kitchen and handed me the dessert. I just held it in my hand thinking about what I was going to do now, while she stared at me waiting for me to take a bite. And I waited for her to turn away, but she watched, smiling, waiting for me to eat it. So... I did, because what else could I do?! And it *was* good, but I hated that I had a bite! She then turned her back to close the fridge and I quickly shoved the rest in my sweatshirt pocket saying, "Mmm! That was *so* good!" And, it really was, but I wasn't going to eat the rest of it, and I was certainly not going to let her know I hid the rest in my sweatshirt. {Sorry if you read my blog, Carla. I know you will laugh and wonder why I just didn't tell you! :-)}

Here it is, the dessert with a small bite missing that caused me from saying I had a "perfect" cleanse.

The only other slip-up I made was at church. We were working until midnight, and my friend had brought me a coffee. It smelled so good, and I honestly could have gotten by just fine without having any, but throughout the night I had 5 or 6 small sips just because.

So, other than those two small bumps in the road, my cleanse was almost followed to a "T".

Now, let me share how I felt and what I noticed while doing this cleanse.

My Results:

• I felt clear-minded and focused! No foggy-brain.
• My digestion got a restart! {Oh yes it did! They don't call it a cleanse for nothing! Sorry if this is T.M.I., but I am an honest gal. ;) }
• I slept so much better!
• My metabolism got a boost because of the green tea!
• I kicked the sugar cravings!
• The plateau that I was on was kicked! 
• I was not starving at all!
• I challenged myself and proved I could do this; the biggest, and by far my favorite, result of this whole adventure!!!
  
• I lost 4.2 pounds in three days! I have never felt better... honestly! I SO, SO, SO wish I would have taken measurements beforehand, but I wasn't trying to lose weight, nor thinking I would ever possibly lose that kind of weight in three days. My legs, stomach, arms... everything felt slimmer and more toned, so I am certain I lost inches. I am planning on offering this cleanse in a challenge group setting sometime in the future, and you can bet I will be making my challengers take their measurements beforehand.

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Questions:

• Have you ever done a cleanse? 
• What do you think would be the hardest part for you with doing a 3-day cleanse like this?
• Do you think it would be fun to do something like this in a group setting with me coaching you now that I have gone through it successfully myself?

Keep That Salad Healthy

I love salads, and I love getting adventurous and creating new ones, with different toppings and flavors! You have to be careful though, because these healthy greens can quickly become unhealthy when you mix extra-large portions of too many toppings. This morning I wanted to share three tips in helping you keep that salad good for you. Grab your bowl of greens and let's toss up a balanced meal for you.

First, you want to pick your protein. Many salads are loaded down with chicken, bacon and cheese, which is just too much extra fat and calories. You just need one protein; that's it. Choose a 3-ounce serving of meat, fish, beans or cheese and place this on your greens. {3-ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.}

Second, add some crunch. Skip the croutons, tortilla strips or noodles and go with peppers, carrots or celery instead to keep it healthy. According to the American Dietetic Association, people who eat a salad-a-day are more likely to meet their important vitamin intake, including immunity-boosting C and E.

Third, add a little fat. Monounsaturated fats help you absorb carotenoids found in veggies like carrots and spinach, which are also super important for eye health. If you want to try something other than the common oils, try out one of these options instead {which are all the fat equivalent to 1-2 tsp oil}:

• 10 olives
• 12 almonds
• 7 walnut halves
• 1/4 avocado

Some other ways that I like to keep my salads fun and interesting:

• Add raspberries and almonds
• Squirt with lime juice
• Toss in some red onion
• Sprinkle on some sunflower seed
• Drizzle with blueberry {or another fruit-infused} vinegar
  

Questions:

Do you eat a lot of salads?

What is your favorite salad topping?

Day 2 of Shakeology Cleanse... DONE!

We had a green tea date yesterday morning... just us girls! :-)

I don't know if you could tell from the picture I posted yesterday of my day one completion post, but that was not a recent picture of me. That was me from back in November when I *tried* to do the 3-Day Shakeology Cleanse. Go back and look here if you missed yesterday's post. You will see my hair is shorter. I was too lazy too busy to post any other picture yesterday. You see, I have this whole conference event coming up TOMORROW {Please pray for me!} that has consumed my time, so I couldn't justify making a new photo that says the same thing... that I made it through day one. 

