24 Day challenge: week 1 update

 First.. This is my 100th Post! Aahh! I couldn't believe it. As a little happy to commemorate this post I want to do a give away. Since I'm saving up for my YWAM adventure it'll have to be handmade by me. So the first person to text me " 100 Posts!!! " will get a painting with a quote of your choice on it! I'm sorry if you don't have my number.... but this way I know I'll be able to hand deliver it rather than having to mail it (like I said broke)... Next give-away will be open to a broader crowd!

You can even have this one!

Ready, Set, Go!

Now on to the update!

This Challenge has gone much better than my last. Probably because it was paid for with my hard earned money and I'm just in a better place in my mental and spiritual  and all around life to be able to commit to a program like Advocare. I'm already down 3 lbs.

The Spark energy drink mix is really helping with my desire to be sedentary. Its like watching tv and scrolling through pinterest are less important so I need to find something else to do. Which is great for my goal of exercising  every day. I've found that I only need one Spark a day, even though the challenge says you can have 2 a day. I can't get to sleep at night if I have two. You've also seen the effects of Spark on this Blog! There's been some changes here in the past week and its from the mental energy Spark provides.

All in all I'm feeling much better in general. I don't feel like sleeping until 10 like I used to (I don't get off duty until 12:30 so its not like I'm sleeping an extreme amount of time.) but I did feel like I was sleeping the day away. Most days I have been up before my alarm clock by an hour and unable to go back to sleep because my body was ready to get started. 3 of the days I've gotten up and been finished with my work out before my alarm clock went off.  I like that!

A Couple of other neat tricks:

My Blender cup and A Quart Mason Jar are my best friends:
The blender cup makes sure the Spark and Fiber Drinks get blended well.
The large mason jar helps me measure my water intake. Each one is 32 oz. and I just need to drink 4 of them a day to be right on track with my water consumption. I keep 2 in the fridge so They are ready to go. I've found that If the water isn't sitting out next to me I will forget to drink it.

I put my blender cup with the right amount of water or juice into the freezer about 30-45 minutes before I need to blend my spark or fiber drink and it helps make it super cold and kinda slushy, which helps immensely when it comes to drinking the fiber drink.

My Advocare distributor Amy suggested mixing the fiber drink with Orange Juice. GREAT IDEA!! This makes it much easier to tolerate. Its just like drinking very pulpy orange juice (which I love) rather than orange flavored mud... haha.. its not that bad.. but I have a texture thing when it comes to food.

So there you go. An update on my 24 Day challenge.
I am an Advocare Distributor and I'd love to answer any questions you may have. or you can visit my Distributor Page to order products yourself.

Thanks for reading! 

-Chels

Low(ish) Carb No-Bake Cheesecake!!

Sometimes we just need to have something sweet to get us through a tough week. 

This recipe has been adapted from several I found online with a little bit of variation here and there with my own twist thrown in there. 

Low(ish) Carb No-Bake Cheesecakes

What you need:

2 Packages Neufchatel Cheese (the 33% reduced fat cream cheese)

8 oz. Whipping Cream

1/8 cup Splenda

1/8 cup Equal

1 package Chocolate Graham Crackers

Sugar Free Caramel (in the ice cream toppings section)

In one bowl use a hand beater to whip the cream cheese until smooth.

 In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream until firm peaks form. 

With a rubber spatula, transfer the cream cheese in the whipped cream and beat until well mixed.

 Now you need a 1/4 cup of artifical sweetener, I used half Splenda and half Equal, I'm not really a fan of the splenda taste so this made for a better flavor.

While tearing the many packets of sweetener, pet the puppy with your foot so she feels loved and you don't get your hands germy!

Now look at the stack of sweetener packets to figure out which one you ended with before you were distracted by the cute pup. 

You will add the sweetener to the whipped mixture and whip some more, a lot more, to make sure the mixture is smooth and evenly sweetened.

 Now blend one package of the chocolate graham crackers. This is why this recipe says (ISH) in the title. These little babies definitely have sugar but you really only get about one cracker per serving and mine has a little too much crust in the bottom.

 Now spread the crumbs evenly between the glasses, I made 6 servings with this one recipe.  

**Here's a little trick of the trade. As you see in the two glasses in the above one seems to have more crusty goodness in the bottom... that is not so. Both have the same amount but in the one on the right I made a little well like you would when making biscuits so it looks like there is more in the bottom.**

Next you'll split the whipped mixture evenly between the glasses, trying to stay as neat as possible. I'm not very good at keeping it neat but I try really hard. 

 

Top with the Sugar Free Caramel Syrup. This really could have waited until just before serving because it mixed with the top of the cheesecakey part while sitting in the fridge.

 Cover and sit in the fridge to chill until just before serving.

Since I take over his house on Thursday afternoons when I cook and we kick him out during bible study/Grey's night, I make sure my best friend's husband gets some dessert if I make any... He usually gets the messiest one but that's always better than nothing!!

 There they are. The Finished Product! Ready to enjoy! and Enjoy we did! They were super yummy! and the other girls couldn't believe that it really was low carb.You could also add nuts to this and make it turtley but I didn't think about that while I was pushing the cart around Kroger, plus.. Nuts are expensive.

Here are the instructions without the photos and puppy so you can copy and paste more easily:

Low(ish) Carb No-Bake Cheesecakes

What you need:

2 Packages Neufchatel Cheese (the 33% reduced fat cream cheese)

8 oz. Whipping Cream

1/8 cup Splenda

1/8 cup Equal

1 package Chocolate Graham Crackers

Sugar Free Caramel (in the ice cream toppings section)

In a mixing bowl whip the cream cheese with a handheld mixer until smooth with no lumps.

