Food and More Food (Last Week of First Detox)

It is stormy today with occasional bursts of thunder and the rain is coming down.  I love these kind of days.  If I close my eyes for a second, I can pretend it truly is fall with the subtle chill in the air, but who am I kidding? LOL!  Before I even got out of my comfy bed this morning, I knew from the pain in my head the humidity was thick.  So the rain is pouring, but it feels like 90 degrees and the humidity is 81%.  Yuck.  Definitely not fall, but thank God it is not in the 100s!!!

Every week on the FB group, they give us a new menu.  I have appreciated this from the start because that first week is so daunting and challenging with knowing exactly what you can cook!  I don't always make every single thing on the menu as the spaghetti with zucchini or the salsa chicken or chicken and rice soup goes very far in my household with just the hubby, Journee and I.  We have a lot of leftovers.

Monday since it was Labor Day and I was feeling a little blue that my parents were in California and hubby was working and no fun plans, I decided to make chicken spinach pizza.  I had tried this out the first week and it was okay, but this time I decided to use basil pesto for the sauce instead of the usual marinara.  I coated the pizza crust (GF, DF) with the basil pesto and then layered the vegan Daiya mozzarella shreds. Since I didn't have any grilled chicken on hand, I decided to use organic chicken breast from Applegate.  I shredded it all up and layered and then threw chopped bell pepper, Roma tomatoes and baby spinach on top.  Lastly, I decided another layer of shreds would be good.  It looked yummy!

It cooks very quickly and in no time, it was out of the oven cooling.  As a side, I baked yellow squash marinated in EVOO, garlic salt and pepper.  I was absolutely delighted when I had the first bite.  It was absolutely delicious!  I could have ate that whole pizza which you can see from the photo isn't very big in the first place.  However, I am watching calories for optimum weight loss and so I had three slices which equals half the pizza.  Three slices also ended up being 488 calories which is quite a lot when you are only taking in 1200!  The basil pesto itself is very high in calories and that is where most of the calories come into play.  Hubby ended up coming home early and had the other half.  I will definitely make this again!!!

Today since I was loving the rain and thunder, I decided to make homemade tomato basil soup.  It was so easy!  Saute garlic cloves and add crushed tomatoes and whole tomatoes, 2 cups of free range chicken broth, teaspoons of sea salt and organic coconut sugar and pepper.  It simmers for about 10 and you add your basil and a tiny bit of coconut cream.  Since I wanted something solid in my stomach, I cut one of my brown rice tortillas in half and made into a quesadilla with mozzarella and one slice of the organic chicken breast.  Okay, this soup is divine.  I never liked tomato soup until several years ago, I tried BJ's Brewhouse tomato soup.  I've been hooked ever since.  I was worried I wouldn't like this clean version because I absolutely love creamy soups.  I knew the coconut cream would help, but how creamy could it be?  Actually, it was just perfect.  It was creamy and I didn't add any additional salt because it tasted great!!!!  The quesadilla was awesome for dipping into the soup.  An added benefit is that Journee loved the soup too!  Score again for Mama!!!  I figured the soup would serve about 4 and there are plenty of leftovers!

I have tried new shakes, also.  Last week, I made the carrot cake shake.  I was uncertain if I would like the combination of carrots and almond milk, but wow!!!  I loved it!!  Shocked me!!  Most mornings, I will have a strawberry shake or the apple cinnamon shake and occasionally the carrot cake.  Most afternoons I like to have a chocolate shake.  I love adding cocoa and coconut almond butter for an almond joy taste.  However, all this week, I have added a tiny splash of peppermint extract to my chocolate protein and almond milk and wa-la, I have a mint chocolate shake!!!

This is the last official week of the first month of detox boot camp.  It ends as of Sunday.  However, since the weight loss has been a tad disappointing, I am continuing on this month and probably will continue in October.  I started the week at a loss of 7.4 pounds.  I was actually very excited about this!  I thought surely by Sunday, I would come close to 9 pounds for sure and maybe 10.  However, it is Thursday and as of today, I have only lost 2 ounces for a total loss of 7.6 pounds.  What a bummer!!!!  I have went over calories and I haven't went over at all.  I do think my body is somewhat still messed up over that cleanse.  So, I have accepted that for my first month of detox I won't lose 10 pounds, but I'm also still encouraged because hey I have a weight loss for the month instead of a weight gain.  Seven pounds isn't much, but still it is the most I've lost over the past year even when I was on ACE and limiting calories to 1200.  So big smiles here!  I'm excited about continuing this gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free lifestyle for at least two more months because I know for one thing, there will be weight loss however slow it may come off and second, there is no way I want to ever go through sugar and caffeine withdrawal!!!

