Day 14

I feel really good about today!  I made a batch of my favorite cookies in the world, and even though I wanted to eat five or six (which, I'm ashamed to say, is pretty normal), I only ate one.  After that, I spent 30 minutes walking on the treadmill.

I had two shakes today, and for dinner I made some beef stew with veggies and potatoes.  I ate a little bit of it over rice.  I also enjoyed a cup of Detox Tea.

I'm really hoping to get back on the treadmill tomorrow.  It feels really good to exercise like that again!  I'm definitely starting to feel more energized on this plan.  Also, I'm super excited that my Dad is joining me on this journey starting tomorrow!

Until then...

~ Sarah

Day 12

In the Arbonne community, we often refer to the 80/20 rule, meaning that if you follow a good healthy living plan 80% of the time, your body is able to maintain good health even if you stray once in a while.  Well, yesterday was my anniversary, and I definitely took advantage of the 80/20 rule.  My husband made pancakes in the morning, thus starting my "20% day".  Before leaving for dinner, I popped two Metabolism Boost pills.

Rich pasta, Redd's, chocolate cake, onion rings, and a bit of the hubby's burger made their way into my tummy yesterday.  It was very enjoyable, but I was happy to be back to drinking shakes today.  I feel better when I'm eating well.  For your viewing pleasure, though, here is photo of my anniversary dinner.

Tomorrow morning, I will weigh myself. I'm also going to get on the treadmill to stay increasing my cardio strength.

Until tomorrow!

~ Sarah

Day 10

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to weigh myself this morning because I woke up feeling sick and needed to eat something right away.  Oh well!

This morning, I was really in the mood for banana bread, but I didn't want all of the calories that goes with it, so I decided to create my own healthier version of banana bread.  I just tried it, and it was so good, I had to share it with you all!

Healthier Banana Bread Muffins:

- 1 cup all purpose flour (I would have used whole wheat flour, but I'm all out of it)
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Dash of salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup agave nectar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°.  Mix dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine.  Grease cupcake pan with coconut oil.  Fill cups almost to full.  Bake for 18 minutes.

Today is an odd day.  Everyone in the household is under the weather, so I'm a little outside of my routine.

I'm going to go make a shake for dinner.  This time, i'm going to try blending watermelon in with the vanilla.  Hope it's tasty!

~ Sarah

Day 9

Well, I woke up this morning weighing exactly what I did the day before.  Party: 0.  Me: 1.  Yay!

I have to say, since adding the Fiber Boost to my diet, I have really noticed a difference in my digestion.  They say that if you added the Fiber Boost to your diet and didn't change anything else about your diet or lifestyle, you would lost nine pounds in a year just from the "chimney sweep effect".  Pretty cool :)

We had an amazing dinner tonight at the in-laws'.  Cod, salmon patties, quinoa, and roasted asparagus.  Eating healthy tastes amazing!  I may or may not have had a very large bite of cardamom bread with a buttercream glaze, but we won't talk about that part.

Tomorrow, I'd like to see what adding exercising to my day does for my weight loss.  Wish me luck!

~Sarah

Day 8

Hello!  Well, it has officially been one week since I started.  I knew I would fluctuate in weight a bit, and this morning I gained back a tad.  I blame the hummus binge from last night.  It's just a lesson learned.  I'll slowly get better at portioning :)

Today was a hectic day, getting ready to have some people over.  I was so busy sampling the food I was preparing that I didn't really follow any rhyme or reason for eating.  I tried to stick to somewhat healthy foods, so we shall see.

Anyway, here is my one week picture to track my progress.

Well, i'm pretty exhausted so you all get a pretty lame blog tonight.  Back to more structure tomorrow!

~ Sarah

Day 7

This morning was a great morning!  Not only did I lose another pound (175.2 lbs now!), but I also made THE BEST protein shake I have ever had!  It was so good, I have to share the recipe with all of you.

Tropical Green Vanilla Smoothie

- 6 oz water
- 6 oz almond milk
- One handful of spinach
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/4 cup chopped frozen pineapple
- 1/4 cup chopped frozen cantaloup
- Four cubes of ice
- Two scoops Arbonne Vanilla protein powder
- One scoop Arbonne fiber boost

Just blend and enjoy!  So delicious... I felt like I was vacationing on a tropical island.  The pineapple adds a little bite and the cantaloup adds just enough of a cool flavor.

Tonight I had a bit of a splurge with hummus and sweet potato chips, so we will see how tomorrow's weigh-in goes!

Also, I'd like to take a minute to have a mini celebration since today was my last day using the 7 Day Cleanse.  I feel like a brand new person!  Hands down the best, most effective, gentlest cleanse I have ever tried!

Signing off

Day 6

Day six started out on an amazing note when I stepped on the scale and saw that I had lost another 1.4 lbs, weighing in at 176.2!  Exciting stuff!

Today, I rediscovered my love for the sweet potato.  Sweet potatoes are so tasty and soooo good for you!  I decided to make some sweet potato chips to snack on, and they were so delicious, I wanted to share the recipe with you all.  It's pretty simple...

- One medium sweet potato
- Coconut oil
- Cajun seasoning
- Garlic salt
- Ground black pepper

I preheated the oven to 400°.  I used a mandolin to thinly slice the potatoes and then coated them with coconut oil before placing on the cookie sheet.  I then seasoned them and popped them on the oven.  Ten-fifteen minutes later (sorry...should have paid more attention to the time), they were crispy and delicious!  I would recommend them to anyone trying to eat healthy but wanting a yummy snack!

Anyway, I am pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to follow a healthy living plan with the Arbonne products.  They taste fantastic and are actually good for you, which is a definite must for me.

Hoping for more weight loss tomorrow morning!

~ Sarah