I can’t believe I have just 2 days left before reaching the 30 day mark!!  I am SO EXCITED!!  The 30th day seems to be one of the big milestones on this program, so I will be thrilled to have fully completed it!  Not that much will change after that day, except possibly starting to include the isAgenix ageless essentials vitamins, more protein…either by adding isaPro to my morning/lunch shake or including the “Bedtime Belly Buster” before bed.  I do think with all the walking each day that it might help to include more protein throughout the day and possibly help to push past the whole stuck on the scale issue.  I am not adding or changing anything though until the 30 days is complete…so get ready for some experimentation! 

I spent a lot of time in the car today, traveling down to where I grew up for a dentist appointment.  I stopped in at my parent’s house in the morning so was able to enjoy my breakfast shake blended with ice.  I must say, I definitely enjoy the shake blended more than just shaken in my blender cup…although, both taste pretty fantastic!  I’m actually surprised at how much I truly enjoy the shakes.  I mean, I CRAVE them!  I seriously get a little disappointed after lunch when I realize I won’t be having another one until the next day!  I can’t believe I was ever worried that I might not actually like them at all!

I made my second shake with my parent’s blender too, and I really wish I had taken a picture of the resulting shake.  Was it ever THICK!!  I added the same amount of water and ice that I do at home, but either their ice cubes are bigger or their blender performs some kind of magic because my shake was literally like ICE CREAM!  I had to eat it with a spoon!  Talk about a treat!! 

I weighed myself yesterday morning, but I hesitated writing about it since I wasn’t really sure how I felt about it.  You see, I didn’t lose ANY weight…BUT I didn’t gain any weight either!!!   AND I did lose 3.25 inches!!   Ugh, for some reason I seem to be focused on the whole scale number not moving down.  I never used to weigh myself before starting this program for EXACTLY this reason!  I really don’t like to get myself so focused on a number, especially when dropping over 3 inches is obviously getting fantastic results!!  I need to stay focused on the positive…I just need to be reminded of that from time to time!

For dinner tonight I decided again to have asparagus.  I really have been enjoying it almost every night lately, which is funny considering I used to avoid having it in the past.  I’m not sure if you have noticed what I call “asparagus pee” when going to the bathroom soon after eating asparagus, but there is this slight smell that typically occurs.  Well, I did a little research and apparently it has to do with the amino acids within asparagus and how they are broken down…and it turns out these same amino acids are within the products of isAgenix!  Regardless of me avoiding asparagus before…I still had the “asparagus pee” that I tried so hard to avoid!  And if you can’t fight them, join them…so asparagus has been on the menu ever since!

shrimp, asparagus, and brown rice

I quickly realized today how reliant I am on my fitbit!  I’ve mentioned this little device before, but for those that don’t know…it tracks my step count each day and helps me to verify that I reach my goal of 10,000 steps on a “shake” day and 5,000 steps on the deep cleanse days.  Today was my weekly photo shoot and measurements, so I was rushing around a bit to take pictures, track my inches, make my shake and oh yeah, get dressed for the office!   Well, sure enough after I’m halfway through the hike from the parking lot into my office, I became aware that I did NOT have my fitbit!!  I went into complete panic…how was I ever going to make sure I would get all my steps in!?   So, I came up with a plan…

I went home at lunch, found my fitbit, went back to the office, parked in practically the same spot from this morning…and then calculated the steps…multiplied times two…and figured out I had missed approximately 1,700 steps.  I figured I could just add this amount onto my end total to verify that I reached my goal for the day.  Well, all that time figuring out the steps and calculating was for nothing!  I am so obsessed with seeing the 10,000 number on my little device that OF COURSE I kept walking until the number actually came onto the screen!! 

fitbit

I MADE IT through Day 1 of the deep cleanse.  Yesterday and even last night was a bit rough.  It was the first day that I needed to eat ALL of my allowed snacks…4 isaDelight and 8 isaSnacks!   Those things are life savers!!  I did struggle to fall asleep and the more I struggled, the more frustrated I got, and the more frustrated I got, the more difficult it was to fall asleep!  It was like a little battle with myself, but eventually I got to sleep…and today was a new day!!

Today was Day 2 and it was definitely a lot easier!  It helps knowing (now from experience) how great I will feel tomorrow.  I truly think some of my best feeling days are the days just following the deep cleanse, so I know the whole process must be doing something “magical”.  At least that’s how I’m going to refer to it, since it truly does feel like magic had to be involved in getting me to feel this fantastic!  Haha, can you tell yet that I absolutely LOVE the isAgenix products?! 

OHH, Why was I so hungry today!??  This was definitely by far the most difficult day to get through so far!   I was daydreaming about eating…actually what I really craved was a SHAKE…a vanilla shake with cinnamon sprinkled on top…Oh, that would taste so good right now!!  Can’t tomorrow be Tuesday!?!    I think it’s definitely interesting that of all the things I could imagine having to eat, my mind went to the isAgenix shake!  Haha, they really are that DELICIOUS!!

I had to tell myself over and over again that I can do this…it’s actually on repeat in my head right now!  I know it’s hard right now but it will all be worth it!   It helped to look at the group Facebook pages and read about the struggles and PROGRESS that other people have had…they have all come so far!!  If they can do it, I can do it!  If they can do it, I can do it!  If they can do it, I can…

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