A little off topic to start ...

Perhaps a little off topic, but I would like to say that my favorite time of the day is "potty". Nora has a very funny way of saying potty, I'm not even sure how to describe her accent. The "o" is said kind of like you'd say "muah", if that helps. Anyway, it's not so much how she says it, it's more what she has to say about it. Today, after an apparent battle of epic proportions, Nora exclaimed, "mommy, I'm doooooone!" Which is, quite obviously, my cue to go in there to help with the clean up. When I walk in to find the results of today's work out,  I said, "wow, Nora, nice work". Now here is why this is my favorite part -- she hops off and immediately turns around to inspect the contents of the toilet. I am always very eager to hear how she is going to describe it. It comes, as you know, in various shapes and sizes. It has been described as, "a bunch of little balls", "like a couple of snowmen" or just plain old, "A LOT of poopies, mommy" -- Today, was "two lines and a little ... boop!" She said this very enthusiastically. So joyous.

Anywho ... It's Tuesday and I'm feeling good. One thing that is important to mention about this 30-day challenge, the food is naturally anti-inflammatory. Now, I did not really sign up for this reason. I did not even think about it, to be honest. It is just an added bonus of the deal. Now, I am not saying that I am pain free. But my pain has been greatly reduced. I don't have as much of that achy feeling in my bones and muscles. To be sure, I need a hip replacement. I have zero (yes, zero) cartilage left in my hip. It's painful. But I have less of the debilitating pain at the end of the night. I am not hobbling up the stairs, wincing with every step. That's pretty awesome for someone with chronic pain. I have been meaning to ask my fellow "challengers" if they have been experiencing the same. But that has been my experience.

I bought fixings for a turkey chili. I'm excited to make it and report back. Just today I'm starting to feel really bored of the food I've been eating, so I need to branch out. I also bought ingredients to make some protein bars. Will update on those tomorrow.

Week One, Done

Here's to the start of week 2! I'm a little exhausted after a weekend of birthday parties and work. So I am actually welcoming the start of this week. Back to our usual routine of music class, school, daycare, etc. Hoping to get some time to myself, because -- it's the end of the month! It's time to reach some goals! That said - time to stock up on some ARBONNE! people! Okay, that was today's plug. Done.

Monday of week 2 and I'm feeling pretty good. I just ran next door to weigh myself (I don't own a scale) and I think I lost 2 lbs.  I say, "think" because I didn't strip down or go to the bathroom or take any drastic measures to truly get an accurate weight. I had also had a large glass of water and my morning shake. That said, maybe I lost more? Now, I think I mentioned before -- for me, weight loss is not really my #1 goal of this detox challenge. After baby, and nursing baby - I am down to my pre-preggo weight. So this really is more about the detox -- and getting in the best "shape" that I can get in to before my surgery next month.

My goals for this week (outside of promoting to district manager) is to look in to some more recipes. Last week I was all about just making it by, feeding the family, not cheating and not starving.  But I can see I am going to get pretty bored of the chicken, salads and the like. I did make a nice meal of quinoa, asparagus and chicken on Saturday night -- but I need something a little more exciting. I'll post my results.

Pizza night, birthday party, cookies, cake ...

Before you think I've totally gone off the rails, let me just say - I survived! I survived Quinn's 1st birthday - his party, pizza, chips, cake, cookies, beer, even wine! I went in to this challenge with the idea that I would have a cheat day here and there. I went in to it thinking I'd have coffee and  a slice of cake for his birthday and wine on occasion. Not going to lie, it was not easy yesterday (or the day before when I baked the cake) - but I managed to pull through without cheating (too much). So yes, I had a taste of cake. But truly, just a taste - when it was all baked and frosted, cut and served.   Thursday, when I baked the cake, I did not eat one speck of sugar or one lick of batter. Success!

So, for Friday, I had decided that I would have a salad for dinner (because I was already making one to go along with the pizza) and then treat myself to a small piece of cake and a glass of wine. But the thing is, when Friday arrived, I didn't really want to cheat. I didn't want to wreck the momentum I had going. So I decided just to "play it by ear".

The evening was super fun. I made a big healthy salad with chicken and apples and avocado and pumpkin seeds. It was super delicious and I didn't even miss having pizza. I did eat a lot of salad though. At cake time, I was so busy serving and picking up that I didn't really miss that either. And when I finally decided to have a little glass of wine -- wine was gone. But I was okay with that, too. Picking through the carnage of the party, I laid eyes on Nora's cake plate -- a little piece left. So I ate it.

It. Was. Delicious.

But, I could see how it could be a slippery slope, so I busied myself with cleaning up. There was a lot of cleaning up to do, after all. 

