Since I've already given a specific breakdown in week one, I won't bore you with a detailed play-by-play going forward. Just know that each day involves two shakes, one meal, optional snacks, and lots of tea and water. If you missed it, you can read up here.

Prep has been key for me to succeed and thankfully that involves minimal time in the kitchen. One batch of chicken I made on Sunday lasted me for four lunches this week! I've seen other participants make more elaborate meals which is awesome if you need variety. For me, prepping and having something ready during the work week is more important even if it is redundant.

I started playing around a lot more with varieties this week. Vanilla with lemon/blueberries and chocolate with strawberries are two new favorites!

I bought the huge bag of green apples from BJ's when I started the program and I'm the only one eating them, plus they're delicious! Lots of apple slices with crunchy almond butter, or veggies with hummus as well as the occasional hard boiled egg or brown rice cake with guacamole.

I bought the ingredients to prep some new recipes, but mother nature intervened: we had a birthday dinner for Sean's mom that included compliant crock pot chicken tacos. A weekend snowstorm had all the guests cancelling last minute, so lunch most of the week was leftover chicken with salad, guac, and brown rice. This setup lasted me for four lunches, and on the fifth, I decided to test the waters with eating out at Sweetgreen. I was able to order a compliant version of one of my favorite salads, guacamole greens!

I'll start this by saying my coach recommends doing a weigh-in weekly as it's easy to get discouraged if you do it daily. I see the value in this, but I also have a lot of weight to lose and don't want to waste any time if I'm not doing something properly and right now, the scale helps to tell me that. After two days in a row of minor weight gain (1/2 lb most) after consistent loss, I considered the fact that perhaps I'd fallen into a trap I never thought I would: eating too few calories. I've actually been feeling full enough that I haven't needed to eat as much as I used to. With a few tweaks to the goals in my Fitbit app, I was able to get a better idea of calories in vs. out for me (I don't "work out", but I do walk frequently). By upping the calories just a little bit, the weight loss resumed as quickly as it had stalled and I have a better idea of the "zone" I need to strive for.

It's crazy to think this is the halfway point of the challenge. I was encouraged by the first week's results, both expected and unexpected, and expected that while I'd see results this week, they'd probably slow down since we're past the "water weight loss" people like to talk about. While it was harder for the more surprising reason I just mentioned, I can definitely see there has still been progress: I lost another 2.3 lbs. and 6 inches (overall - chest, waist/hips/belly)!

This week, I continue the plan with a twist: Arbonne's 7-day body cleanse! I've never done one before, so be assured I'll be giving an honest summary of how that went for me next week!

I don't think I'm an especially unhealthy person; under regular circumstances I walk 5 miles and drink 80 oz of water each day on average. I maintain healthy habits as much as possible but I do enjoy eating actual food: the thought of shakes as a meal repels me, and I think having dessert after a healthy meal shouldn't be forbidden.

Still, it's clear what I've been doing hasn't been enough to impact my weight so I'm trusting a brand I love to help me get on the right track. I'm an enthusiastic consumer of all things Arbonne and was also a consultant with them for 3 years. I've seen what their 30 day challenge has done for many people I know and I hope I can stick to it to see similar results. The program relies on Arbonne products and clean eating to remove toxins from the body. Weight loss tends to be a nice side effect.

I'm not a morning person, so I have to prep a lot to ensure I have everything ready in order to not fall back on other options. You'll notice my meals looked pretty redundant this week, but it's what I knew I needed to stick to the plan. I noticed plenty of fancy dinners from other participants, so there are certainly options, but now that I've got week 1 down, here's what it looked like for me:

Every day begins with digestion plus (probiotics); I decided to keep it by my bed since they are supposed to be the first step of the day and taken before eating. I pop it in a small amount of water and drink immediately.

Breakfast: Vanilla protein shake blended with fiber, greens, 9 oz almond milk, avocado oil, and 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries. It was a little thick for my liking, so tomorrow I will use water in place of almond milk and probably 10-12 oz.