In a separate bowl, using the same mixer, whip the Whipping Cream until firm peaks form.

Transfer the Cream cheese into the whipping cream bowl. Whip until completely blended together. 

Add in 1/4 cup of Artificial Sweetener. Blend some more.

Crush Graham Crackers.

Layer cracker crumbs, whipped mixture and caramel sauce in a serving dish. 

Chill until ready to serve (at least an hour).

Enjoy!

Happy Eats!

 Chelsea-Lou

Edamame!!

Since I forgot my computer charger at home this weekend I didn't get to post my Favorite Finds Friday post. This week it is a great little snack that is definitely on the South Beach plan. 

If you don't know what Edamame is, its just a Japanese name for steamed soybeans in their pods. At many sushi restaurants you can order a bowl of it as an appetizer. Just use your teeth to open the pods and enjoy this healthy little snack.

These little pouches came in a box of 6 single serving steam bags from the freezer section at WalMart. These little pouches have proven themselves handy over the last 2 weeks. All I have to do is pop it in the microwave for 2 mins, let sit for a min, pour into a bowl and sprinkle with a little salt and I'll have a healthy little snack in no time. 

Happy Snacking!
Chels

BAMM!!

Its weigh in day! 

I hope every weigh in day feels this exciting!! 

I have lost 6lbs this week. 

Wooo Hooo!! 

Thank you God!

I did a 2 minute silly happy dance when I got off the scale, I'm glad no one could see it because I looked ridiculous.  

Also another thing I'm celebrating today is the fact that I went a whole weekend without cheating even once, which really is a first for me! Its only by the grace of God that I was able to do it... Half the girls in the dorm performed at the opening of Krispy Kreme in town and received 2 boxes of doughnuts for free and wanted to give them away. I was able to say No thank you with no problems! 

Now I have something to show you. 

This is my inspiration wall. I got the idea from Pinterest and will adapt it to my life accordingly. Its a visual reminder everyday of my goal and how far i've come and milestones to look forward to. I'll be adding things to it as I go along and I'll share it with you from time to time as I weigh in and reach goals.

This is what I promised to show you yesterday, These are the next 3 goals to meet with their predetermined rewards. A mani-pedi at 10lbs (I'm almost there!), a haircut at 15lbs down and to schedule the massage that I won at a silent auction for half price at 20lbs. Once I reach one goal, I'll set the next. I know I'm gonna really stick to it this week because these nails of mine need some loving!

Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time!

Chelsea-lou

Meet Peggy

 

Meet Peggy. 

She is a piggy bank.

She will be holding $1 for each pound I lose as well as $1 for each workout I complete.

When I reach a certain goal already predetermined by myself I shall empty her contents and go shopping and buy something FANTASTIC which has not been predetermined. 

So I really love shopping and what I've learned from the various weightloss plans I've been on in the past is that you need to reward yourself when you reach a goal. My problem was that in the past I rewarded my weight loss with food. Oh yeah, how counterproductive right?! but in my mind it made sense.
I would leave the weight watchers weigh in and go straight over to China Wok and fill up a to go plate for $5.83. (You can tell how often it happened that I can still remember how much that meal was)

Now I've realized I have to set up my rewards before I reach them or I'll very easily slip into "Oh I lost 5 lbs this week, I deserve an order of Sloppy Fries for all my hard work" mind set.

Tomorrow after weigh in I'll show you some more of my Goals and the predetermined rewards!

Happy Sunday!

Chelsea

Breakfast a la Turkey Bacon

One thing I can have on the South Beach plan is EGGS. 

I practically survived on them last time I did this plan and kind of haven't eaten them much since. I guess I got kind of burned out on them, but none the less its really hard to do South Beach passing up the eggs.

As you know I live in a dorm so I have little stove access so I had to think/find a way to cook this staple food in my room and safely. 

Well did you know that you can cook eggs in the microwave? yeah, I can see the confused and disgusted look on your face. You can! and mine were pretty good. I shall tell you how I made them.

* I looked up about 5 ways to make them and combined the best tips into one easy to follow recipe *

Don't they look yummy!!

Eggs in the Microwave

You Need: 

Microwaveable Bowl   

2-3 eggs  

I can't believe its not butter spray

1 tbsp water        

seasonings of your choice (I used Tony's)

1. Mix all of the ingredients in the bowl, stirring well. 

**The water keeps the eggs moist so they don't over cook and get chewy. **

2. Microwave eggs for 30 seconds. 

3. Stir

4. Repeat until cooked fully. 

You know what runny eggs feels like so make sure you have cooked your eggs all the way so that your tummy doesn't get any bugs. 

*You may also add cheese to your mix if you'd like, mix it in before you begin cooking your eggs. 

Now cook yourself up some turkey bacon (follow directions on pack) and have yourself a great South Beach approved meal. Yumm.

Happy Bacon Eating!!

Chelsea-Lou

p.s. Bacon is my favorite just in case you didn't know

Fave Find ... MIO !

Well just as I hit send assuring y'all this was going to be  a successful go at getting fit and plugged in my computer, the craving to eat hit me... typical for me.  

So I decided I'd publish my first tip for you guys. 

Here it is:

That is MIO, Blueberry Lemonade Flavor. It is a liquid water flavor enhancer. All you do is just squirt as much or as little as you'd like in your water to give it a kick. You can take this with you anywhere you go so its always with you when you have just had it with a plain water with lemon but you're trying to stay away from sodas.

You can get it at any Walmart or grocery store and I know Kroger even has its own brand of this cool little product. I haven't tried the other flavors but probably will in the future.  

Happy Sipping!

Chels