The End of the Cleanse

Yesterday was my last day on the Advocare 10day cleanse. I actually made it completely through and my husband also completed the entire cleanse with me which made it much easier when I was food prepping for two and we were eating the same dinners! I love it when we workout together and eat healthier together! He really is my best friend! <--Insert googly eyes

I haven't taken my measurements yet because I have just been TOO busy but I did manage to sneak in some pics and my post weight. 

First I want to talk about what the Cleanse did for me this time. 

I really want to change my way of eating and in order to change it I must first change my way of thinking. I am really focusing more on my relationship with my Savior. Not only what He desires me to do but how he desires me to treat my body. I have been reading ReShaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure and she gives some great scripture references to how God expects us to treat our bodies. I really believe that once I can totally focus on taking care of this body because that is what is expected of me from God, the process will become much easier. 

I am also in the process of learning how to fuel my body. Give it what it needs so that it will do what I want. I have been very encouraged by the large group of mommies who have came out publicly with their post baby bodies being all ripped and toned. Not perfect but I'm not striving for perfect just real. These moms have took a lot of flack from the public over their fitness and I think it that if we would all stop be judgmental then we could put an end to all this bullying. Bullying is a whole other post so I'm not going there but as far as these women go...I have been inspired.

Now onto what I learned. The first few days were rough. I ate like CRAPOLA over Christmas ya'll!! Tons of Oreo Balls, Peanut butter bon bons, pasta, pasta, more pasta and then some more bon bons. I think I made two separate batches of No Bake cookies (my absolute fave in the whole wide world) and I ate a good 75% of them myself. 

Surprisingly I only gained about 4lbs but the lack of lifting and running really put a hurting on my muscle mass. I felt bloated, yucky and didn't want to do anything. This cleanse is the kickstart I needed. 

I also started P90X3 the same day I started the cleanse so after a few days of being tired I became concerned about my caloric intake. Let me say I HATE counting calories and that's why Paleo always worked good for me, I ate however much I wanted within the realm of what I could have. No counting and keeping up. But the more fitness blogs I read they really stress keeping track of it all!! Calories, fat, sugars, protein, etc....omg how was I going to keep up!! Well I logged back onto MyFitnessPal (it had been well over a year since I even opened that App) and holy moly, it SO much better!! I can scan my food and add my own recipes and look up everything under the sun! Then it graphs it all out for me!! I had no ideas the improvements they made and I feel quickly in love with my app! 

(USER NAME IS punkslilangel) not SweetSouthernMel!! FIND ME AND ADD ME!! 

I was only eating about 800cal a day when I logged my food!! No wonder I was so stinking tired! So I sat down and watching the video on BMR, done some calculating and figured that my caloric intake needs to be about 1400-1600/day. I still fell under that each day of the cleanse but I stayed away from all grains while on the cleanse so that hindered me some. 

After I got my intake up to about 1300 I started to feel awesome and guess what....I lost 5lbs!!! WOW I increased my intake of good stuff, started P3 and lifitng and seen a big loss!! I consider 5lbs a good number since even last year when I was at my fittest I was stuck between 134-135 and now I am at 132! 

I can also see BABY ABS!!! WOOT WOOT! Belly fat really is all in the diet! 

I am going to continue eating as if I were still on the cleanse with just a little more headway on some whole wheat bread and Steel Cut oats.  

For the next 20days I am going to allow myself 3 cheat meals and 3 glasses of wine. I really want to see what my body is capable of in the first 30days of P90X3 but to really see those definition changes I have got to cut down on my body fat %. We are going to WV this weekend and Superbowl is in a week so there goes two of my cheat meals but I have a plan because we all know that...

FAILING TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL!!

Now for a couple before/after pics...

I SEE BABY ABS on the right!! 

So I have decided that I really don't like this bathing suit. I bought it last year from Venus and though it was cute but even as I get smaller it isn't flattering for me! 

Not HUGE changes in the pictures but I feel like I can see huge changes in myself and for that I am proud!!

I hope ya'll have a great weekend!!  

Love,

MEL