At this point, I am still not craving Dr. Pepper or most comfort food.  I do miss my tea, but not to the degree that I feel like I'm totally deprived.  The two cravings that haven't gone away and getting stronger by the day are cheese and Alfredo sauce.  I crave cheese.  I dream about enchiladas with cheese layered all over.  I dream of a juicy hamburger with cheese dripping as I bite into it.  Some days I just want a simple sandwich with pepper jack cheese.  When my stomach is nauseated, I crave cheese and crackers.  The mozzarella shreds aren't bad at all, but there is nothing in the world like real cheese!!!  I still dream of pasta drowning in warm Alfredo sauce.  It is funny I crave these two things as I thought for sure I would crave my caffeine or sweets.  When I get the feeling of something sweet, I will have my chocolate shake or a lemon chew. The only other thing I want on a consistent basis is steak.  I can live with that for sure!

Next Monday will be a full month of detox and the start of a new month.  These first three weeks were a roller coaster for sure, but this week actually hasn't been bad.  I have had a headache every single day, but nothing compared to my full migraines and these headaches aren't at all diet-related.  I know that for sure.  I am hoping since this week is a tad better than the previous three, I am finally seeing the end of my body detoxing hard.  I still do not energy to run a marathon and I haven't exercised as the shaking and feeling faint were a bit too much, but I started a bit of my fall deep cleaning and felt good enough to scrub baseboards.  It is very possible because of my thyroid I won't ever feel energized like a normal person, but I am hoping through eating clean my thyroid will benefit.  I am also planning on seeing an endocrinologist and asking for further thyroid tests.

And Sunday, I had two lovely ladies comment they could tell I had lost weight!  I think the clothes might have had something to do with it, but they both agreed no, they could tell!  I appreciate that because normally it takes my body losing 15-20 pounds before it is noticeable!  Another added benefit is I noticed this week, my skirts are just a little bit looser!  Yay for me!!

Have a great week, ya'll!

One Size Does NOT Fit All

Have I ever mentioned I love Zulily?  I love it so much there is an app on my phone and I visit very frequently.  I love that I can find boutique items especially since where I am in small town Texas, there aren't any boutiques!  Often when I am pursuing outfits, I see "one size fits all."  Now I have learned with clothes, that just isn't the truth!  For instance, the designer might have had a tiny petite size 0 body in mind, but everybody doesn't have a size 0 body.

The same goes with diets and medications and life in general.  This past week, I discovered that even with detox boot camp, one size does not fit all.  The boot camp is 28 days long and on the third week, you add a cleanse.  It is supposed to help the detox process and clean out your gut in the process.  Most people lose a lot of weight during the third week.  I had my reservations about doing the cleanse as I have watched my mama suffer any time she attempts a cleanse.  I don't think she has ever found a cleanse that works for her without making her deathly sick and gain weight by the end of the week.  Honestly, I always thought she didn't consume enough water.  Boy, was I wrong with that assumption.  The 7 day cleanse by Arbonne is made to be very gentle on your gut.  Also, the more toxic you are, the more acidic and worse it's supposed to taste.  You mix the cleanse concentrate in 32 ounces of water, refrigerate and drink over 4-8 hours.

So despite my reservations, I made my cleanse on Monday.  I thought for sure with that first taste, I would gag.  I expected that because I assumed I was more toxic than usual with my past health problems and long history of sugar and caffeine.  Shockingly, it wasn't bad at all.  It tasted like weak peach tea.  No biggie.  I was surprised and gave myself a high five.  I drank it over 5 hours and also drank over 32 ounces of water along with my fizzies and detox tea.  Nothing happened.  Tuesday I did the same thing, except I noticed I was starting to bloat.

By Tuesday night, I was severely bloated and severely nauseated.  I also was going nuts as I smelled like I just walked out of a tanning salon after spending a week in a tanning bed.  Really!  You know how almost every tanning lotion or tanning solution smells like coconut and that slight chemical smell?  I hate that smell.  Yeah, I reeked of it!!  Now I have never been in a tanning bed.   Every tanning salon would take one look at me, total white girl, and tell me I would be crazy to tan.  So I tried over-the-counter products and in 2009 for my friend's wedding, I tried my last tanning spray in a salon.  It didn't work.  At her wedding two days later, my legs were once again white, not beautifully tanned.  Since 2009, I have never used any tanning product.  I gave up.  So, when I started stinking of a tan, it puzzled me and kinda freaked me out.  Seriously, was my body retaining tanning chemical from 2009?  What a totally SCARY thought!!!!  I would wash my hands and within five minutes, they were stinking again!  Oh my word, I about drove myself crazy!!

