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.

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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?