Oh the things Matt and I get ourselves into. It’s been quite the physical/health conscious/mental journey for us since we met nearly 10 years ago. When I was waiting tables in my early 20’s being “healthy” was the furthest thing on my mind. I’ve never been athletic or ever worried about the food I put in my body.

I fell into the typical college lifestyle of cheap beer and fast food. Since I was on my feet at the restaurant 40+ hours a week it didn’t really affect me until I got out of college and started my desk job. The no exercising, inhaling food like a dumpster routine resulted in a quick 30 pound gain and shock that I no longer could fit into my usual tank tops and jeans.

Since Matt and I both put on the “love weight” we’ve gone back and forth between diet after diet, workout after workout. It hasn’t been until the last year or so that I’ve really started to grasp the concept of healthy living.

Now don’t get me wrong, food is my crutch, it’s one of my favorite pass times. But the older I get the more I realize the importance of living a consistent, healthy lifestyle (so I keep telling myself).

When I heard multiple people in the office talking about Advocare I immediately felt sorry for them. So sorry in fact that I told my husband how much it must suck to do a cleanse and I’m glad it’s them not us. Well, that was my first mistake. Matt loved the idea….so here we are. Three days after the 10 day Advocare Herbal Cleanse (no this isn’t an advertisement just a reflection) and shockingly…it’s not hell after all.

Partaking in a liquid cleanse that deprives you of all solid food is not my thing, sorry, I can’t just completely eliminate my favorite pastime. So I was thrilled to hear you actually get to eat on this cleanse, and it only lasts 10 days.

All the veggies and fruit you can eat became a bit daunting the first few days but now I can say I feel lighter, more energized and just healthier over all. The key now is keeping it off and turning this into a healthy lifestyle. Balance is key [inner pep-talk].

The Challenges

• Giving up caffeine – C.O.F.F.E.E addict!!!!! Enough said
• Giving up carbs [the good stuff] – I didn’t realize how addicted I was to things like tortillas, chips, pasta, etc until I had to give it up
• Having a social life – we tried to pick a week where nothing was going on because nothing is worse then going out with your friends and eating salad and drinking water….boring!!
• Fighting the mundane – grilled veggies, chicken and salad started to get old really fast…I definitely had to put my cooking skills to the test!
• How do I cook without olive oil – this one took some getting use to. I love me some olive oil!
• Fighting the sweet tooth – sometimes you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone…

The Solution

• If you depend on caffeine in the mornings like I do, do yourself a favor and buy the Spark!! It saved me
• Giving up carbs 100% I just can’t do. I actually fell in love with Quinoa during this cleanse. Mix in a healthy amount of complex carbs to satiate the craving
• Just be a hermit for 10 days – seriously! It’s easier to succeed on this cleanse if you shop ahead, cook at home, and resist the urge to go out with your friends
• Be creative and use the internet! The world wide web has a plethora of healthy cooking tips if you get stuck in a rut. Trade off between fish and chicken and experiment with different types of veggies
• Non fat olive oil cooking spray!!! Oh and chicken broth!
• Eat fruit – lots and lots of fruit! I’ve actually fallen in love with Kiwi now!!!

The Result – my husband lost 10 pounds, I lost 4. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot but I feel so much cleaner, lighter and my taste buds are honestly craving fruit and veggies constantly now. If you train your body to eat healthy foods you start to crave them. I will definitely do this again in 90 days!

And yes…we did reward ourselves…

Oh Starbucks how I missed you!!!!

Have you tried Advocare? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments below.