24 day challenge: Cleanse Phase Snack and Meal Tips

it's ok to not be able to stop thinking about fro-yo and cheerios right??

ever since i started the advocare 24 day challenge, i have not been able to stop the cravings for fro-yo an cheerios...it's a problem people.
thank goodness it's only for 10 days.

the diet for the 24 day challenge is pretty straight forward,

but with all of the yummy pinterest recipes floating around out there, 

it's really easy to be bummed out and think you're going to be stuck eating celery and peanut butter for the 10 day cleanse phase of the challenge.

i would not survive.

but it's only 10 days, and after that, you're home free!

you can do it! :)

for the 10 day cleanse portion of the challenge, here were are few of my go-to's:

my go to snacks:

apple slices with peanut butter

rice cakes with peanut butter

as much fruit as i can fit in my grocery cart: grapes, nectarines and more nectarines, oranges (regular size and minis!), bananas

raw veggies and hummus

my go to at-home meals:

grilled chicken and broccoli

baked chicken and green beans (original right??)

taco salad (with ground turkey)

salad, but be careful with the choice dressing! avoid creamy or sugary dressings.

fajitas sans tortillas :(

omelets and scrambled eggs 

on-the-go meals:

chipotle - you can load up with chicken, veggies, brown rice, black beans, salsa and even guac! just no cheese or sour cream.

boston market - chicken and veggies to go! i order the half chicken meal and it's the perfect amount for bub-hub and i to split! just be sure you pull the skin off the chicken first, and try and avoid the dark meat, and good luck resisting the corn bread, which is basically impossible.

pappasitos (or your favorite mexican food haven) - fajitas are my go-to here.

it's so hard to say no to the chips and salsa and green sauce, but you can do it! you can also swap out your rice and beans for grilled veggies! avoiding temptation at every turn!

after you wrap up the cleanse, 

you can incorporate carbs, dairy and sugars back into your diet, but don't go crazy!

try to stick to complex carbs and whole wheat & high fiber breads. 

be smart with your sugars and avoid yogurts and dairy products that are high sugar and low protein. try greek yogurt, like chobani!, and load it up with extra fruit or honey for additional sweetness.

and of course, avoid fried foods.

want to learn what the 24 day challenge is all about?
[here you go!]
want to take the challenge with me?
you can purchase your 24 day challenge bundle here:
[https://www.advocare.com/12082838/]

come on guys...you know you want to! :)



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insanity & the 24 day challenge: Day 0

as i confessed on friday,

i've started the insane insanity challenge.

what was i thinking...

gotta get in shape for sweater & christmas cookie season! :)

plus, the bestie's wedding is just under 4 weeks away, so it's time to kick it into high gear!

[don't worry steph, my dress does fit, no last minute squeezing for me!]

reasons i chose insanity over other workout programs:

1. most honest reason,,,we had it at the apartment. 

bub-hub ordered it over a year ago during his tax internship, but he was so busy he never got around to finishing it.  so the box has basically been staring me down on my entertainment center for months. 

2. the workouts require no equipment, only your body weight, and it is heavy on the cardio, which i love.

3. it's a challenge, and who doesn't like a challenge?

in addition to insanity, i'm doing the advocare 24 day challenge [info here...].

you should definitely check it out and try it with me! :)

my goals for the next few weeks are not necessarily weight loss, but i want to gain energy and tone up.

i'm pretty much setting myself up for disaster extreme success...ahhhhh!

my brother told me that shaun-t will send you a t-shirt if you take a before and after photo...so here it goes!

do you have some advice on how to survive and thrive through insanity??

have you tried the 24 day challenge?

holla!! it's finally friday!

dear friday, i can't believe you're finally here. 

ahhhhhh!! i have so many things to do before the weekend...which is basically here, so my bad on that. having exciting things to look forward to is both good and bad because it gives you a spark of happiness and excitement when you hit rough patches in the day, but sometimes, it can also make the week crawl by at a snails pace, which is what happened to me.

but i survived. :) and now it's time to spend the weekend celebrating the bub-hubs birthday!!! :)

yay cake and presents!

one: i'm loving the new pinterest app update for two reasons.  the first being the fabulous new scrolling layout, and second, they used emojis in their update info.
pin for the win. :)

two: this month's cosmo came with a sample of the Loreal Magic BB cream, and i'm hooked. it felt great and lasted all day.  i can't believe it took me this long to try it.
have you tried bb cream?? what brand do you recommend??

three: umm....this week has been a crafty one! :)
many super secret fabulous things have been created.
thank you sweet bub-hub for living patiently through the chaos.

four:  i am hooked on spark!
spark is a mental focus and energy drink, and is advocare's #1 best selling product for a reason.
my favorite flavors are fruit punch and pink lemonade.
you should check it out!!

five: ummm....taylor swift's new single.

duh.

i'm a fan. don't hate. :)

what were the highs and lows of your week??

mr. and mrs. chastain: part 1

the morning of the wedding, the things that were most important to me were to have my bridesmaids and my mama close by.  i also wanted a big, yummy breakfast. duh! :)

we spent the morning snacking, getting pampered, and being silly. 

having my sweet friends around definitely helped calm my nerves and get me ready for the big day ahead!  

my sweet sister-in-law and MOH gave me this super cute getting-ready shirt, and it was the perfect fit for the day.  it was so comfy, but still made me feel like a beautiful bride! :)

did i mention that i had the BEST bridesmaids??

