It's a lifestyle: What's for lunch?

I have been blessed with "big bones" (that's what Nan Guy used to say)... in actuality - I've been heavy my entire life. 

What you don't know is, I have invested 49 years of investigative research to provide you with the following useful information. 

Skinny people eat all day long. 

Yup, no bullshit. They just snack on shit all day long... WHAT they eat is different than what fat people eat. 

That's the difference. 

Instead of picking up a twinkie, they eat some carrots or almonds. 

Simple, right?

Understanding that has changed our grocery purchasing habits (again) and approach to eating. If it doesn't come into the house, I'm not as likely to make a bad choice when I get hungry. 

Another thing yous don't really know about me, I have an inner Libertarian that rears it's head from time to time. I don't want anyone telling me what / where / how to do shit. I definitely don't want a doctor or the government telling me what I can eat, that I have to take medicine that is going to make me sicker than the actual disease and I don't want anyone in my personal business. 

So, at this point of my life - I have decided that my health is in jeopardy, which is something I have complete control of. I choose what goes in my mouth. I choose how much time I commit to exercise. I can reverse many of the things that I have brought on myself by making better choices.

If I can do it, ANYONE can do it!

There is no willpower involved. This is about control. 

Just because I'm an adult, I don't always make adult choices about what goes in my mouth. The consequences are too great for me to continue along that path.

Besides, I have so many other aspects of my life under control - this is really one of the only pieces left for me to come full circle in my own universe. It is a journey, after all - I'm just at that point of my journey that I want to see my grandkids have grandkids. 

*****

Since Aboy and I have started Advocare it has helped us wrangle in some of the demons of bad eating and manage our sugar, fat and caffeine addictions. And believe me WE were addicted. No doubt about it! We chose Advocare because we could eat real food (that is so important to both of us), not count points and not microwave pre-packaged meals (we threw out our microwave last year). 

I did a lot of research and found that one of the key ways to help change the way we eat was through preparation. 

Every video I watched, every blog I read... everyone said that preparation was the absolute best way to guarantee success. The products just help with supplementing nutritional deficiencies, energy and hunger control. 

Whatever they do - they are really helping. I am making it to the gym almost daily, I don't crave anything and I very rarely have the urge to go off meal plan. 

So, each week - we take a few hours on the day before Aboy is set to go back out and just cook a week's worth of food. I bake yams and potatoes, make rice, bake chicken and fish... then we portion it off so it's easy to put a meal together. 

It really removes the excuses to eat crap. Since the food is pre-cooked and frozen, it's easily heated up. 

It's healthier because we control the seasoning. There are no preservatives. It's pre-portioned, so the risk of over eating is drastically reduced. 

We are eating more. THAT is huge. We eat the right things, at the right time = it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle.

*****

If you read my blog the other day, you understand my frequent meal choices are influenced by Mexican Recipes. They're high in nutrition and low in calories. 

Today's lunch has become comfort food for me. I need 2 hands to eat it, it's very filling and it brings in all the things I need for a complete meal. 

Also, if you've seen some of my Instagram or Facebook picture posts... you know how much I love a snack scrap for lunch (you have to click the link to understand that joke).

Lunch for today: Chicken Wrap

What made it GREAT was the ingredients!

I used a tortilla we picked up the other day at Trader Joe's

Like I mentioned - we pre-cook the chicken and freeze it. I have a scale (to keep me honest) and I just throw the chicken into the oven for 10 minutes to warm it up.

I ALWAYS add Red Wine Vinegar. Pompeian is my fav!!! It makes me "ACK" (that's a noise I make if it hits the back of my throat with nothing coating it)... but, it has great zing and flavor!

I also add homemade guacamole and some roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes. Aboy puts a small garden on his (he is a big guy)...

 Like I said... you need 2 hands to eat it. It's very filling, hits all the taste buds and you won't think about eating again for a few hours!

Hold up... Advo what?

For the past few months, I watched an old schoolmate swoon and rave over how great she felt. 

Some of the things she'd post on Facebook: "I feel like I'm 20 again!", "I can't believe how much energy I have!", "I've lost weight and feel great!". 