Lunch: I prepped lunches for the week with an organic rotisserie chicken, 1/2 cup organic brown rice (or rice/quinoa blend as pictured), and 1 cup organic veggies - mixed or green beans.

containers

My sweet tooth reared in immediately after lunch and showed no signs of calming down, so I had a rare second fizz to calm things down :)

Snack: 12 raw almonds

Dinner: Chocolate protein shake with greens and almond butter

Snack: Hummus with raw broccoli/carrots, detox tea

Sean has been sick for the past week or so and despite guzzling Airborne to avoid it, I woke up to a throat feeling like razor blades :( After my digestion plus, I started sipping on a hot detox tea to soothe it.

Breakfast: vanilla protein shake with greens, fiber, avocado oil, berries, and less almond milk/more water. I like the consistency much better!

Lunch: Prepped chicken with brown rice and green beans

Snack: green apple with crunchy almond butter

Dinner: Chocolate protein shake with greens and almond butter

Snack: Broccoli and carrots with hummus

Breakfast: vanilla protein shake with greens, fiber, avocado oil, and berries

Snack: Green apple with crunchy almond butter

Lunch: We had a catered post-holiday party at work, but I stuck to a chicken breast and salad with a few strawberry garnishes from the dessert tray for my own dessert (it encouraged me when I noticed a coworker did the same)

Snack: I was really feeling all the cravings and hunger today. I had a pre-made arbonne protein bar and another green apple with crunchy almond butter. I wanted all things crunchy (chips, crackers, etc.) so I'm going to check in with my coach about some options I can keep on hand.

Dinner: Since I had 2 snacks this afternoon, I had my chocolate shake plain with just almond milk.

Breakfast: vanilla protein shake with greens, fiber, avocado oil, and berries

Lunch: Rotisserie chicken with a garlic rice/quinoa blend and mixed steamed veggies

Snack: protein square, veggies and hummus

Dinner: Skipped. I should have had a second shake according to the plan but wasn't hungry until almost bedtime.

Breakfast: vanilla protein shake with greens, fiber, avocado oil, and berries

Lunch: Rotisserie chicken with a garlic rice/quinoa blend and mixed steamed veggies

Snack: Fresh mixed berries

Dinner: Chocolate shake with coconut and almond butter

Snack: boiled egg

Breakfast: vanilla protein shake with greens, fiber, and berries. I realized a little late that I forgot the avo oil. Whoops!

Snack: hard boiled egg. Does that make up for the missing fat in the shake? I've finally realized that I've been looking at fat and protein as the same thing, but the macros on my Fitbit app (I've been tracking everything this week) have given me a clearer picture of what's going on.

Lunch: We had a lot of errands to run so I stopped at Chick Fil A for my guess at a compliant option: grilled nuggets and a side salad (no cheese).

Snack: protein square.

Dinner: Chocolate shake with almond butter, greens, and coconut.

Snack: We had a get together at a neighbor's house so I brought fresh veggies and hummus for all the dieters to munch on throughout the evening.

I slept in and was prepping for my mother in law's birthday dinner, so this was more of a brunch/dinner day.

Brunch: vanilla protein shake with greens, fiber, berries, and I remembered the avocado oil!

Snack: Brown rice cake with almond butter, 1/4 cup blueberries

Dinner: I made compliant crock pot chicken tacos and just had my chicken on top of mixed greens instead of a tortilla with some compliant guac and salsa.

Snack: Her birthday dessert was angel food cake with whipped cream and mixed berries. I just had a cup of the berries.

At this point it was pretty late and I wasn't hungry, so it was another one shake day.

Overall, I drank at least 100 oz of water a day, and to keep to a routine, I had my fizz stick as my second "serving" of water each morning (I drink from a 24 oz. tervis at my desk, so it's easy to keep track). On days like day 2 where my sweet tooth was especially active, I'd go for a second fizz. My sweet tooth is also why I do chocolate shakes in the evenings as I tend to crave sweets the most after noon. I tried to drink one detox tea a day (day 3 was crazy so I missed it), usually in the evening.

