Getting Healthy While Not being Able to Exercise

Okay so you know I have tried it all!  And Girlfriend, this losing weight thing is not easy.  I have done Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Advocare, Adkins, Keto .... you name it, I have tried it.  On this the Eve of my second Ankle surgery in less than a year, I am extremely concerned about gaining weight during recovery.  Let's face it, I am obese.  There I Said IT!  I am obese!  Now that the ugly word is out of the way, Let' Chat.

I wasn't always this way, just ask my family.  I was known as the String Bean of the family.  Cut cheekbones, collar bones showing, bones showing, Hell I was Wraith thin before Kate Moss made it a Thing.

But I grew up, I got married, I took fertility drugs, had a child and well life just happens.  Before you know it, I weighed 125 lbs more than I did in the picture of me in my wedding dress.  So here I am Obese (ugh! What a horrible word), undergoing a surgery that will mean no weight on my ankle for at least 10 weeks and then another 4 months of recovery and physical therapy.  What's a girl to do to keep from gaining even more weight?

Well, I am trying something totally different.  I will have 5 fuelings every day then one good healthy meal at night.  I have already been doing it for the past 6 days (today is my Day 6) and have lost 4 lbs and 4.5 inches.  So that's a start!   Join me on my journey!  #girlonfire #neverloseyoursparkle #iknowican #prayforme

Angie
Type A Southern Belle

OMG! That Was Easy!

So Day 24 of our 24 day challenge has come and gone.  We began this challenge on January 7, with Jim reluctantly agreeing to "do it?" "But don't expect me to like it," Jim says.  Well like he did.  We ate great.  We didn't starve.  We didn't crave anything.  And we saw immediate difference in our energy.  Before the first week was over Jim was no longer taking afternoon naps and I had more energy than I could remember.

You would think that would be enough right, but no it got better.  I had so much energy that, me who is not a morning person, began getting up earlier and working out.  My days were brighter and I had more hours in the day to accomplish things because I know longer came home drooping.  I used to come home fix dinner then get in bed to relax.  No more.  I would come home fix dinner and then play with my granddaughter.  Same with Jim.  Instead of coming home and taking a nap, the eating dinner, then bpvegging in front of TV, he was now coming home and working on his truck.  Then after dinner playing with grandbaby.

We both fell like we are in our twenties again.  And again you would think that would be enough right?  But no it got even better.  At the end of 24 days, I have lost 11 pounds and 8 inches.  Jim has lost 14 pounds and 11 inches.  Needless to say, I am no longer dragging Jim into a new lifestyle.  He has jumped in with both feet.

This challenge has CHANGED OUR LIFE!  We can't imagine going back to the drab, lifeless existence that we were living.  We had no idea how bad our energy level was until we had so much more.  I challenge all my friends to give me 24 days to change your life.   Go to www.ez2bhealthy.info or www.choosethechallenge.com/2bhealthy.   You to can change your life!

An Easy 5 Pounds!

So it is Day 11 of our 24 day challenge and the first tier of results are in.  I am amazed at how fast and easy the first phase was.  The first phase was the cleanse phase.  We ate quite well, as I have shown in my previous blogs.  Now we are entering the max phase.  This is the phase were we are supposed to really start seeing a difference.

But we have already seen the difference.  We have more energy, are eating better, and the changes show.  I have lost 5.5 pounds in 11 days while eating great food, not feeling deprived and not even craving anything.  I have lost a total of 4.25 inches.  Jim has lost 5 pounds and 5.5 inches.  If you want to do this too, go to www.advocare.com/141230885. #advoallin

I can't even explain how great this is.  So now for another reason why.  I want to wear cuter clothes.  You ladies know what I mean.  All the cute clothes are made size 12 and smaller.  I want those clothes.

So to recap the great food, below are the pictures of what we ate.

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Challenge Days 3, 4 & 5: Am I Doing This Right?

Okay so we have now completed days 3-5 of the challenge and I must ask:  Am I doing this right?  I mean we have been eating great and we do not fell deprived.  I have done other "cleanses" and starved and craved carbs and sugars.  Friday night we had Indonesian Noodle Soup. It was delicious.

 Saturday night we had a lean steak, shrimp, walnut Brussels sprouts, and potatoes.

Each day we are trying something new thanks to www.themealguru.com.  I suggest trying is wonderful app.  They have great menus and recipes.

Til next time, live well and eat well!

Challenge Day 2

So we are on day 2.  Well got worried because I had a headache all night and felt weird when I was sleeping.  Woke up still with headache, so I took my spark because I will not be side tracked and within 30 minutes I felt great.  In fact I felt great all day.  I cleaned my bedroom, vacuumed (including moving furniture around) and caught up on some work.  Then my hunny came home and we prepare dinner together.

Dinner tonight was Chicken Tikki with a Hearts of Palm Salad with Avocado and Tomatos.  It was great.  I am so proud of us for doing this.