I posted on our group and asked if anybody had ever reacted in such a manner.   The ones who replied said it could be coincidental, but very interesting.  One suggested just maybe it was from ingesting coconut oil and coconut milk over the last two weeks.  I thought that was totally plausible and better than the thought my body had held onto a chemical for five years.  I mentioned I was bloated and a lady who isn't a consultant for Arbonne replied and said she took her cleanse in 8 ounces of water and wa-la no bloat.  I liked that.  After all, bloating makes you feel totally yucky.

Wednesday, I got up still very bloated and took my cleanse and then about 20 minutes later had my shake and fizzy.  Within 30 minutes, I was in the bathroom very sick.  I can tell you, the cleanse, almond milk and citrus fizzy tastes absolutely horrible the second time around!  That started my morning and all day whatever I put in my mouth, water, soup, shake and fizzy, it all came up.  I literally threw up all day long.  Nothing stayed in my stomach where it belonged!  I posted back on the group under my original post and told them what was happening.

One of the consultants got me back to me almost instantly and was very unhappy and apologetic about the bad advice I had been given.  No, you are never supposed to take that cleanse in anything less than 32 ounces.  However, still my reaction was very abnormal.  Basically, they had never heard of a bootcamper having as much trouble as me and nobody had ever reacted so strongly to the cleanse.  She also asked if I had sensitivities since I have had a very difficult time with detoxing.  Normally, after 1-3 weeks, people feels great because they have went through the withdrawals and their bodies are loving eating clean.  Since then, the post with the incorrect advice has been taken down and admin has to approve any post I post on the group.  The group is there to be positive and motivational.  I love that.  I wasn't posting my symptoms to be negative, but just matter-of-fact that this is happening and what in the world should I do?  When you are going through a huge lifestyle change, it helps to know there are other people who might be struggling same as you.  I love the positivity, but if I am having a problem, I would like to know if anybody else had the same problem and if they did, what did they do to fix it?  It isn't necessarily a negative thing.  Nobody wants to feel absolutely alone in their struggle.  I do have a support group outside of the FB group and I am so thankful for them.  The young lady who is my sponsor/upline is awesome and wonderfully supportive and there whenever I need her!

In other words, what works for one may not work for another.  One size definitely does not fit all.  Does that make the cleanse or any other medication or product bad?  Absolutely not!!!!  You have to see the humor in my situation.  After all, it is probably people like me who prompted the pharmaceutical companies to list those rare reactions!! LOL!!!  "When using this product, you might have such anxiety and worry" that you feel like an elephant is sitting on your chest!  Been there, done that in those early weeks on bed rest with Journee.  I can totally recommend this detox because, bottom line, eliminating sugar and junk will have a beneficial effect on the body.  I see more and more posts every day about how sugar and food can help cancer grow.  I feel great knowing that I am doing something great for my body.  Even though, I have yet to see benefits, I know in time, I will.  You cannot expect a body that has ingested sugar, caffeine and all those good ole comfort carbs for 35 years to detox and heal itself in 28 days!!  That is unrealistic.  Rome wasn't built in a day either.

I have to say I do not blame that poor lady for telling me the wrong thing to do.  It works for her great!  No problem.  I am happy she is able to go through the cleanse without any problems!  I think most people have excellent results with the cleanse.  I would still recommend the cleanse because all the other products and nutritional support from Arbonne have been fantastic!  Who knows, one day there might be someone who experiences a bad reaction and at least I will know exactly how they are suffering and can empathize!  Every experience, even a bad one, has the possibility of being a positive experience in the long run.

Oh, the tanning salon reek was gone by Thursday morning.  Regurgitating has some benefits, let me tell you!

And the week wasn't a total loss!  I am proudly 7.4 pounds down and will be posting more about that on Thursday!

Change is Hard - Janille Does Detox

Change is hard.  Life is all about change.  Nothing ever stays the same really.  Babies grow up and parents grow older.  People move like we did half way across the states.  Birth, school days, marriage, motherhood and of course with any big life change, there is a period of adjustment.  Not even weight stays the same unless you are one of those rare people who are just blessed with amazing metabolism.  