I say all this, not to brag or sound all holier than thou, but to put it out there -- if I can do this, anyone can. I truly am such a sugar addict. A party eater. A muncher. A cruncher. Okay, sorry -- now I'm just getting cheesy.  I hope you find this encouraging and not at all preachy or braggy.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Happy Birthday, Quinny!

Day, um ... Four?

It's probably too early to be losing track of the days -- I'm pretty sure it is day four. My head is a little fuzzy, but not due to shakes or chews or lettuce overload. I'm pretty sure it's not even due to lack of coffee. I've been really good. Last evening I had a small splash of coffee after dinner at the neighbor's house. I think I'm just tired from kid related illnesses (emotional illnesses, ha).  So far, the shake/food thing has been very easy for me. I'm wondering if/when I might get sick of the shakes, but for now, I like them. In fact, each day I am getting better and better at my concoction. I think I mentioned yesterday (I should really read my previous entry before I sit down to write), the key, for me, is more water, more ice, lots of blending.
I also mentioned before that I am doing this whole thing with my mom and my sister. This has been really awesome. We have pretty much a constant stream of chatter about shakes and dinner ideas to "hey, I found some great tea at Caribou!" It has been great to keep in touch and check in throughout the day.
We have crazy bad ice on the ground right now. Hopefully it will be gone soon, as it is 50 degrees today!  But last night, I was taking Addie out and fell in the driveway. I felt like a 90 year old lady in need of a medical alert system. "I've fallen and I can't get up!" It was not funny and I'm sore today. I "pulled" or strained or somethinged my bad hip. Good thing it's getting replaced -- in less than a month! Eek!
On tap tonight: Healthy Happy Hour! We are going to be sampling all the shakes, snacks and drinks for folks who are interested in trying them out.  If you're in my hood and want to come learn how to add protein to your diet, increase energy throughout the day, detox your body - all without dairy, gluten or GMOs, hit me up! It's at 6!

Day Three

Before I move on to Day Three, I should mention what I've been eating (really eating ... like, real food) for dinner the past two nights. Not really necessarily by choice, more by lack of planning and lack of time, I've had a spinach salad with chicken. The first night I had almost nothing in the house. I had made a whole chicken in the crock pot over the weekend, so I put some of that on some spinach, chopped up a red pepper and added some avocado. These are just some things I had around. I actually made it to the grocery store and had planned to do something more exciting, like huevos rancheros (Thanks, mom, for the idea). But yesterday afternoon/evening were a little bit of a nightmare for me, so I just had a repeat of the salad. It was good and filled me up. I went a little heavy on the chicken.  Tonight I'll branch out, I'm sure. 

The start of day 3 here and I'm feeling good. My morning shake was vanilla with a little almond butter, water and ice. I added extra water. It was the best I have had so far. And I don't think I'm just saying that because I am so starving. It was a delightful consistency, not unlike the beloved frappuccino drinks at Sbucks.

I woke up today, retrieved Quinn from his crib, nursed him, had a fizz, fixed breakfasts and lunches, took the dog for a walk (dog sitting this week), came back and made my shake. I didn't even think twice about coffee - or even tea.  I had thought I would have been craving coffee by now, but not so much. It's been okay and I have not had any headaches.

The biggest struggle for me has been the constant feeding of my kids. I am in the kitchen ALL DAY. Meal, snack, meal, snack, snack, snack, meal. Someone is ALWAYS needing something in their mouth. I had never realized how much junk I eat throughout the day. Sandwich crust here, graham cracker there -- all day.  To combat that, I have my almonds around. If I'm tempted, I toss a couple of almonds in my mouth to crunch on. It works. I need to be better about packing them with me though, my purse is loaded with fruit leathers and granola and stuff for the kids.

Another struggle is timing. I have let myself get too hungry the past couple of days. I don't always get to eat when I want to (hello, motherhood!) - So I need to be better prepared to make my shakes or have small snacks to get me through.

Sorry this update is kind of boring. Here's some scenes from our dog sitting adventure ...

This is Addie. She's such a sweet girl.

What's a Fit Kit?

Here's the low down on exactly what I'll be doing for the next month. In short, I'll be eating clean -- no dairy, no gluten, no soy, no sugar, no alcohol (errr), no coffee (double errrr). I'll be enjoying healthy fats and proteins. I'm doing this all with the help of the Arbonne Fit Kit. More on Arbonne later, but the kit includes everything you need to replace two meals a day, for a month. That's two (a day) protein shakes, fizz sticks (drink mix), Herbal detox tea, daily fiber boost, and chocolate chews (snacks).  In the evenings, or sometimes at lunch I'll have a clean meal, avoiding all those items I first listed. What can I eat? Organic chicken and meats, non- starchy veggies, berries and green apples, to mention a few.