The thing with back in November when I tried to do this cleanse was that I only made it through day one. I failed after that. On day 2 I started by slowly licking the peanut butter off the knife after making the kids' breakfast, telling myself, "No big deal. It's one little lick." That then led to a small bite of one of their sandwiches. {I am sure you can guess where this is going. :-)} Eventually by the end of the day I was eating everything that I should not have if I wanted to truly do this cleanse right. And, by day three... well, there was no day 3.

This time around, however, I made a promise to myself and My Hunter that I was going to do this 3-day cleanse! He reminded me that I am so strong when I make up my mind to do something, in fact I think his exact words were, "You are seriously the strongest woman I know... when you decide to be." That meant a lot! It got me thinking that, "Yeah... I *can* do this! It's only three days!" I believe that when you truly accept yourself and put your mind fully into your goals, you will achieve them! 

That is part of the reason I have been posting this 3-day journey on here. I know that if I share with you guys, you are all now holding me accountable too, and I love that! It keeps me going! Accountability is another huge part in moving towards your goals. I want to succeed because I gave my word that I am going to do this!

So, I am happy to report in to all of you that I completed day two yesterday perfectly! I did it! One more day to go!

Like I said yesterday, I will be sharing a full post {hopefully Monday} on how this went and what my results are, but I have to say I am feeling so amazing! I think God orchestrated this cleanse in line with this conference prep. I am feeling so clear-headed and focused, which as a result makes getting things done much easier.

Okay, now I have to go. More work to get done for the big day tomorrow! I hope you all have an amazing Friday! <3

Questions:

• What is one goal that you are putting your full mind into believing you can do and WILL prove you can do?
• Do you have an accountability partner?
• Any fun events going on in your life this weekend?

Thanks for the link-ups, Lauren and Jennie! This is by far my FAVORITE Friday highlight from my week! :-)

Day 1... DONE!

Tuesday night I decided I needed to hit the reset button! I was slipping on my eating habits and starting to gravatate to all those sugary treats after having some Easter weekend. Isn't it funny how once you get that sugar back in your system, your body craves it just like that again?!

What I am doing to get back on track is the 3-Day Shakeology Cleanse. This isn't about weight loss for me, but already since completely day one yesterday, I am down a little over two pounds! Not going to complain since I had put about four pounds on recently. For me, this is more about getting back on track physically and mentally.

{Click to Enlarge}

I will do a complete recap post on the cleanse next week, so pop back over to check it out. But right now I can already say I feel fantastic!

For now, I off to enjoy my green tea, followed up by my Shakeology for breakfast and a lot of water so that I can stay hydrated.

My workouts for the next few days are just going to be light recovery days. Since I am cutting back the calories for this cleanse, I want to keep those lower impact because my energy will definitely not be there to get through my regularly scheduled Insanity workouts. {Sorry Shaun T! I will be back Saturday morning to work out with ya. ;) }

Hope you all have an amazing Thursday!

Questions for you:

• Have you ever done a cleanse before?
• If so, how long and what did you think?
• What was {or would be} the one food/meal you couldn't wait to have afterwards?

Forget the Number on the Scale!

Last week one of my challengers shared this post in our "Spring Slim Down" group:

"So im super aggravated with myself.. I lost 4 lbs the first week becuase I did good at following my meal plan.. now I gained a pound back this week because I haven't been as good!! Does anyone else have this problem?? Reality hit that I need to shape up and get my act together because I'm only cheating myself!"

I can't say I blame her. I used to be one of these girls too. One that was completely fixated on the number that showed up on the scale. I would weigh myself just about every day.