cait and steph didn't hesitate to answer the "bridesmaids-call-to-duty" when the photographer asked if they would be interested in a pillow fight...

 and it didn't take long for the rest of the ladies to join in!

no bridesmaids-getting-ready-photo-shoot is complete without a pretend pillow fight right?!

even when they were slamming pillows in my face and trying to knock me out,

they were still the most beautiful friends on the planet,

inside and out.

i hope every girl out there is half as blessed as i am.

all photos were taken by Jana at bella bee photography.
the wedding was coordinated by Rhonda at precisely as planned.

p.s. have you heard of the 24 day challenge??

read my post to find out what it's all about,

and think about joining in with us! :)

24 day challenge: the low down

recently, the bub-hub and i became advocare distributors, yay! we're both big fans of the advocare products, and have been using the products for a while, and are definitely proud to be a part of their team!

one of advocares best known product is the 24 day challenge.  it's a fabulous 24 day cleanse program that will jumpstart weight-loss and cleanse your body of toxins and all sorts of other junk.

the 24 day challenge is broken down into two parts:

the 10-day cleanse & the 14-day max phase

10-day Cleanse
herbal cleanse: helps rid the body of toxins and waste; supports improved digestion and thorough internal cleansing; provides 10 grams of fiber per day; helps remove impurities from the body; supports healthy weight loss
 omegaplex: superior source of omega-3 fatty acids; plays an important role in the transport of nutrients; helps support normal blood flow; support healthy blood pressure; helps promote healthy metabolism; helps maintain a healthy immune system
spark: enhances mental energy and focus; provides support for long-lasting energy; 21 vitamins, minerals and nutrients; sugar-free and only 45 calories; helps reduce free radicals

the diet: during the 10-day cleanse, you should try to cut out sugars, dairy and carbs, and focus on eating a lot of veggies, fruits, and lean meats, and complex carbs like brown rice and oatmeal. they also encourage drinking a ton of water and 1-2 sparks a day.

14-day Max Phase
mns max: provides a comprehensive system for weight loss and weight-management; supports advanced core nutrition and wellness, provides sustained-release energy; includes 65 percent of the daily recommendation of calcium; offers excellent nutritional support for bones and connective tissue; contains a full gram of omega-3 fatty acids in each serving; supports the digestive and intestinal systems, encourages great skin tone and elasticity; provides more than 50 vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, antioxidants, and other nutrients for comprehensive health and wellness
meal replacement shakes: only 220 calories; balanced meal for optimal nutrition and weight management; 24 grams of easy-to-digest protein; high in dietary fiber (5-6 grams); 50% of the Daily Value of calcium; 26 vitamins and minerals; 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbohydrates
spark: enhances mental energy and focus; provides support for long-lasting energy; 21 vitamins, minerals and nutrients; sugar-free and only 45 calories; helps reduce free radicals

 the diet: when you start the max phase, the diet is less strict but still important.  nothing is restricted during these two weeks, but the cleaner your diet, the better the results.  keep your sugars and carbs low, and focus on your veggies and proteins.

bryce and i both have personal goals that we want to achieve, and we are super pumped to see if the 24 day challenge will help with them!

we will be sharing our goals, giving updates on our progress so you can see how we're doing, and sharing the good and the not so good parts of our experience. nothing will keep you honest more than knowing strangers and friends will be reading up on your results...eeeek!

 

wanna take the challenge with us?
[1] check out our advocare store here:
https://www.advocare.com/12082838/
[2] purchase your 24 day challenge bundle! :)
here!
[3] send us an email with the subject line [24 day challenge] letting us know you want to participate in the challenge:
gracefullymadeblog[at]gmail.com
[3] take before photos, record your weight and measurement stats, and write down your goals.
[4] pick up the challenge button and share with your friends!
[5] prepare for awesome changes!



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if you're not ready to take on the challenge right now, no problem! we're going to be accepting entries through the end of september.  yay!

have questions??

gracefullymadeblog[at]gmail.com

high five for friday: weekly wrap up

favorite exercise
another week of pure barre,,,,owned! :)

this week was pretty rough,

not gonna lie. 

but i just keep giving myself little pep talks between sets and pray i make it through. one day at a time...

[you can read my post about pure barre here!]

favorite radio station
thursday, i discovered olympics sports radio.

i can't believe i've gone the entire olympics without knowing about it.

i feel like i've missed out on so much.

better late than never right??

favorite bub-hub quote:
the bub-hub's wise words of the week-

"never get on 610....ever."

if you live anywhere near houston,

you should definitely agree. 

if you're ever late for a meeting...like i was on thursday...just tell them traffic was terrible, and they will understand 100% and forgive immediately. ugh. 

favorite piece of mail
last week, bub-hub and i became advocare distributors!

we have been using the products for years and are super excited about becoming more involved with the company.

i can't wait to share more details with you guys soon! so keep an eye out! :)

my not-so-favorite thing

my favorite pair of work-pumps died this week.

i know they were only from target,

and i know they were over 5 years old,

but they were super comfy.

they've been needing to go for a while,
but it took a one inch long hole that appeared on the top of my right shoe for me to go through with tossing them.
you will be missed.

how was your week??

link up with posts below and share your favorite highs and lows! :)