Day 10 and the final day of the cleanse phase!  While I have a bit more to go to get back to myself, I cannot believe how incredible I feel after 10 days, just 10 simple days to erase two months of struggle…during a very busy business trip.  Staying at a Marriott Residence Inn helped give a few more options than the typical hotel room as it is equipped with a full sized refrigerator, a two burner range, and a microwave but a very large majority of food was eaten at restaurants.

Restaurant choices take will power and at times don’t have options that meet all your cleanse needs, but overall, fairly easy to stay on track.  I still ate at every meal and if options didn’t meet the cleanse needs, I didn’t treat it like the end of the world.  You do the best you can with what you have in front of you.  My co-workers and clients were not aware that I was on a cleanse as there was nothing dramatically different or restricted.  This peaked their interest in Advocare!  I am amazed at the immediate assumption that a cleanse must be the epitome of food angst and requires a permanent appointment with the toilet. UM, no thank you on whatever cleanse they are referencing.  The pride in the company I promote is indescribable.  The products work and they are meant for normal, real people…with normal, real lives…with normal, real budgets.  No expensive programs with expensive foods.  THIS IS DOABLE!  Anywhere, anytime, for everyone who is looking for a personal wellness journey.

I encourage you, if you have been thinking about a change but unsure where to start, Advocare may be for you.  Lifestyle changes are never overnight and they take patience and persistence.  Advocare helps by offering products that work with your food and your body to help keep you motivated, the people are so energetic and encouraging who are always excited for you to continue your journey, and you get to eat…a lot…of real amazing food :)

Day 10

Breakfast
Sausage, egg, strawberries

Lunch
Beef Enchilada

Snack
Peanut butter and apple slices

Dinner
Brats and veggies
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stats
Weight 129 lbs
Height 5’9″
Chest 31″
Waist 25″
Hips 38″
Thigh Lower 19″
Thigh Upper 22″

Cleanse phase wiped away 6 pounds and 6 total inches in 10 days while on travel.  I am so excited to get back to my personal normal wellness and fitness levels…one day at a time.  Critiques will wonder why I couldn’t workout more, or eat better, or say no to a few adult beverages and sure, I guarantee that my results could have been more dramatic and I could have done more.  But that isn’t the point of this blog.  The point is that with the best products, the best choices, and the most exercise I could manage, I am closer to obtaining my personal wellness goals than if I had put off my start date another two weeks.

A terrific Tuesday in the books.  Project review and site walks today with some down time.  I am a bit conflicted with the down time.  I enjoy having the opportunity to enjoy Florida, but feel a bit guilty for it at the same time.  I am not experiencing anything new, but I’m still experiencing the beach without my best friend, my Adam.  I know he is home doing his thing, hanging out with his friends, and enjoying his time.  I’m not sure why, aside from the fact my personality is a together type of personality, I get so sad when I have so much beauty around me to enjoy.  I pulled myself together, got in the car, and went to the beach.  It rained all morning so the sky was over cast with the sun peaking through, the sand was compacted and easy to walk on, the water was warm with waves that spoke of storms to come.  I enjoyed my floating time in the ocean with a swim.  I won’t have many other ocean opportunities in the coming months for these moments.  So I allowed myself to enjoy and the sadness dissipated.

Day 9

Breakfast
Peanut butter and whole grain toast

Lunch
Spinach, tomato, chicken, and pesto flat bread with tomato soup

Dinner
Mixed greens salad with chicken and tomatos

Workout
Ocean Swim
Slider Set
20 Mountain Climbers
20 In/Outs
10 Caterpillars
REPEAT 3 TIMES

Monday…even on travel they are grunty.  Our site walk schedule was based on others today.  We have a few escorts that required specific meeting times and that means there were moments of extended down time to get caught up.  While I may not have enjoyed walking sites in the heat of the day, I did enjoy the mid morning break to finish up some additional paperwork and take my inhaler.  Not sure what was up with the weather or air today, but I needed some extra treatments.  MAYBE I pushed my “light” activity the past few days, but this felt more like weather than physical.  I decided I would take it easy today, all around.

As I was not feeling well…I hit up some comfort food at lunch today.  I’m sure I could have worked around the menu, but it was a pizzeria.  And I love pizza.  #sorrynotsorry  Knowing that I will probably regret this decision tomorrow, my order went in as quickly as possible as if that demonstrated my commitment to pizza.  Do I recommend pizza?  No, never ever.  Do we all have a food friend we just can’t say no to?  Yes, and for me that friend is pizza.  While not a true justification, I told myself, “at least it was a fiber day.”

 Day 8

Breakfast
Peanut butter and apple slices

Lunch
Personal sized pizza

Dinner
Avocado salad and a beef enchilada

Snack
Carrots and snap peas with Italian dressing and sliced almonds

Day 7 of the classic cleanse means one more day until the FIBER DRINK IS BACK!  Okay, I maybe I’m the only person out there who loves the fiber drink, but seriously I do enjoy the fiber drink.  Especially when I don’t have my MNS.  Just keeps me feeling great.  Let’s celebrate that day 8 is just around the corner.