I knew this detox bootcamp would be a big change.  I knew it would be hard going through caffeine and sugar withdrawal.  I prepared myself mentally or I thought I did.  I HAD NO CLUE.  This week has been very difficult and very discouraging.  I have starved.  My tummy has growled and growled.  I have cried.  I have wanted to sleep around the clock, impossible to do when you have a busy 2-year-old.  I have stood on the scale and almost pulled out my frizzy red hair.  I have loved drinking my apple cinnamon shake and chocolate coconut shake.  I have gotten nauseated with all this water sloshing around my tummy.  Really, if we had to drink so much water to be healthy and stay alive, why doesn't it taste better?!  I have taken my fizzies and felt my brain snap to awareness, but my body still stubbornly says, "Go back to bed."  The lemon Fit Chew is very good and tastes like a chewy Lemonhead and in the afternoon, I have enjoyed it.  It is sweet and sour so it takes away a little bit of the sugar craving.

I have hated drinking the detox tea.  I have discovered I am very partial to strong tea, not tea that tastes like water with a faint mint tea flavor.  Being desperate, I have experimented with that detox tea putting a splash of almond milk, vanilla extract and liquid Stevia.  I can finally tolerate it now that I have found that combination.  Drinking it makes me miss good tea like the strawberry-peach tea with the wonderful name of Summer Regatta.  It's my favorite tea and the only place that sells it is in San Jose, California at Lisa's Tea Treasures.  The detox tea can't compare, but it is necessary.  

I have experimented in the kitchen making my first gluten-free, dairy-free chicken spinach pizza.  Surprisingly, it was good.  It certainly wasn't an extra cheesy, pepperoni, jalapeno, olive and pinapple pizza, but it was satisfying.  I never thought I would ever eat, much less like, dairy-free cheese.  It is a little weird and there is a different smell to it, but melted on a brown rice tortilla or pizza, it's okay.  I used mozzarella shreds by Daiya for the pizza.

I ran across a recipe on Pinterest called Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken and Black Beans.  I don't like black beans so I added organic pinto beans.  It was very good in our brown rice tortillas.  I added a bit more salsa than the recipe calls for because I don't care very much for chicken unless it is Mamo's fried chicken smothered in country gravy!  Yeah, I am every bit of an okie when it comes to fried chicken!  Salsa Chicken is a very easy recipe, but I did manage to overcook the chicken a tiny bit.  The recipe said for the chicken to cook in your crockpot for 6-8 hours.  I thought overnight on low would be fine and it would have been if the moment I got up in the morning, I had turned it on warm.  Even though, the chicken was a tad dry, the extra salsa and pinto beans helped and I added a few slices of avocado on top.  I also melted pepperjack shreds by Daiya on the tortilla.  All in all, it was pretty good!!!!  I love Mexican food so anything with tortillas and cheese, I am a happy mama.  If you follow me on Pinterest, it is pinned on my Arbonne Bootcamp board.   Here is the link for ya'll!   http://www.pinterest.com/janillerose/arbonne-bootcamp

So, you're probably wondering if I have lost any more weight.  I have reminded myself over and over that this journey isn't primarily about weight loss this week, but who wants to feel like they're killing themselves without losing weight? LOL!!  Every Monday, we weigh and send our results to the admin of the FB group.  Monday I was down 3.6 pounds.  My plan was to hit the exercise hard and really try to lose more this week.  I have exercised this week by walking on my treadmill with an incline and Pilates.  It has taken all of my self will to walk on that treadmill.  I have used MyFitnessPal to track my calories and have made sure I didn't go over 1200 calories.  Despite these efforts, I have only lost 1 pound as of today.  This week, I have wanted to scream as I would lose 6 ounces and gain 2 ounces and lost 2 ounces and gain 2 ounces.  I'm not sure what is causing my body to stubbornly hold onto these pounds.  You would think with only taking in 1200 calories and exercising and having no sugar, gluten or dairy, the pounds would fall off.  Again, I am perplexed; is it my thyroid or hormones?  

The first week of detox, our FB group lost a total of 75 pounds combined with most losing well over 4 pounds.  In fact, a couple lost 12 pounds and 8 pounds.  And then there is me, struggling over two stubborn ounces.  I said I was the exception to the rule, right?  This is another reason why we aren't supposed to compare ourselves to each other!!!  I was discouraged reading all their weight loss stats.  I texted a vent text to my friend Heidi telling her my little sob story.  I tell you, it is a blessing to have wise friends who have been here, done this.  She pointed out that maybe the others aren't dealing with thyroid issues and haven't dealt with medical issues like I have.  She very wisely pointed out that I am an overachiever with losing 3.6 pounds in one week.  After all, 2 pounds is super healthy to lose in a week in the long run with keeping the pounds off.  She then texted back telling me to cut myself some slack and "a pound or two lost all adds up if you keep going."  She also told me she didn't start working out until the third week because her withdrawal symptoms were so extreme and she cried every day.  Good to know that although nobody on the group seems to be going through what I'm going through, I have a friend who has experienced all this before me.  What an inspiration for me in that over a year and half later, she is still going strong and let me just say, her abs are my dream abs! LOL!