However, here is what I told her and what I want to tell you:

Your weight fluctuates moment-to-moment! It fluctuates due to your body fluid. Too much sodium intake can cause water retention. It fluctuates based on certain foods you eat, for example whole wheat bread can make you feel bloated after. If you are using certain medications, if you have your menstrual cycle, if you haven't gone to the bathroom yet {T.M.I? It's true!}, or even after a workout... these are all things that can cause weight to fluctuate, so it is absolutely ridiculous to weigh yourself daily! Instead, I tell my challengers a more accurate way to measure progress is to take pictures and measurements before and throughout their journey. This is going to be one of the best ways to see the changes you make. 

Honestly, I don't weigh myself much at all, maybe once a month or so, if even that. I base how I am doing by how my clothes fit and feel. I should probably get in the habit of weighing myself every other week at least, because weighing yourself is not bad. In fact, it is good for you to know where you are at for your overall health and will allow you to make adjustments to how you are eating or how you are exercising if needed.

So here are my suggestions on how to use your scale wisely:

• Only step on it once a week or once every other week. 
• Do it first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything.
• Do it with similar clothing each time.
• Very important - use the same scale!  
• Do not do it again for the rest of the day!

And remember, if you are trying to lose weight, a realistic loss is half a pound to two pounds per week. 

Marvelous in My Monday // Easter

Hi all! How was your Easter weekend? I honestly wasn't going to post today, because I have so much going on in my brain as I am trying to prepare and organize for the Women's Conference we are putting on this weekend. But I decided I would share a couple pictures from our weekend. Enjoy! :-)

Friday morning "bunny bottom" breakfast.

The colors in the sky! Wow! Friday evening's view from my deck!

Mmm! May have snuck a few of these before filling Easter baskets. ;)

I could just live in yoga pants! Seriously.

Flowers from a friend! Totally brighten the house!

I have more pictures from my phone that I wanted to post, {We colored eggs, went on an egg hunt, had some friends over for a big Easter dinner, and just enjoyed being together to celebrate that He is risen!} but for some reason iPhoto is acting goofy on me right now. I am taking that as my sign to get off of here and go get some more work for this conference done. 

Hope you all had an amazing Easter! Would love to hear your favorite highlight from your weekend.

Thanks for the link-up, Katie!

Mini Peanut Butter Oat Cups

Hey guys! Wow! It's Friday already! I don't know about you, but this week flew by for me! And we are looking forward to this Easter weekend!

Yesterday I had a friend come over to visit, so beforehand the girls and I made up a snack to share with her.

This is a no bake, healthy option. And, super easy to make considering my 7 and 5-year-olds made it by following my verbal directions. 

I think these would be good to make ahead during your meal prep day, put them in the freezer or fridge and have on hand when you are looking for something a little sweet to tide you over or for a quick grab-and-go breakfast option.

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped dark chocolate
• ½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
• 1½ cups oats
• 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter 
• 2 tbsp agave syrup or honey
• 1 tbsp ground flax, chia seeds, or wheat germ
• cinnamon to taste

Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate in a microwavable bowl or on the stovetop over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until melted.
2. After the chocolate is melted, mix it together with the other ingredients in a bowl.
3. Press the dough into lined mini muffin tins.
4. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
5. Makes 24 mini bites.

We loved them! Bite size, fun and yummy! Let me know if you try them out!

Any Easter plans for you and your family this weekend?

What's Going in Our Easter Baskets?

Hey everyone! How is your week going? I honestly can't believe Easter is in a couple days. How is it mid-April?! The good news is, spring is here! Hope you have been getting some spring-like weather in your area! The kids have been outside everyday this week, and Sunday is supposed to be sunny and almost 70, which will be perfect for getting out looking for those eggs.

This year I wanted to come up with some stuffers other than candy for the kids' Easter baskets. I'm trying to avoid all that extra sugar. They will get enough of that from the big egg hunt. ;)

We honestly don't get them a whole lot for the kids because, well, they don't need it. So, I try to be logical but still put some things in there they will be excited about.

First up, let me share what I bought for my 1 1/2 year old little guy. I know he won't fit into his swimming trunks from last summer, so I thought it would be the perfect gift for his basket, along with the shirt and hat. We will also tuck this little board book in there because he absolutely loves trucks so much!

