Week Three Review

So, did I do it? "Do what ?", you ask. Well, if you look back a few posts to the one titled "10 pounds in 3 weeks?" , you will see that I was hoping to lose 10 pounds before our little Valentine's Day / Wedding Spot Scouting getaway.

So, did I do it? Not quite, but I got super close! I have lost 8 pounds now and I am down to 180. I'm just thrilled that the 170's are within reach again and it will be only a matter of time until I am down to the 160's. Getting into different "groups" like that really motivates me to keep going! I'm quite confident that by the end of the month I will be 178.

How did I do at following my own rules?

1. Work out a minimum of 2 times a week for 45 minutes at a high intensity
2. Stay between 1200-1500 calories per day
3. Follow the Eat to Live lifestyle as closely as I can.
4. Use Calorie-Count.com for support.
5. Drink a lot of water
6. Eat every 3 hours

1. I didn't work out once. I was still having stomach pains which ruined it for me. Then we had family over too. Busy week, but no work-out. Hopefully I can get back on track this coming week.
2. I've been pretty good at staying below 1,500.  Some days it came close, but I didn't go over. This week went so fast.
3. I've been pretty good at eating veggies and fruit. However, I am still eating stuff that I shouldn't be.
4. This week I used Calorie-Count.com  a lot less. I was still on there and I even back-tracked so I could log my week and continue with the Calorie Camp. It is still a valuable tool for me.
5. Some days I know for sure I didn't get nearly as much water as I should have. I find that I really have to make a conscious effort at it in the winter time.
6. I've been skipping my mid morning snack a lot lately and having a larger afternoon snack. It just feels right to me. I think my body actually wants dinner around 4 or 5 pm, but we eat around 7. By that time I feel like I am starving and want to eat a ton. Having a larger afternoon snack is making me less interested in dinner and helping me not go over my calories by gorging at dinner time.

That's it for now! Let's hope I stay on this path :-). I'd love to share my wedding pictures on my blog with you guys and have a great before and after. That would be amazing!

Week Two Review

This week was a little tougher than last week. We had family over a lot so that threw a wrench in my workout schedule. Then I got major stomach pains,cramping, bloated, chills, etc. mid week and that really messed me up bad. I ended up eating way under my calories for two days and then went over yesterday (which yesterday is technically part of week 3). However, I lost another 2 pounds and I am down to 182. I can't help but wonder if that's temporary due to the lack of food I had, but we will see.

So, how well did I do at following my own rules?

1. Work out a minimum of 2 times a week for 45 minutes at a high intensity
2. Stay between 1200-1500 calories per day
3. Follow the Eat to Live lifestyle as closely as I can.
4. Use Calorie-Count.com for support.
5. Drink a lot of water
6. Eat every 3 hours

1. Very bad. I didn't work out once this week. I was actually sad about it though, so it's a good thing that I am actually missing working out!

2. I did pretty good except for one day I am pretty sure I went over at least a few hundred calories. Other days, I was under and closer to only 800-1,000 cals. Like I said, I was sick.

3. I've been trying to follow the Eat to Live lifestyle, but I definitely need to go grocery shopping.  Due to strict finances and trying to free myself of consumer debt, I have been trying to cut back in some areas. We have tons of food in the house, so I am trying to eat whatever we have here before spending more money. Unfortunately, that means most of the stuff is either frozen or canned rather than fresh. I may have to bite the bullet and buy fresh foods for the sake of my health rather than my finances.

4. I've still been using Calorie-Count and there are some amazingly supportive people on there. When you do the Calorie Camp and close out your day, you can write a comment. One of my comments last week received so much support and great advice. There are some awesome people on there! Check it out, www.calorie-count.com and they have an Android app, which I use every day!

5. I have still been making a conscious effort to drink tons of water. I don't feel like I did as good this past week as I had the week before though.

6. I have been pretty good at keeping a Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner type of eating schedule, but I do skip snacks sometimes. I find that to be a bad thing for me though because it seems like I end up "starving" and end up eating way more on my second snack. I will try to make sure I eat more often because I do find that it helps.

So, there is the week 2 review. Wish me luck in week 3! Thank you for stopping by.