We weigh in again on Monday.  While I may not be thrilled at just 4.6 lost, at least I haven't gained 4.6 pounds!  The glass is half full right?!!!  Hey, at least I'm not craving Dr. Pepper!

13 days down, 15 to go!  Have a great weekend, ya'll!

Detox Boot Camp Day 6!

Last night, all night long, I dreamed of Alfredo sauce.  It was a VERY long night! In my very vivid dream, there was a huge vat of bubbling, garlic Alfredo sauce and I was this tiny cartoon character who attempted to climb up this huge ladder all night long in order to have one taste - just one taste!  The problem was the bread stick I was carrying was ginormous and kept making me fall into this white, fluffy, cloud that I can only describe as flour.  One time I finally made it all the way up and was about to dip that fresh bread into the luscious vat of deliciousness and as luck would have it, my daughter fell out of bed (this was NOT part of the dream!) and hit the floor with a ka-thunk.  Of course, I was running before I was fully awake to see if she was okay.  She was, but very awake, and so from 4:00 am to about 7:30, she thought it was time to play.  At least I was spared from my endless climbing and pursuit of that perfect bite, but who really wants to be awake at that hour?  I lay in bed watching my daughter play, and tried not to think about Alfredo sauce and bread sticks.

The sugar and caffeine withdrawal symptoms have not been kind the last few days.  Normally, at almost a week of detox, a normal person is starting to feel better.  In fact, there are several members in my FB group who have commented their tummies are flatter, they aren't dragging, and some are even exercising.  Just the thought of walking on my treadmill and I feel faint.

My mornings consist of waking up, and stumbling around as I am make my morning fizzie; I literally guzzle it down.  I make my shake and then for a couple of hours, I attend to Journee's needs, do laundry, clean the kitchen and make the beds.  Usually, I clean the kitchen, dining room and family room before my body starts shaking and the fuzziness in my head gets too much.  I have decided it is better for me to eat food at lunch rather than have another shake, so after lunch I have my second fizzie.  The mornings tend to be better than the afternoon.

By afternoon, it is all I can do to just play with Journee and take care of her.  I was worrying about it this morning and Mom commented it might take me longer to detox and get rid of these pesky symptoms because I went into boot camp after a month of sickness.  Another friend suggested that since I have indulged my sugar and caffeine for years on end along with chemicals associated with numerous medications, it might take longer than a week to detox all those toxins.  It hasn't been fun.  What is that saying, "you gotta get the hurtin' in to get the hurtin' out?"  Yeah, doing that right now!

You might be thinking I am considering quitting or wondering if I should throw in the towel.  No way!! "Why," you ask? One reason is even though I am suffering with these symptoms, I notice I am still getting through all my mommy and wife "chores" without that Dr Pepper and how many glasses of tea.  It takes me longer and yeah, I take breaks laying on the couch, but I am still taking care of Journee with music time, playtime, story time and my husband has come home to dinner and a clean house and almost all his laundry done.  Who knew I could exist without Dr Pepper and sweet tea??!!

Another reason is I am seeing results! This morning I stepped on my scale and guess what??  I have lost 3.2 pounds!!!  Yes, I know this journey isn't primarily about weight loss, but it is a big part of it.  Yes, we aren't supposed to be stepping on that scale, but come on, for years now, I have programmed my mind that every morning or every other morning, I weigh.  I just can't help myself! LOL!  So. maybe you are sitting there reading this thinking, "So what?  I can lose 3 pounds in a week if I tried!"  Well, good for you!  I am happy for you!  I'm not one of those fortunate people who can cut out little things and increase exercise and wa-la-la, be fit.  I have been earnestly trying since February to lose 10 pounds and haven't lost 1 pound!  Three pounds is like I hit the jackpot!!!!!  In fact, this morning I didn't believe my eyes especially after so little sleep. I weighed THREE TIMES just to make sure my scale hadn't lost its mind!  I have a long way to go, but Monday will be the start of the second week and I am relishing in these 3 pounds.  It is a great start and when these withdrawal symptoms do wane, I am going to hit my treadmill running.

This week, I have enjoyed chicken and brown rice, shredded chicken with homemade guacamole in a brown rice tortilla, scrambled eggs with rice and veggies and more yummy guacamole.  I have snacked on almonds and occasionally a fit chew when I needed a snack.  The fit chews through Arbonne are designed to give you a sweet fix and help curb your cravings for a couple of hours.  I ordered chocolate thinking tootsie roll and while it isn't quite the same, it is still good.  My next order of caramel and lemon fit chews will be here Tuesday and I can't wait to try the new flavors!