Baby Boy's Basket

My daughters' baskets will be pretty identical. {I wonder if that will bother them someday? :-)} They both get a new swimming suit. This year we chose tankinis for them to make it easier to use the bathroom while we are living at the pool for the summer. I will also throw in some underwear. You can never have too much underwear, right?! ;) I wanted to get them Frozen bedding, but I think the price on all the Frozen attire is a little ridiculous right now! Yikes! I may pick up a book for each of them to tuck in their baskets as well.

We can't go without some sort of treat. We picked up the lemon almonds last weekend while we were at Costco, so those will go in some of their eggs {As long as I don't eat anymore!}. We also picked up some of Justin's Organic Peanut Butter Cups. {I don't feel as guilty because these are a cleaner candy option. :-)} We will also fill some of their eggs with money. They have already asked if we will be doing that again because they remember us doing it last year.

Can't leave My Hunter out. I don't know that I got him anything last year, but on Tuesday one of my friends shared with me a plant I may be able to keep alive {Thanks Mel!}... bamboo! With My Hunter's love for plants, I thought this would be a cute gift for him. The kids and I picked this up for him when we were out Wednesday and will surprise him with it on Sunday. :-) And, if I can't keep this alive, I think this relationship I am trying to create with plants is over.

Need other non-candy ideas? Here are a few:

• Coloring Books & Crayons
• Stickers
• Bubbles
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Jump Ropes
• Sandals & a Fun Nail Polish
• Sunglasses
• Lipgloss/Chapstick
• New Tableware (Cup & Plate)
• Bracelets
• Books
• Cleaner Candies:
• A Homemade Goodie
• OCHO Bars
• Yummy Earth Brand Candies
• Surf Sweets Jellybeans

Do you do Easter baskets? If so, what are you putting in them this year? 

What is one thing you would like in your Easter basket?

What I Ate Wednesday

Last week was so much fun sharing what I ate, as well as seeing what others out there had to eat, that I thought I would join in on the party again this week. 

I always start out my day with a big 'ol cup of water. It's nice to start working to get my water in right away, and fill up my stomach a bit before I eat. 

I normally workout before eating my big breakfast, but yesterday was my recovery day so I started off my morning eating my banana, blueberry oatmeal. This truly hit the spot! I love oatmeal for breakfast, I really do. I tried to switch it up a bit yesterday. I made my oats and then mashed up half a banana to add-in. I decided I wanted blueberries too. I added in a half teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon of chia seeds, and of course it wouldn't be complete without some natural peanut butter. ;)

Banana Blueberry Oatmeal

While normally I am hungry for my mid-morning snack two or three hours after breakfast, that oatmeal filled me up enough where the morning passed by and the next thing I look at the clock and it's lunch time. {That's totally not normal for me, so if you are looking for a filling meal, try this. And, to add a bit more to it, use almond milk instead of water. Just fills you up even more.}

For lunch I was craving a salad. We are out of spinach, so I just cut up some iceberg lettuce and used that. I added in a half a cup of black beans and a tablespoon of almond slivers and cranberries.

Black Bean Salad

The dressing I used is one I picked up from Costco that both My Hunter and I really like. I wanted to add quinoa and avocado to the salad, but I was too impatient and hungry to make the quinoa and I totally forgot about the avocado until after I had devoured my entire bowl. Oh well, next time. :-)

Sun Dried Tomato & Garlic Vinaigrette and Marinade

In the mid-afternoon, I had a cup of coffee to warm up as I caught up on some work. The funny thing is, I haven't been enjoying my coffee as much. I went from making myself liking it because it "looked fun" to drink, to having to add lots of creamer and sugar just to get it down, to now only being able to drink it black because the sweet coffee upsets my stomach. And, I actually prefer having a cup of tea at the end of the night {over the coffee} when the kids are in bed. It's starting to become a relaxing routine for me.

Starbucks House Blend

Afternoon snack wasn't intended to be toast with Nutella and PB, but I made some up for the kids and I couldn't pass it up for myself.

I had already eaten half before I remembered to take a picture.

 I snuck some of their gold fish too. :-)

Supper, although not an appealing picture, was rather good! I had a baked potato and a venison burger topped with tomato. 