Why on earth would I do this? Primarily and most importantly,  I am a sugar addict. Truly. I can't go a day without a dessert, usually two or three. I could eat sweets breakfast, lunch and dinner. And while I am usually fairly good about my portions and sometimes saying "no". I love me some sugar. I've always wanted to break from it. It, no doubt, strips me of energy and makes me feel sluggish.

Why Arbonne? I learned about the Arbonne nutrition line when I got involved with Arbonne just a short time ago. Now yes, in full disclosure, I am an Arbonne consultant - I sell the stuff! But I sell it because I believe in it. The ingredients are pure, research based, non-animal based and gluten free. I love EVERYTHING Arbonne that I have tried - so why would I not love this too? So far, so good.

What is Arbonne? Arbonne is a highly regarded, premium brand with a Swiss heritage. The products are healthy, botanically based and inspired by nature. From skin care to nutrition, they have a full line of products for babies to baby boomers and beyond!
You can check it by visiting my site: http://pattymac.myarbonne.com
 
Enough with the sales pitch! Just wanted to fill you in on the nitty gritty of the program I'm following.
  
 

Detox Day One

After a rocky start, things seem to be coming around. This morning I woke up hungry and tired. I wasn't sure how I was going to get myself going without coffee, much less without my bowl of hot oatmeal. My fit kit was not actually due to arrive until the afternoon, so I planned on a make-shift "smoothie" for breakfast.  I used a bunch of frozen fruit and almond milk. It was okay, but it did not fill me up. I really needed some protein. I had cooked a whole chicken in the crock pot this weekend, so I had a little of that. All was well with the morning. I was busy and due to head out with the kids, so I was distracted and felt totally fine. I made myself some green tea and we were off ... to tour the potato chip factory. For real. Seriously, who plans a trip to the potato chip factory on the first day of a detox? It wasn't exactly planned, but I wanted to hang out with some friends from NYC, they happened to be going to the cape cod potato chip factory for a tour. If that wasn't hard enough, our next stop was Cape Cod Beer brewery. Again, what was I thinking? As I walked in the door, the smell just about did me in. Did I mention, I LOVE BEER? I'm okay giving it up in the winter (wine is another thing) - but to walk in there, surrounded by the smell and all the happy people drinking their happy beverages. It was hard. But, again, I survived! By the time we left there it was past lunch and nap time. We got home a quarter past starvation and I immediately tore open the Arbonne box sitting on the stoop. Yippee! My food! I popped open the chews and had one. Okay, that was okay. Then I made a chocolate shake with a little almond milk and almond butter. Again, it was okay. I need to sit and look at some recipes for the shakes.  So now it's 3:30 and I'm feeling pretty good. I did have a fizz after I was done with my shake. I'm no longer feeling shaky and hungry. Win!
There's my update from Day 1. Now I need to go shopping and figure out dinners and such. I really am totally unprepared - but so far, I've done okay. Happy detoxing!

Chocolate shake. YUM!?!

Detox eve

Tomorrow is day 1 of the detox and I'm not going to lie - I feel pretty unprepared. First of all, my kit was due to arrive on Friday, but late in the day I got an message from UPS telling me that my delivery was delayed until Monday. That's okay. I'm going to do my best to eat clean, no sugar, no dairy, no wheat. The coffee ... Well. We'll see about that. Ha. I'm very proud of my mom  and sister who are also starting the challenge with me tomorrow. From the sound of it, they are FAR MORE prepared than I am. Way to go mom, I'm so excited for you! As for my sister, I'm proud of her too - but she's a champ at this kind of stuff, so I think it will be a breeze for her :) Okay, it's late. This update is lame, but I'm trying.

Coming Soon!

I've said it a few times over the past few years, but I'm ready to get back to blogging ... again. I won't promise anything lengthy, witty and maybe not even anything real interesting - but I'll be logging back on to blog about the next month of my life (and perhaps more). You see, in just about a month I am going in to have my right hip replaced. I won't go in to great detail why (right now), but there it is. Out with the old, in with the new. And I want to be as prepared as I can be (physically). I want to feel better and be ready for rehab and recovery.
So, for the next month, I will be "getting in shape".  I can't run or ride a bike, some days I can't even walk much. So I'll be getting in shape the only way I can right now -- via clean eating. A healthy detox.

So, please check back. I will try my darndest to post daily. Perhaps even just a sentence or a photo.

I should be getting all my "stuff" tomorrow -- my Fit Kit. I can't wait! Yes, for real, I can't wait! I'm going to sort it all out, get it organized and then head to the grocery store to shop for the week!

Here's a picture of Quinn ... I guess I just feel like I need to post a picture to make this blog more interesting. So, there you go. Isn't he cute?