My Coach and friend, Deonda, said I should tell my "Why."  Well there are several.  So I will star with the most important one is that I am 48 years old.  I want to see 80.   I would love to see my great grandchildren being born and share in some of their lives so that I won't just be someone they heard about.  I want to be healthy!  This Summer we lost my Father in Law at the age of 74.  He actually died just two weeks after his birthday.  He had a pacemaker, couldn't walk long distances and was generally unhealthy.  I worry that I will lose my husband early and I don't want to reach 80 without him (you know he is 2 years older than me).  So I want him to be healthy with me.  So that is the most important reason we are on this journey together.  I will share my other reasons as we go.

Well til tomorrow:  be well, be healthy!

24 Day Challenge - Day 1

Well it has been a while but I am starting the Advocare 24 Day Challenge with my husband.  Today was the first day of the challenge and I felt this would be a good restart to my blog.  So first let me tell you how I found out about this challenge.  My friend from High School told me about Advocare back at our High School Reunion.  Then I saw another High School friend post about this challenge with Advocare and she put pictures with her words and I was amazed.  So I started researching the company and was totally impressed with the pro athletes that used the products and endorsed the company without pay.

In December my husband said we had to get healthy and I remembered the information on Advocare so I contacted my friend, Deonda, and said "tell me what this challenge is about?"   So she sent me to a place on the web to get the info.   (If you want info about the challenge you can go to www.advocare.com/141230885).  I made the decision to sign my husband and I up for the challenge.

Well, my husband was not happy but I asked him to just give me the 24 days and if it didn't work, we at least tried.  So we began prepping by trying the Spark drink.  I have to say I could not believe the energy and focus I got from drinking this immediately.  Then we went grocery shopping.  We didn't get anything all that different from what we normally get other than this time I didn't get any prepared frozen foods, only fresh vegetables and lean meats (we have been using lean meat for years).  Then I told my husband about is meeting I wanted to go to.  He said "No."  He explained that he would give me the 24 days but that was it, not going to go to any meeting.  Well, after a couple of days, I got him to agree.  It was so funny, he even took his IPad to the meeting, because he was "not interested."  That lasted all of of 5 minutes.  After meeting some success stories (other men), watching a video, learning about the medical board and, of course, the fact that Drew Brees uses Advocare, it was a different story.  He was hooked.  He even got upset that I didn't purchase him the optional supplements!  Go figure.

So here we are DAY 1!   And I can honestly say I feel good.  No diet foods, just healthy snacks and foods.  Of course today I had to do a fiber drink and that was not good, but it is only 3 days of that so I can deal.  A lot of this is preparing food and menus in advance so that we make the right choices.  So for breakfast I had premade breakfast bites.  These were eggs, potatoes, tomato, onion, green pepper, salt and pepper mixed together and baked in muffin pans in the oven, then frozen.  I just take one out in the morning and zap it in the microwave.  Snacks during the day consisted of fruit, nuts, and hummus.  Lunch was a salad with grilled shrimp.  Dinner was a chicken lettuce wrap and Asian cabbage salad.  All that along with 10 glasses of water and supplements.  I am stuffed.

Tonight before bed, I take an herbal cleanse.  I look forward to sharing our journey with you.  If all goes well, I may even post my before and after pictures.  Still considering that.

Why do I have to always come up with a Title??

So I am a little late posting this week.  It has been a crazy week.  I did have weigh in on Wednesday this week.  And IT WAS GREAT!   I lost 1.6 lbs this week.  That is a total of 7.6 lbs in three weeks.   So something is working.  I have noticed a change in my clothes already.  I seem to have dropped one dress size.  I am also only .8 lbs from my first goal.  I have every intention of blowing through that goal next week.

On a sad note, my family lost our beloved pet Sasha this week.  It was a blow for us.  We loved her very much.  Those of you with pets know how they become a member of the family.  They are like another child that you have raised.  Sasha was 14 years old.  We originally got Sasha for a companion for our beautiful boy Nicodemus (Nick).  She kept Nick young and playful longer than most Rottweilers.  Rottweilers normally have a lifespan of 7-9 years.  Nick had hip dysplasia in both his hips and was diagnosed with it when he was only 1 year old.  The Vets suggested expensive surgery at Auburn, but instead we got Sasha.  Sasha kept Nick active and he ended up not needing surgery.  Nick lived until he was 13 years old and never had another problem with his hips until he contracted bone cancer.  After Nick died, Sasha got lonely.  We could not play with her all the time.  When Daddy brought Sugar (his Christmas present) back to us, Sasha rebounded from her mourning over the loss of her brother.  I fervently believe that Sugar brought Sasha back to us, because she had been less playful and sad after Nick passed on.  This last year, Sasha has had a companion again.  So although we were not happy about expanding our family to include Sasha (DAD)... thank you Daddy for bringing her into Sasha's life.

Everyone should give their furry family member a hug and thank them for the unconditional love that they give you everyday!