Tonight was my last meal before cleansing the next two days.  I find myself putting in a little extra effort when I know I won’t be eating for a while…trying to make the last one really count!    I decided on shrimp tonight but added in some extra seasonings of garlic powder, paprika, and lemon juice.  YUMMY!!  I am so glad I’m getting such good use out of the spice rack!!   I chopped up yellow squash, red onion, and radishes in my salad which gave it a really nice crunch and turned my wrap into triangle shaped “chips”.  I drizzled a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix over the whole thing…and then DEVOURED it!!  The flavor was delicious!!

shrimp, salad, and wrap chips

It’s Friday and that means it’s “Jeans Day” at the office!  Everyone LOVES getting to wear jeans at work… it makes the entire atmosphere just so much more laid back and comfortable.  This morning as I was all set to grab my jeans, I noticed the pile of pants that were WAY too tight for me sitting right next to them.  Oh boy, should I try them on??   I wanted to but was pretty much already convinced there would be no way they would actually fit.   Was I setting myself up to have a miserable day?   The next thing I knew, I was putting my foot through the pant leg and then pulling them completely up, zipped, and buttoned!  THEY FIT!!  Yeah, I know it is “Jeans Day” but THIS girl is wearing pants…because she can!! 

I took a flying leap today and decided to post on my personal Facebook page about following a nutritional cleansing program…SCARY!!   I also sent out the link to this blog, which means people might actually start reading what I’m writing…AGHHH!!   I want to give the disclaimer now that I am in NO WAY a writer…and I truly am learning as I go along as to how to format/write a blog…so please bear with me. 

I decided to set a goal for myself to walk at least 10,000 steps on each of the “shake” days and 5,000 steps on cleanse days.  I have a fitbit that I wear on my hip each day that tracks my step count and syncs directly to my phone and computer.  It definitely helps me to keep track throughout the day!  I have met my goal each day, but I can’t say it has been easy.  In fact, on days like today when I work from the house, I actually come up with crazy ways to get in more steps…like bringing up each piece of folded laundry one article at a time or circling the perimeter of the house picking up one item and placing it back where it belongs.   Haha, I know it probably sounds nuts and trust me it looks even crazier…BUT it is helping to keep the house clean!! 

I absolutely LOVE these shakes!!  Today I added in the green tea matcha powder to the vanilla shake and it was DELICIOUS!!!  So far I have loved everything I’ve added into it…cinnamon, the orange “Want More Energy”, and now matcha powder!!  There truly are so many different options and flavor combinations if you’re someone that doesn’t want to have the same shake every single day.  I’ve also found that I actually am growing a lot fonder of the chocolate shake too…who would have guessed!?? 

My dinner tonight was one of my most favorite meals in the last few days and it consisted of all things I would never have imagined eating before!  Scrambled eggs with fresh chives, brown rice, and steamed asparagus with lemon.  I’m planning on putting the recipes together for all of my meals and eventually having a link to help anyone looking for ideas on what to have for their lunch of dinner.

eggs, rice, and asparagus

Oh yeah, down another three pounds this week!!…making my grand total so far, 11.5 pounds and 17.5 inches!!   I love it!!   I love that I am eating new meals, trying new things, and feeling absolutely fantastic along the way!!

Tonight I definitely was tested by having to go out to dinner with my co-workers from the office.  I haven’t eaten a meal out since I started and definitely worried a bit about what I would order.  In fact, I even downloaded the menu and sent it over to my coach just to get her input on it!    I ended up choosing the Halibut which was served over a bed of creamy vegetable risotto.   Well, lucky for me the fish barely touched the risotto and so I was able to enjoy my nice piece of grilled fish without worry!!

I have a sore throat today.    It actually started last night which made it very difficult to fall asleep.  I’ve been drinking even more water than normal and even gargled with some sea salt and warm water to try and get it to start feeling better.

I picked up some Matcha Powder at the local supermarket.  For those that don’t know, Matcha Powder is basically just green tea leaves that are very finely ground into a powder.  I was practically addicted to the Starbucks green tea frappuccino before starting this program, and so I’m hoping that if I mix some with the vanilla shake I can make my own healthy version.  I probably won’t be trying it out tomorrow though since I haven’t eaten anything in two days…but I’ll definitely keep everyone posted once I do!

matcha powder

I woke up to the BEST call from my mommy this morning!!  Today was her first time to weigh and measure since she started on Monday…AND…she lost TWELVE pounds and TEN inches!!  WHOOOOHOOOO!!!  That is so AMAZING!!  I am so proud of her!! 

Today my mom and I cleansed together.  We adjusted our schedule to make sure we would have the same days of not eating food.  I have to say, my mom did GREAT!!   She was a little tired by the end of the day but really didn’t struggle at all!!

I could not have asked for a better day!!  I drove down and spent the day with my mommy!!    She seriously gives me such support and motivation!!  We walked around, chatted, shopped, and even enjoyed our lunch shakes TOGETHER!!  I just wish we would have remembered to take a picture too!!

I tried the veggie burger tonight for dinner.  I had never made one before but saw it on the list of possible dinner options while on the program.  It honestly tasted great and was so easy to make.  I took the easy approach and just popped into the microwave, cut it up and threw it on top of my salad and wrap.   I do have to say that my stomach didn’t quite agree with it about a half hour later.  In reality though, it was the first processed thing I had eaten in two weeks so it’s definitely understandable.

veggie burger, salad, and wrap

Have you ever “out fatted” yourself?  Haha, I’m not sure if this terminology even makes sense to anyone other than me!     Anyway, I did this today and it felt GREAT!!  I had ordered a pair of pants online, purposely sizing up to adjust for the extra pounds and inches I had put on in the last few months and when the pants finally got here today…they were TOO BIG!!!  OH YEAH!!  IsAgenix is working!! 

For dinner tonight I took some frozen shrimp out of the freezer, made some red quinoa, and steamed asparagus!  I also threw on a 2 Tbsp. of the isaCrunch.  I thought I would give it a try and added it to my 30 day delivery.   It was good!!

shrimp, red quinoa, and asparagus

Now that I officially started the 30 day program, a new step was added to my morning routine…Ionix Supreme.  It’s not included with the 9 day package and honestly, I’m not quite sure how I feel about it just yet.  You take 1 ounce (2 Tbsp.)  to start your day.  It’s also recommended to let it sit under your tongue for a little bit as well, for faster absorption.  The flavor is definitely unique…it is very strong and reminds me a bit of prune juice?  I have read many claims online from people stating they have felt fantastic because of it…we’ll see! 

ionix supreme

I decided to switch up my afternoon vanilla shake and added in about 1 and half teaspoons of the orange flavored “Want More Energy”.  (There is a free sample included in the 30 day package.)  OH MY GOSH…it completely tasted like a liquid creamsicle!  Back home we have this ice cream shop on the boardwalk that sells a whole bunch of those twist cones and of course the creamsicle was always my favorite!!  DELICIOUS!!!   I will definitely be making this one again!!