I tacked my progress all week via my Fitbit app (logging food, water, weight, and activity) which syncs up to this affordable bluetooth scale to track my weight.  By day 4, my barely buttonable jeans were fitting just fine and I've been feeling great! On day 6,  I was looking at my Fitbit app and noticed another unintended side effect: my resting heart rate is about 10 bpm lower! I always felt it was high, so this was a nice thing to see.

Onto the numbers you're probably wanting to see...

At the end of week 1, I lost 8.4 lbs. and a total of 7 inches! I'm thrilled with how this is going and will likely be signing on to do a second month. Can't wait to see what 30 days will have in store if this is only 7!

I've been getting lots of questions about this and I'm happy to help - let me know!

Today is the day.

At the end of last year, I made a commitment to take control of my health and body in 2019 and it begins today with a group of like-minded people as I participate in Arbonne's 30 day challenge.

I'm no stranger to the program; I was a consultant with Arbonne for three years (technically, I am again now because, hello, savings!) and have remained a loyal enthusiast of their amazing, clean products. I've had their shakes and tea and have always been obsessed with their fizz sticks. 

Now, it's time to use them all collectively with especially disciplined clean eating for the next 30 days to boost my help and hopefully drop some pounds along the way. It will be hard, but so, so worth it. I've seen the results of personal friends who have completed the program and know sticking to it will have such an amazing payoff.

For anyone curious, the program focuses on detoxification and involves two shakes daily with clean snacks and meals. Common allergens like dairy and gluten are to be avoided during this time. Tons of resources including recipe suggestions and a Facebook group are ready and available to help keep you on track and encouraged.

Oh, you know. Desk essentials.

I'll be updating with progress and a real look at what I'm eating each week. Wish me luck! My friend Debra can absolutely help you if wellness/weight loss are goals for you in 2019. Let me know and we'll hook you up!

Who: My high school bestie, neighbors, and I

What: Anastasia, the Broadway musical inspired by the 1997 animated film

When: December 2018

Where: Hippodrome Theatre, Baltimore, MD

Why: I love a good princess story!

Thoughts: I've been intrigued by this show ever since it was announced it would become a Broadway musical. The movie is a fun piece of nostalgia and I wondered how they would pull it off. Short answer: they kept the strong bits including the memorable songs "Journey to the Past" and "Once Upon a December" while adapting other parts of the story, most notably the antagonist arc, to give the show a more realistic and historical context. Of course, it's a Broadway show, so tons of new songs were added. This is the perfect show for a girls' night out!

If you haven't seen it yet, have a listen to the original cast recording and check to see if the tour is coming near you!

This will be my final reveal of 2018, and also for awhile. This year I came to terms with the fact that I needed modest and stylish clothes for a body that was suddenly considered plus size. 

I'm so grateful to have found options via services like Stitch Fix, but I'm equally discontent with my body and ready to make some changes. In 2019, I will be focusing on my health and body, starting with participating in Arbonne's 30 day challenge. During that time, the shopping and subscription boxes will be on hold as my first size-related goal will be to get back into traditional women's sizes.

I'll be blogging about my progress along the way, and as much as I love the two items I kept from this fix, hopefully I'll be requesting smaller sizes in my fixes come spring!

These fit like a dream! They are more than I would usually spend on jeans, but a well-fitting pair of pants has always been hard for me to find.

This is super pretty and I kept it with the intention of wearing it to my friend's March wedding. Fingers crossed, it will be too big by then and I'll be selling it on one of the SF Facebook groups!

What the photo doesn't show is that the back has huge polka dots. This is a comfy simple shirt, but not exactly my style. Another SF enthusiast purchased it from me.

The remaining two items, the coat and necklace (whoops, hit checkout before copying down the exact names), were both on the frumpy side for me and were returned.

The good news is, I love a lot of the clothes SF has to offer and look forward to trying on some new things in smaller sizes in 2019. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy getting yourself some pretties in the meantime - here's $25 off your first fix!