I remember saying to myself "yeah, yeah... she' s just trying to make a sale". 

What piqued my curiosity was when she posted a pic of herself in a pair of size 6 jeans... and she used to be a size 14! She had only been using the products for a few months. What a transformation!

I started doing some digging.

It's called Advocare. It is a company based out of Plano, Texas. The headquarters is literally 30 minutes from where we used to live. We had never heard of the products; probably because my social life was Facebook and I didn't mingle with the natives much (but you already know the stories behind that).

In my research, I really could not find anything negative about the products. I went on YouTube and found video after video of people that experienced the same success that my old friend did. I even found that many professional athletes use the products. 

So, I had thought about it for a couple of weeks. The new year was approaching and I knew that Myles and I had to do something about our weight or we would be spending a lot of money at the Doctor and Pharmacy for treatment and medication for preventable diseases caused by obesity. Not to mention I will be 50 next year, I want to live the second half of my life, not be burdened with health problems and medications.     

I sent my old friend an inbox on Facebook and asked her to tell me about the products and what I needed to do. We chatted for a little bit, but she told me to sit tight because a major announcement was coming out within the next few days and Advocare was announcing a National All-In 24 Day Challenge. So, I sat tight (kinda)... I did more research and what I found out is, not only are the people that use Advocare much healthier... many of them had quit their Just Over Brokes (JOBs). And.. they were all happy! 

Too good to be true, right? 
I am a cynic by nature, too!

The announcement was made. I had already talked to Myles about it and even though he was very skeptical, he agreed to do the challenge with me. It was 24 days... not a long time to commit to something in the scheme of things. 

******

After my research, I found out that I could be a "wholesale customer" by paying a $79 fee. The fee got me a box of Spark and a box of Slam and a website. More importantly it got me a 20% discount on products. 

I didn't have to pay the fee, I could have just paid the full price for products and bought directly from my old friend... but, you already know... I do not like paying retail for a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g.! 

Just before the new year, I pre-ordered our 24 Day Challenges and continued to do research. I was introduced to others that were also distributors and using the products and had found there were many people I KNEW that were having great success at both!

I spoke to Myles about the financial opportunity and he wasn't really interested (at first). He wanted to see if the products really worked. I did too - so, I just kept the website under wraps. 

Myles had to start a few days later than I did because the products came in while he was on the road. He will be finishing his 24 Day Challenge on Tuesday. I finished this past Friday. To date, we've combined for over 20 pounds lost. 

I was convinced the products worked by day 3. I was feeling better. My energy - I can't even put into words how great I feel. I'm already a happy person. Now my energy level meets my attitude level. 

Myles took a little longer to come around. What sealed it for him and was the "this shit works" moment, was some of the symptoms that he had - that would ultimately cause repeated Doctor visits and trips to the pharmacy were now under control. Plus the fact that he could eat, had very little cravings and was still losing weight - sealed the deal.

******

Why now? We've tried many "diets" over the years. Advocare is not a diet. Through my research and talking to some of the other distributors - the 24 Day Challenge is really a "Lifestyle Adjustment Tool". 

We already eat half-ass decent. We don't like to count points or heat up pre-packaged meals. We really just needed some assistance with getting our metabolisms under control and be able to eat normal food. It's taking what Myles and I have been researching and studying about nutrition over the past few years and taking that knowledge to the next level. 

I love food. I have been eating 5, 6, 7 times a day - since I started the challenge. I have not been hungry and I have not had any cravings. I just eat more often, in smaller portions. Doing that and adding in the supplements has translated into 21 inches lost = success!

What I didn't know and what was an added bonus... there is a team of people that have years of experience with all the products that willingly coach you through each phase of the challenge. They answer questions about menu items, the products, timing and expectations.

Overall, I am very pleased.

*****

On a sidenote, Myles and I were standing in the kitchen yesterday, preparing our meals for the week and Myles said, "I feel clean". I knew exactly what he meant. Not only am I dropping weight, I feel an energy that I've never felt before. 


To learn more about the products, visit my site -  AdvoTerrific

If you'd like to use the products at a discount, you can sign up here.

BTW, this will be continued - because I have many small stories and wins that occurred along the way!