Today was a “me” day and away from work and the hotel.  I ran my virtual run for the 5K Romp.  I had breakfast on my own.  I did my nails.  I traveled to Clearwater to see my brother in-law and his wife, Justin and Rachael.  Seeing Justin and Rachael was absolutely amazing.  I have been so homesick, seeing family and walking the beach helped remedy my Adam-blues.  I definitely am NOT missing Kansas, missing my Adam and pets, yes.  Hotel life just isn’t my thing, although I do accomplish many tasks in the chore-free solitude, I’m still in solitude.

While my day was full of many wonderfully relaxing things, I just couldn’t keep my chill.  I did end up doing work when I returned for a few hours in my hotel room.

Day 7

Breakfast
Breakfast wrap and hot tea

Snack
Planters NutTrition Mix and Apple Slices

Lunch
Shake

Dinner
Frenchy’s grouper nuggets with buffalo wing sauce

Snack
Spinach Salad with snap peas, carrots, sausage crumbles

Workout
5K Virtual Race in a sauna style workout facility
(oh I was very much wishing for 45 degree Leavenworth weather)

Day 6 and I’m back on cloud nine.  I cannot believe how great I feel…and the results so far! Teaser alert stats below.  I think back to just a week ago and I’m just so thankful I did not put this off any longer.  While my sleeping is still not sound or for prolonged periods of time, I did force myself to go back to sleep after 4:55AM hit and after 6:45 hit.  But I couldn’t make it much longer.  I got up and around but took it easy in the hotel room.  Read a little more Andy Andrews and watched some TLC TV…which amazes me what is on TV these days.  The hotel has digital cable or dish or something, but it skips a lot so it doesn’t stay on much.  Which is okay by me, but I wonder about everyone else who really loves their television.

Today was a good day.  I got out and about to see some of the beautiful areas that surround the communications towers that I have been inventorying for work.  Initially, I wanted to find my face lotion.  Yes, face lotion…what?  I forgot mine and my face is already reacting to Nutrogena’s sensitive skin sunscreen.  Well I got super frustrated trying to find a specific store and came up on a beggar at the stoplight.  Without hesitation, I grabbed two waters and two granola bars from my backpack and handed it to her.  I realized at that moment, I’ll just drive around giving out food and water.  It’s what I know.  It is what I did when I lived in Florida.  Each interchange has someone looking for food or work.  I always had granola bars and water in my car…sometimes a bag of apples, just for them.  So I did that for a few hours instead of buying dumb face lotion.  My pimples and Rosacea can wait…I can’t imagine being thirsty.

Then I went to the beach.  I know…tough day, right?

Day 6

Breakfast
Sausage, eggs, fruit

Lunch
Hamburger with lettuce and tomato
(no bun and NO PICKLES!)

Dinner
Sunset Salad with Grouper
(fancy house salad with farm to table like everything)

Snacks
Another day where additional snacks just didn’t feel necessary

Workout
Restorative Yoga

Stats
Weight (no scale)
Height 5’9″
Chest 31″
Waist 25″
Hips 38″
Thigh Lower 19″
Thigh Upper 22.5″

Day 6 and I’m down 5 inches overall.  BOOOOM.  And no loss in my boobies or booty so my Adam will give that two thumbs up! HA!  I just love feeling like myself again.

Okay, so truth…day 4 is my toughest.  In the “old” cleanse, it is the first day without fiber, which typically makes a huge difference in how I feel about food.  Today started out great food and nutrition wise.  Everything up to lunch was right on track.  Life wise, it was a bit of a stressful day.  Full of phone calls and on site politics.  Struggle with an escort who believes the best three lunch choices for our team is McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-a, or Chinese Buffet. And by 4PM the unanimous vote was for a wind down evening at the beach.  Being out with clients and your project team, creates an incredible space where will power is a struggle.  The indulge occurred.  It is 2PM and after a few Kona Big Waves and an enjoyable visit to the beach, I am at the hotel thinking I should be sleeping.

While today was not a winning day while on the cleanse, it was a day of getting to know my coworkers and my client for a successful two year project.  I will wake up in a few hours with a new day and new choices to conquer.

Outside of my current goals, being on travel brings a host of emotions.  Today is the first day I missed home immensely.  The tricky part is which HOME do I miss more…Florida or Kansas?  Hands down I miss my Adam and our pets, but after that…I still miss Florida.  Three years later, Florida still feels like home.  The smell, the heat (yes, the heat), the water, the life of just the two of us.  I miss it.  I know with our newest move, Adam is helping me get back to my roots, my family, my Adam.  And I’m ready to come home.  10 Days.