Week One Review

Well, I am done with week one and all is good so far!

I am down 3 pounds... so the scale says. The thing is, I started (this time) at 188 and now I am 184. I honestly do not consider that being down 4 pounds. My reasoning? My weight can fluctuate that much already week to week anyways because I am not consistent with my eating habits. With that being said, I have been doing pretty well, so I am not dismissing the fact that the scale has gone down. However, I am not even going to do a smidgen of a victory dance until I am under 168 pounds. Why is 168 a magic number for me? Well, that is the weight that I was at when Dereck and I met. Once I can get under that again, I will allow a small victory dance. Once I am below 150 pounds, I may do a big victory dance and some clothes shopping.

It's not all about pounds lost though. I am going to be exercising and trying to get toned. That means that I may look awesome at 160 pounds. Therefore, I am going to be taking progress pictures and I need to do my measurements tonight. Pictures and measurements will tell more truth than the number on the scale.

So, how well have I done at following my own rules?

1. Work out a minimum of 2 times a week for 45 minutes at a high intensity
2. Stay between 1200-1500 calories per day
3. Follow the Eat to Live lifestyle as closely as I can.
4. Use Calorie-Count.com for support.
5. Drink a lot of water
6. Eat every 3 hours

1. I worked out twice last week. Both times it was Zumba and I actually did 60 minutes. It was tough, but it made me feel great!
2. I only went over on my calories one day. It was yesterday and I only went over by 45 which is amazing considering I felt like it was a pig out day. Even though I went over, I still netted over 400 cals, so I was still "technically" under.
3. I have been trying to incorporate as many vegetables as possible and cut down on meat consumption.
4. I've been very active on Calorie-count.com and love using the app. The calorie camp feature is great and my BFF joined so we can keep each other in check!
5. I have been very conscious about the amount of water I am drinking and even chugging some when I realize I am way under. It's hard to remember to drink a lot of water in the winter time. 
6. While I have not been religiously eating every 3 hours, I have been using the Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner structure. Eating that way almost makes you eat every 3 hours without really timing it. I started having mixed feelings on how important it really is to eat every 3 hours. Some things I have read now say that it doesn't really matter. However, I did that in the past and it worked well for me, so I am not going to abandon my previous beliefs.

I am not sure if it is in my head or not, but my pants feel a little loser in my outer thigh area. That is one of my major problem spots, so if it's true, that is awesome. That's also the reason I am going to take measurements tonight.

Calorie-Count.com

Hey guys!

I have been very active on Calorie-Count. I remembered how I was really active on there a few years back when I lost a good amount of weight. Even better, they now have an app for your phone, so all of your information is synced up and you can enter everything on the go. I love that it has a barcode reader too. On top of all of that, they have made it more involved by adding the Calorie Camp and a social media type of aspect to it. I am really enjoying using Calorie-Count.com again.

Here is the link to my profile on there, http://caloriecount.about.com/calcamp/profile/jackiel87

You should check it out! It is free .

10 pounds in 3 weeks?

I'm going to try! I booked the hotel for Sedona yesterday and it is non-refundable. My goal is to be 10 pounds less by then. When I weighed myself this morning I was pretty pissed. I felt like I had been eating good this week and worked out last weekend, but I guess it didn't matter. The scale says 188 lbs. That is completely ridiculous . So, my goal is to be at 178 (hopefully 175) by the time we go to Sedona to do wedding stuff. To achieve that goal I am going to take my own advice and do the following:

1. Work out a minimum of 2 times a week for 45 minutes at a high intensity (i.e. Zumba ...it kicks my butt)
2. Stay between 1200-1500 calories per day
3. Follow the Eat to Live lifestyle as closely as I can.
4. Use Calorie-Count.com for support. (it really helped last time I successfully lost a decent amount of weight)
5. Drink a lot of water
6. Eat every 3 hours (based off reading Jorge Cruises Three Hour Diet)


If you are interested in reading Eat to Live, click the picture to buy it on Amazon or even just read the reviews of what everyone else is saying . That is where I bought mine from and they always have great prices on books. I also just bought "The China Study" which is meantioned in Eat to Live. I'll let you know if that book was worth the buy.


(this is an affiliate link)

I'll keep you updated!

