Day 1

Today is Day 1 of the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge and it started off a little rough.  I woke up yesterday with a minor sinus infection and today it went full blown.  I feel like my head is melting on the inside.  Despite the early setback, I figure the cold will blow over in a few days and starting the Cleanse Phase will only help in getting over the cold faster.  The first ten days of the 24 Day Challenge are about cleansing your body of toxins and preparing for optimal nutrient absorption, with the possibility of weight loss.

I took my measurements this morning and here is where I begin this journey:

Day	Weight	Bust	Belly	Butt/Hips	Arms	Thighs	Face
1	170lbs	37.5"	38"	44.5"	12.5"/12.5"	26.5"/26.5"	19"

I started the day off taking 1 Catalyst and 1 packet of Spark with 8oz of water 30 minutes before taking the Fiber Drink as part of the Cleanse Phase.  I already know that my favorite flavor of Spark is Orange, but today I began with Fruit Punch and I couldn't complain.  I forgot that the Fiber Drink (which you mix with 8oz of water and chase with 8oz of water) has a slight citrus flavor which was helpful in getting it down.  It doesn't taste bad at all, just at the bottom of the cup it begins to gelatinize.  To fix that you just keep adding water and keep taking it down.  Following that I made my protein shake and headed off to work.

I realized about 2/3rds of the way to work that I left my laptop at home, but I had a couple of meetings that I needed to get to work for before I could head back to pick it up.  I figured if I am out of sorts enough (due to the sinus infection) to forget my computer at home, maybe after the meetings I should just go home and work from there.  That's what I ended up doing.

About half way through my meetings I pulled out a bag of raw almonds and grabbed a pitcher of water to chug down as I continued through my meetings.  AdvoCare suggests I drink a total of 10 cups of water every day (body weight in pounds divided by 2 = # ounces of water you should consume per day; 1 cup = 8oz).  I lost count of how many times I've gone to the bathroom today.

After my meetings I decided to head home.  I took another Catalyst pill 30 minutes before lunch.  For lunch I made Mahi Mahi, mixed veggies, and brown rice.  I was really proud of my fish marinating skills as it tasted amazing!  I used a little orange flavored olive oil with Thai Ginger seasoning and it made for a perfect lunch.  I continued through the day working from my computer and stopped for a snack of whole grain crackers with hummus and mango salsa.  Yum!  I also continued to drink my water.  10 glasses is a lot!

That brings us to the present.  I'm about to have the other half of my lunch for dinner along with 2 OmegaPlex pills, and at bedtime I'll pop the Herbal Cleanse caplets.

I'd say overall today was a good day.  I've managed to turn down three people in unhealthy outings/meals.  Its always nice to be able to just tell people I'm doing a cleanse when I turn down food, then I don't feel so bad.  I'm pretty sure all of this water intake is expediting my sinus infection healing as my nose has been a faucet all day long (Good thing I'm at home, I'm actually using a t-shirt rather than tissues to keep dry!).  I feel pretty tired fighting this cold, but I'm happy with my own self-discipline in getting this started.  Here's to a successful Day 1!  Hopefully I'll get up tomorrow for Yoga at 7:15am, and exercise more of that self-discipline while I have a lunch meeting at a restaurant and going to a Shark's hockey game at night.

Thanks for reading.