And for some reason I caved and pulled out these almond treats and had a handful too many. Oops! Need to save the rest for the kids' eggs.

So there you have it, my meals and snacks from yesterday. Would love to hear if you had anything new or a favorite in the past week.

Have a great Wednesday!

Marvelous in My Monday

Hello Monday! You just sneak up so fast sometimes! I do love you though. ;)

We had such a nice weekend over here, and I think that is why I am feeling Monday just kind of got here so quickly. Guess I wasn't ready for the fun to end.

Maybe sharing some of the highlights with all of you will take me back and satisfy me before I start in on this week.

Thursday night the kids and I went out to eat with some friends of ours. This restaurant was pretty fun. The atmosphere was perfect for the baby. He was able to run around and not bother anyone else.

Everything on the menu had really weird names. When I ordered the girls their "camel toes" they gave me a look like they were not going to eat "camel toes"! {It was just the insides of bread topped with turkey and cheese.}

Check out how these sandwiches are shaped too. I had to ask them to cut mine in half. I wasn't sure how else I would be able to eat it without making a total fool of myself.

Every Friday night our family does pizza and movie night. I decided to bail for a bit though and take our dog for a walk. It was still 70 degrees at 7 pm and she hadn't been on a good walk in a long time. She was over due. And, I sure didn't mind having some peace and quite for a bit. :-)

In fact, when I got home, I left again to run out to T.J. Maxx to find some new pants. Well, I didn't even make it over to the clothes section. I shopped in home decor, picking up a few new fun things for our place.

Something I totally needed! Ha!

Saturday morning, My Hunter and I got in a quick workout and then we went on a family date to the orchestra. It was geared for the kids perfectly. They told a fun story to go along with their songs and it was just the right length to avoid an embarrassing melt-down that I knew wasn't far away from the baby. After the performance, they had a "petting zoo" where the kids could test out the instruments. Pretty fun!

Orchestra Bound!

Saturday afternoon and evening we spent out at our friends. The guys went shed hunting, while Jenny and I had some girl talk and the kids played. Once the guys got home we all sat down to a wonderful home-cooked supper and enjoyed some great family time.

Sunday was spent mostly at church. My friend and I are preparing a women's conference that will be coming up at the end of this month. We had to announce it at each of the services and then spend time at the registration table talking with the other women. I am really looking forward to this conference! Definitely keeping me busy!

I did pick up some of these *amazing* lemon covered almonds while we were out. I plan to put these in some of the kids' Easter eggs. Somebody doesn't like the fact that he has to wait another week to have them. :-)

This week ahead is super busy for us. You would think with us not living near family that we wouldn't have many plans with it begin Easter week and all, but I think the only day we don't have something going on is Wednesday.

Hope you all have a marvelous Monday!

Thank you so much, Katie, for hosting this link-up!

Questions:
Do you ever go out shopping for something that you specifically need and then come home with everything but?

What was your favorite highlight from your weekend?

Do you have a busy week ahead with Easter?

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday, my friends! This week went by quickly again, but I think the gorgeous 70 degree weather we have been experiencing helped pass it by. We spent a lot of time outside, as you can probably imagine. We were ready for spring around this house. ;)

I am linking up with Lauren, Darci, and Jennie today to share five of my favorite things from this week.

1. I was out of my favorite granola at the beginning of the week, but have no fear... I picked up more on Wednesday and became happy once again. It's sometimes dangerous for me to keep this stuff in the house because I love it so much!

2. Getting my workouts in with a buddy has been fun. Usually it was My Hunter, but yesterday my favorite little airplane-flyin' man joined me.

3. The artwork my 7 year old daughter has been making this week is definitely wall-hanging worthy! ;) She is still saying she wants to be an artist when she grows up {and her dad is still saying she will be living with us when she is 30 because of this, haha... I won't mind. :-)}.

4. I found the chipotle spice we need for our meatloaf muffins, so you can bet I will be making some of these again very soon.

5. My Hunter tried some of these chips the other day for the first time and mentioned how much he actually liked them. So I had to pick up a big bag for him when we were at Costco the other day. 

How was your week?