My Advocare 24 Day Challenge Results and Plan going forward

I just finished Advocare's 24 Day Challenge! Yay, me!

I lost a measly 5.6 lbs. I say measly simply because it's less than I had anticipated, but I know I should be proud of anything I've lost.

I think I may be focusing too much on my calories. I think my losses would have been greater if I had worked out for the whole challenge instead of skipping workouts or doing very light workouts because I was afraid of not netting enough calories. I think, in the grand scheme of things, 24 days of netting low on calories probably wouldn't hurt too much. Or, if I do another challenge, I will incorporate grains into the cleanse phase which will help me net higher and "allow" for a workout.

I've lost weight, I've lost 5.25 inches overall, I have gained knowledge about myself that I may otherwise have not known. I have been getting up earlier, allowing myself more time in the morning to make breakfast and get ready for the day. I have been going to the gym on my way home from work. I have stronger willpower. I have slightly different thoughts about food. I have experienced cravings and what it feels like to not give in to them. I look for healthier alternatives for my cravings.

I will slip up now and then. I will enjoy my food. I will eat more than a serving of ice cream. Everything in moderation.

I plan to continue prepping my lunches in advance and trying new and healthy recipes. I plan to continue separating my snacks out into serving sizes so I don't have to guess when I'm crunched for time or when I'm feeling lazy. For me, taking the guess work out of what I'm going to eat, or making it harder to eat more than one serving, is a huge step in the right direction. On weekends, instead of measuring out a serving size of potato chips and salsa, I would just grab the bag and jar and go. Having healthy options that are quick and easy to grab feels great.

I do plan to loosen the reigns and not monitor what I am eating as closely. We are going to go out to dinner. I'm not always going to pick a healthy option. This is okay. As long as I eat healthy the majority of the time, these little "cheats" are not going to derail me.

I also plan to continue posting what I make myself for lunch, sharing the recipes I use or ideas I come up with.

I plan to continue with updates about my 10k training.

Overall, I am so glad and proud of myself for completing this challenge, mostly unscathed. I think it has been the tool that I hoped it would be to get my mind in the right place to continue with my weight loss goals. So what if I didn't lose as much as I anticipated? I stuck with something for 24 days and created some great habits.

I began typing this recap a couple of days before the end of my challenge. I weighed in this morning, measured and took progress pictures. I know my pants fit different and I lost 1.5 inches in my waist but I had no idea it actually translated to how I looked. These photos are amazing and in spite of my "measly 5.6lbs", I could not be happier with my challenge results.