Yesterday, I wanted to try something different for lunch.  An awesome lady had posted a recipe for homemade organic spaghetti with zucchini noodles.  Now, I love my Italian food and my noodles!  So the thought of zucchini noodles was intriguing.  I decided to try my hand at slicing a zucchini with a knife although usually you use a handy vegetable slicer.  I did not have one so a knife would have to do.  I got my meat  cooking with sauteed garlic and other spices.  Then, for the first time in my life, I sliced a zucchini into long "noodles."  It turned out great!!

It wasn't soft, chewy pasta, but it was good and more than that, Journee loved it!  She ate almost half of my portion on my plate.  That is amazing!!!!!!

Yesterday evening, I was enduring some very strong cravings for sweets.  To compensate, I made a pumpkin pie shake.  My recipe called for my protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 cup of pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice to taste and Stevia if you need that additional sweet taste.  Ya'll, it completely satisfied my sweet craving!!!  It was SO good!  I will definitely be making the pumpkin pie shake again!

Monday is our official weigh-in and I'm hoping next week will bring great results!!  It would be wonderful to completely feel great next week, but if it takes my body a little longer than normal, that's okay.  I've always been the exception to the rule!

Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend and be healthy!!!

We are on day 3 of boot camp!!!!  I am completely shocked and surprised at how well I am doing without caffeine or sugar!!! 

Day one was definitely a challenging day.  I had woken up with one of my most severe migraines and I knew it wasn't due to detox or boot camp.  When I wake up with one of those migraines, it is always due to high humidity and heat.  Needless to say, I wanted to cry my head off because it was day one without caffeine to help the headache!! Normally with one of those migraines, I guzzle down the Dr. Pepper as soon as I get up along with pills!  So Monday, I fixed my fizzie and drank it down.  You put it in 8-10 ounces of water and ice.  My tummy was already upset because of the severe migraine and I had to sip and breathe and sip and breathe to get it down.  What happened next shocked me!!!  I am SOLD on Arbonne's Fizz Sticks!!!  I NEVER have energy and I walk around always feeling like a seriously sleep-deprived half-dead person.  It is normal for me to be in such fatigue and brain fog even after 6-8 hours of sleep that sometimes my sentences do not make sense.  I am always mixing up words and half the time I go around calling items "that thing" because I can't think of the word.  This has been the normal for me since Journee was born. Since we have lived in Texas, this has worsened with my heat intolerance.  In 20 minutes, I literally felt my brain fog lift despite the migraine!  My mind became crystal clear!! 

While I was on a roll, I thought, "No better time than the present to make my first protein shake!"  I have to tell you, I had been so excited about boot camp, but equally dreading the protein shakes.  All my life, I have had texture problems with certain food items.  Yogurt, cottage cheese, pot roast and anything with a chalky texture, you can almost guarantee I will be gagging!  I have tried protein shakes by Body by Vi and all those nasty protein shakes you can get at the vitamin shop.  I always got maybe 2 swallows down before the taste and texture would cause me to gag.  So understandably, I was pretty nervous about Arbonne's protein mix.  My wonderful upline, Anna, had told me the protein mix was made with pea protein mix and all vegan.  My hubby was concerned about my texture when we made this decision and he asked me if I thought I was really going to be able to handle it.  My mind was made up.  I was trying it!!!  After looking at all the recipes posted on our awesome Facebook group, I decided I would try the Almond Joy.  It called for protein mix, our daily fiber boost, almond butter, unsweetened almond milk, pure unsweetened cocoa powder (my protein mix was vanilla flavor) and handful of slivered almonds.  I put all this along with ice in my blender and blended.  I poured into my glass, got a straw and sipped fully expecting to be completely grossed out! OH MY GOODNESS, IT TASTED WONDERFUL!!!!  No aftertaste!  No chalky texture!!!!!!  It tasted like liquid chocolaty, coconutty goodness!!!!  I immediately got on my phone and texted at 6 people that I was loving my shake!!! I am completely sold on the protein mix by Arbonne!!  Even after boot camp, I think I will still have a morning shake because it is so good!!!!

Sadly, the migraine totally messed with my tummy and I became very sick which is normal with these types of migraines and I lost all my fizzie and my yummy shake!  While I was being sick, Journee left me and I wondered where she was going, but obviously couldn't run after her.  After things had settled, I gingerly walked into my family room and there on the couch was my pillow and Journee grabbed my hand and said, "Mama, I bring your pillow so you lay down."  So sweet!!!!  I laid down and she pats me and asks, "Mama, you need wa-wa?  You sick, poor owie."  Then she proceeds to get her baby dolls and lay them beside me.  Have I mentioned how much I adore my daughter??!!! 