What I still buy from Advocare after the 24 day Challenge is over

Hey everyone!

I've been eating pretty well this week and I've been a little more active than normal. I still feel like I need to get back into doing Zumba though and I want to try going hiking every weekend. It's perfect hiking weather in AZ right now! We are going to Sedona over Valentine's Day weekend to check out possible wedding spots. I hope to be 10 pounds less by then so I need to really get on it.

I wanted to share with you what Advocare products I still continue to buy even after I failed the 24 Day Challenge.



Advocare Meal Replacement Shake in Berry. $44.95 for 14 pouches. The way I look at it is about $4.00 a day for breakfast (that's including about $10 for shipping).  This is hands down THE BEST meal replacement shake I have ever had. I even bought more because I found myself missing them. It gets the job done. Here's a short list of why I love it.

1. Tastes Amazing!
2. Only 220 Calories
3. I actually feel full most of the time. Occasionally I will have a banana within an hour of drinking the shake.
4. 24 grams of protein (Very important when your diet mainly consists of veggies and fruit)
5. Packed with tons of vitamins
6. Fits in with my on-the-go lifestyle

There really is nothing that I do not like about this meal replacement shake. I tried the Vanilla one and all I can say is "Bleh!". Don't do it. I couldn't even finish half the box. I have heard if you mix PB2 (a powder form of peanut butter) in with it, it will taste better. I'm just not willing to dish out the money for it. You just need 9 oz of water and a shaker bottle in order to make the shake.



Advocare Spark Energy Drink . $22.95 for 14 pouches. This is a great replacement for coffee and it gives you tons of energy. It tastes better than a lot of the energy drinks available in cans. I am a coffee lover though so I do find myself missing coffee and have actually been drinking coffee since I ran out of Spark. They offer it in a variety of flavors. Seven total flavors actually. I have tried a few different ones, but I find that I like the Fruit Punch the best. That is quite surprising for me since I normally hate fruit punch flavored drinks. If you feel like you never have energy to do anything, much less exercise, you may want to grab a box of Spark.  I buy the box since I like the convenience of grab and go individual bags. Oh and something super important that I should mention is that Spark is sugar free and only 45 calories. Just think of how many calories you would save in one week by substituting your current caffeine fix with Advocare Spark!



Advocare Catalyst. $31.50 for 90 capsules.  While I do not feel that I have exercised enough to really merit loving Catalyst, I can say that I like the idea of what it does. Typically you would take 3 capsules about 10-15 minutes before working out and without food. It's an amino acid dietary supplement that supports muscle tone and enhances strength and energy. When you are a calorie restricted diet, you can actually start losing some of your muscle mass if you aren't eating often enough. Catalyst will help you preserve your muscle mass, repair your muscles, stay focused, and give you a boost while you're working out. The few times that I have remembered to take it before working out, I have felt like it's made me more focused and more willing to persevere and work out longer.

There's tons of Advocare products that I would like to try in the future . When I do, I will definitely let you know how they work out for me. I'm not affiliated with Advocare and I bought everything with my own money. However, if I really get into using their products in the future, it's not out of the question that I could become affiliated. The opinions about are honest and I believe them to be true.

If you were to try just one thing from Advocare, I would recommend trying the meal replacement shake.
Thank you for stopping by and I'll see you soon!

Sick of Failing!

Well, I bet anyone who has ever stumbled upon my blog is sick of reading my advice that I can't even take. However, I have a REALLY good reason that I need to lose weight now. In the past I've had pretty good reasons, but now I have an extremely important reason. I'm engaged! I'm going to have to look awesome in a wedding dress. My goal is to lose 42 pounds. I'm 182 right now and I want to be 140.

Yesterday I did very good. I dieted well and I did 45 intense minutes of Zumba. Today I am doing very good too. I have 700 more calories that I can spend on dinner to stay within my 1500 cal daily allotment. I plan on doing Zumba again tonight and I'll be busy making cake pops too. I'll really try this time to write updates. I'm back to tracking every single thing I eat, but that seems to work well for me. It forces me to come to terms with the stuff I'm putting in my mouth and it makes me think twice if certain foods are worth the calories.

That's it for now. See you later!