I fiddled around with the idea of trying the 24 Day Challenge because I'm already routinely exercising and trying to figure out the healthy eating thing. After much thought (and help), I decided to give it a try. Yesterday was my first day of the cleanse phase (days 1-10.... days 11-24 is the "max" phase. Here's how it went:
DAY 1
7am: Spark/3 Catalyst
730: Fiber Drink/8 oz.
water/Meal Replacement Shake
10: Apple/Natural PB
Noon: Workout
12:30: Mid-workout Spark
1pm: Sandwich with
Mustard/Orange
3:30: Celery/Natural
Peanut Butter
6: Omega/Baked Chicken
Fajitas/Brown Rice
830: Erica’s Protein Shake (Body Fortress Vanilla Whey Protein/PB2/Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk)
Bedtime: Herbal Cleanse
Pills/3 Catalyst
Water goal: 100 oz.
Some product info:
Spark is an energy drink to replace coffee/soda
Catalyst is a supplement that helps you skip that first phase of muscle burning before you get to your fat-burning phase in your workout
Omega is just an Omega-3 supplement I got at Rite-Aid (Advocare sells one, but I forgot to order it)
Fiber Drink is similar to Metamucil but tastes way better (Peaches 'n' Cream)
Herbal Cleanse Pills is just another supplement to help with the cleanse phase
Each meal/snack should be between 250-350 calories and include 4-6oz. of protein, 1-2 cups veggies/fruit (fruit in the AM only because of the sugars), and a complex carb (whole wheat/grains).
Try to avoid sugars and non-Spark caffeine as much as possible (good thing I don't work at Starbucks anymore).
I found that I was very hungry by 11am and getting a slight headache. My sister (who is also my coach) suggested I eat an orange before working out, which I did, and drink my Spark before my workout, which I also did. I felt GREAT during my workout-- I felt like I could conquer the world. After getting back and eating lunch, I realized I didn't feel quite right. I wasn't dizzy, but I was a little off-balance. Meredith (my sister) told me to add some deli meat to my afternoon snack for some extra calories/protein. Did that, all good. Dinner was good and my evening snack was good. Before bed, the Herbal Cleanse Pills were a little tough to get down (they're super big, and I have an awful gag reflex), but I got them down. I woke up at 12:45 (for the second time to pee since I had gone to bed 2.5 hours earlier) with an awful migraine that kept me up for an hour or so.
What we learned:
I don't take in enough calories for the amount of exercise I do and to remain true to the 250-350 calorie range for meals. I didn't have enough protein in my day, and I was just plain not eating enough. So this is what my day should have looked like:
DAY 1
7am: Spark
730: Fiber Drink/8 oz.
water/Meal Replacement/Banana
10: Apple (2 small/1
large)/Natural PB
11:30: 2 Eggs/Spark/3
Catalyst
1pm: Sandwich with
Mustard/Orange
3:30: Celery/Natural
Peanut Butter/Egg
6: Omega/Baked Chicken
Fajitas/Brown Rice
830: Erica’s Protein Shake
Bedtime: Herbal Cleanse
Pills/3 Catalyst
Note that I moved my 3 morning Catalyst and mid-workout Spark to right before my workout (which I did TODAY and FELT GREAT), and I added an egg to my afternoon snack for an extra boost of protein (which I did TODAY as well and am feeling just fine).
What I'm finding:
I don't understand nutrition and caloric intake as well as I would like to. I generally burn anywhere between 500-700 calories per workout, so I need to account for that somewhere, too. Also, keeping a strict eating and supplement regimen feels good but, at the same time, makes the day go by so quickly. Also, I'm interrupted a lot by having to go the bathroom (it's a cleanse, after all). I literally peed out all 128+oz. of water I took in yesterday in probably 40 bathroom breaks throughout the day. I know that part will get better the more my body gets used to it, but I'll have to buy stock in toilet paper until it does. I also need meal ideas. I'm not a great cook (even though I try to be), and I have a problem with making things that don't taste super great (but still eating them anyway... which, most of the time, makes me not want to eat all together). I've never eaten so much in a day in my life (which is funny considering how overweight I am... you'd think I'd be eating all the time!), except for maybe when I was working with a nutritionist.
Overall, I think Day 1 was as successful as it could have been. I did eat a handful of cereal in the middle of the night thinking my migraine was from the lack of sugar. It was a last-ditch effort to make it go away and help me sleep so I could get through my workday today. I don't know if it was sugar-induced or not, but I have a call with an Advocare Advisor tonight to figure out what's up.
I will say this... my sister and her coaches (and their Advisor) have been with me throughout the whole process so far (from before ordering, too). So many calls/texts were bouncing around between everyone yesterday just to found out answers to HELP ME. I'm very impressed with that!
I'll update you tomorrow on how today went. Overall, I will say I feel much better today. I did take some headache medicine after lunch because I was starting to get one, but it rained and went away. I think it was just sinus.
Onward and on forth. Keep Going!
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