The rest of the day was spent on the couch with Journee being my loving nurse, all cuddles and kisses.  Mom came and finished our chicken and rice soup for dinner.  It also was very good and detox friendly!!  That night, i was so much in pain, I had to take painkillers and my hubby had to handle Journee's bedtime routine.  After bedtime story, kisses and prayers, Journee looked at me and closing her eyes says, "Mama sick, amen."  I love it when she prays!

Thankfully, yesterday, the migraine was gone and my tummy was in its normal right place.  We aren't supposed to weigh ourselves during the week, just once a week which will be Mondays.  I couldn't help myself though!!!!  I had to know!!!  And to my delight, i am down 1.5 pounds!!!  WOOHOOO!!!!!!!  What a wonderful way to start the day!!!!!

We have made several different shakes.  Almond joy is still my favorite, but yesterday I made Nutty Apple Cinnamon and my husband loved it!  I'm not much of a fruit person, but it was still good.  This morning, we made our shake with strawberries with gluten-free oats and it is SO good!!!  Again, most of my life, if I drink any kind of berries in a smoothie or shake, I will spend hours doubled over in pain with my tummy!  I stay away from strawberries even though who can seriously resist strawberries dipped in chocolate??  I always lick the chocolate off!! LOL!!!  It has been several hours and my tummy is fine and I am not sick!!!  Can I say again, I am LOVING my protein shakes!!!

I am equally absolutely thrilled with my fizzies.  I don't care much for the taste, but it is fine to drink down and the results are AMAZING!!!!  I have tried everything for energy - B12 vitamins, 5 Hour Energy, coffee with double shots, insane amount of Dr Pepper along with ACE and Xtreme 5000 that my cousin sells!!  None of it ever gave me energy or lifted my brain fog!!!  I can literally feel the fizzie working to lift my fog and fatigue.  I am tired, but I can feel it boosting my energy.  My thoughts are clear!  It is not overwhelming to think about doing laundry.  I am AMAZED!!!!!! I am dealing with a caffeine and sugar withdraw headache today and I don't feel like running a marathon yet, but I can tell when I get over this first week and most of the withdrawal symptoms, I am going to do great with my fizzies!!  Have I mentioned they are all natural??  Yes, they are!! Arbonne's products are botanically based with no chemicals or preservatives!!  So I am not putting harmful toxins in my body to feel good!!  Win-win!!!

Our dinners have been good as well.  The first night was chicken and rice soup and last night, we fixed shredded chicken tortillas with brown rice (GF) along with organic beans and I whipped up an all-natural guacamole with avocados, organic cilantro, onion, minced garlic, Roma tomatoes, salt and pepper!  It was so good and we were both full and satisfied with our dinner!

I can tell I am detoxing as I am craving my green tea with honey and the headache from no caffeine or sugar, but I am happy to say it is going way better than I expected.  I am not working out this week as it is not recommended because all my extra energy is going to detoxing my body. I don't think I would last during a workout session so I am glad for the rest this week.  I am hoping this headache doesn't get worse, but I know headaches are just one of many sugar and caffeine withdrawal symptoms and I am okay with that as the end result will be wonderful!!  Sometimes you have to get through unpleasant days to have the best days of your life! 

I will be checking in again Friday or Saturday.  Three days down, 25 more to go!!!    

Janille Does Detox Bootcamp!

After a short year and a half hiatus, I'm back on my blog and embarking on a new adventure!! 

We made the decision almost a year ago to move to Texas from California for the job opportunities for my dad and husband.  What a move!!!!  It is never an easy thing leaving family, friends and everything familiar, but we have been so blessed.  I found my "fairy Godmother" in the small Texas town where I live now.  I would have never imagined she actually existed and I would ever find her, but she has blessed our lives so much.  Justin has been blessed with a great job and I'm so glad he is happy given the very long hours he usually works.  My dad is the only plumber in our town and several neighboring towns and he usually has more work than he has time for!  

Despite our blessings, it has been quite challenging for me to handle the heat and humidity.  I have joked especially in the last couple months that I'm a step away from hermit status.  I have always had migraines my whole life, but they have been almost daily.  For the last month, I have been so sick!  Most of you that know me personally know I have had my share of medical issues with endometriosis which worsened after Journee's birth, migraines and an out of whack thyroid. 

After the last month, I knew my life had to change somehow.  I'm on medication for my thyroid, but it doesn't seem to be working.  Sometimes  life calls for drastic measures!  After all, there's a quote that says, "Health is wealth."  I'm there.  I have had way too many sick days and I don't have time to be sick on the couch when my adorable 2-year-old is growing up.

Today, I'm starting my journey to get healthy!  Along with my husband, I am starting a 28 day bootcamp through Arbonne.  I know people personally who have undergone bootcamp or something similar and had fantastic results with their health and weight.  Over a year ago, one of my friends decided to change her life and as a result, lost 65 pounds and has energy to burn!  The change in her is unbelievable!!  I decided if she could do it, so could I!  So, I found out more information and I signed up for Arbonne which offers the 28 day bootcamp along with supplement support and group support on Facebook.  The first time I logged onto my Facebook group, I felt like saying, "Hello, my name is Janille and I'm addicted to sugar!"

This isn't for the faint of heart, but my mind is made up!  For the next 28 days, I will be eliminating gluten, dairy and sugar along with all processed foods.  My refrigerator is full of organic veggies and fruits.  My freezer is now stocked in free-range chicken, grass-fed beef and organic eggs.  The goal is to detox my body of all toxins while eating a clean, pure diet.  My diet will be packed with protein.  Thankfully, this isn't a "diet" where you limit your calories to some crazy number in order to lose those pesky pounds. For example, the HCG diet you only eat 500 calories for 20 or 40 days - yeah, been there, done that, survived.  My focus is start a lifestyle that will be healthy for myself and my family for years to come.  Most of our food has become so processed with chemicals and preservatives!!  I would imagine our food tastes nothing like the food of the ancestors!!  It really is horrifying that sugar addiction is compared to having a cocaine addiction.  Most of us would never even ever try cocaine, yet every day we guzzle our energy drinks and Dr. Pepper to jolt our minds awake!  When we experience the inevitable crash, we drink or eat more sugar.  So I'm borrowing an old slogan from my generation:  Just say NO! 

I would also like to tell ya'll my OB/GYN is 100% supportive of me undergoing detox and bootcamp.  I saw him on Friday and told him about it and his only concern was if it included an unhealthy limit of calories.  He said 1200-1400 calories a day was perfect and healthy.  From symptoms, I think it is safe to say my hormones are completely unbalanced and if you research how to help an imbalance, every article talkes about diet and eliminating sugar and processed foods especially! My doctor said he will be very interested to see the results and how my body will respond to cleansing out all the bad toxins!

Several of you have told me you have missed my blogs, so I thought I would document the next 28 days while I detox, go through sugar withdrawal and hopefully at the end, I will emerge on my way to a healthier woman and mama!  Ya'll will be my captive audience and since I love my morning Dr Pepper and Tradewinds Green Tea with Honey, I'm sure this journey is going to be an eye-opener!  I will try to spare you as much as possible as I'm sure this first week without sugar, I will be a crazy woman with her red hair standing on end.  One lady who has already went through bootcamp said by the third night, she was so craving sugar and crazy irritated, she grabbed her fizzie, detox tea and chews (more on those later) and locked herself in her basement!  By the next morning, she was fine.  Now I must warn ya'll as I have warned my family, I don't have a basement or cellar or attic.  I have a shed, but since it is without cool air, that would only make the heat-intolerant redhead worse.  So those of you who pray, pray fervently, Saints, for the crazy, sugar-deprived redhead mama in Texas!!  Oh wait, maybe the prayers should be for Journee and my husband!!  LOL!  If you're in my area and happen to visit and I look like something the cat drug in and nothing I say makes sense, a hug will be much appreciated!

I will be posting more details about how well the fizzies work, if the chews really help curb my 24/7 hunger and if I have managed to drink my smoothies without gagging since I have a texture problem!  

As for Journee, my miracle baby girl, she has blossomed into a happy, social 2-year-old who loves her bongos and feels my days with so much joy.  She is everywhere all the time, rarely walking, and the house is never quiet unless she is taking a rare nap.  She loves music and goes around singing, "Oh Happy Day" at the top of her voice and my piano endures her banging happily.  She checks her baby dolls for fever and gives them the diagnosis of "constipated."  Her daddy taught her that word!!  She is her daddy's girl, her mama's sidekick, her Nene's musical partner and her Papa's "all-the-time girl!"  She talks all the time stringing together 8-9 word sentences that make perfect sense and at church, I regret to say she loses the victory quickly when she realizes she cannot "pway dums!"  She lives up to the meaning of her name very well!!!    

Thank you for joining me on my journey to get healthy and prayer and great positive thoughts are appreciated!

If ya'll have any questions, you can find me on Facebook or email me at janilleandarbonne@yahoo.com!