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Arbonne30: One Year Update
January 17, 2020 • brands, health and beauty
I started the Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living Challenge in 2019 when I finally decided enough was enough. I was disgusted with my body and it was affecting more than just my vanity. During those 30 days, I posted weekly updates but not a "final" results post.
My reasoning was simple: I finished 30 days, but I'm wasn't finished. I continued 2019 in "maintenance mode" losing a few more pounds and becoming in better shape overall.
I'm in the midst of my second "true" 30 day program, and now seems as good a time as any to share the scale and non-scale victories from the program throughout 2019.
I have no shame in saying I only did the program initially to lose weight. I wasn't looking for or expecting any of these extra benefits, but I'm so grateful for all these other victories that came as a result!
January is the easiest time for me personally to comply to the program 100%, but programs run constantly throughout the year. I love the supportive community - I can always turn to someone else for recipe inspiration or any type of questions!
Last year, my eating was on the boring side just to keep things easy. I wasn't unhappy by any means, but I knew I'd want more variety this time around, and having both the experience and the community made it so much easier to find some new yummy meals. I was able to confidently scour Pinterest this time around and make modifications to recipes that caught my eye.
I get that not everyone wants to see skin, so I won't post my full-body initial before and after pictures here, but if you're curious about those or have any questions at all, contact me! It's embarrassing for me to see where I was when I started, but the results are so worth it, and if it helps anyone else feel healthier or more comfortable in their own skin, I'm so happy to share!
My reasoning was simple: I finished 30 days, but I'm wasn't finished. I continued 2019 in "maintenance mode" losing a few more pounds and becoming in better shape overall.
I'm in the midst of my second "true" 30 day program, and now seems as good a time as any to share the scale and non-scale victories from the program throughout 2019.
Non-scale victories
- Fewer naps needed
- Fewer headaches
- Resting heart rate decreased
- No "afternoon slump" at work
- Fewer side effects during "that time" including no weight gained (I'd often gained 3+ lbs during my cycle and blamed the hormones)
- Easier to exercise
I have no shame in saying I only did the program initially to lose weight. I wasn't looking for or expecting any of these extra benefits, but I'm so grateful for all these other victories that came as a result!
Scale victories
- 25 pounds lost (and kept off all year!)
- 15 overall inches lost
- Down one clothing size
Observations
Progress was and is gradual. Month 1 was a complete nutritional overhaul. Month 2 was learning about how to modify the plan to make it sustainable for me. Month 3 introduced increased exercise. Even though the bulk of my weight was lost in month 1, I really started noticing a healthier looking body after month 2. I'm glad I built habits step by step as it has been so much easier for me to keep up instead of feeling overwhelmed by trying to do too much in the beginning.January is the easiest time for me personally to comply to the program 100%, but programs run constantly throughout the year. I love the supportive community - I can always turn to someone else for recipe inspiration or any type of questions!
Last year, my eating was on the boring side just to keep things easy. I wasn't unhappy by any means, but I knew I'd want more variety this time around, and having both the experience and the community made it so much easier to find some new yummy meals. I was able to confidently scour Pinterest this time around and make modifications to recipes that caught my eye.
I get that not everyone wants to see skin, so I won't post my full-body initial before and after pictures here, but if you're curious about those or have any questions at all, contact me! It's embarrassing for me to see where I was when I started, but the results are so worth it, and if it helps anyone else feel healthier or more comfortable in their own skin, I'm so happy to share!
Baltimore, MD, USA
Stitch Fix Plus: Round 15
May 15, 2019 • brands
I feel like I've been waiting forever to bust out my spring and summer clothes! It's been an interesting spring in Baltimore with no two days alike: warm and perfect one day while rainy and 20 degrees cooler the next.
The thing about weight loss, both good and bad, is the need for new clothes! Stitch Fix helped pick up my self esteem last spring and summer with plenty of cute plus size clothes. This season, most of those items no longer fit! So, I asked my stylist for some summer vacation-friendly items in my new size as well as a favorite from last season.
Here's the haul:
ABSOLUTELY | Uma Drape Cardigan | $44.00
I was so excited to see this in my fix! I asked for an ivory cardigan multiple times last season and they didn't have one. This one was super comfortable and fun, but It had an open knit that immediately snagged on my engagement ring - not the kind of thing I want to worry about on a daily basis. Returned.
PAPERMOON | Lucy Sheer Yoke Knit Tank | $44.00
This was one of my all time favorite SF items last year and I was equally ecstatic and devastated when I saw how big it fit me this year. I begged my stylist to send it again in my new size. Thankfully, it was in stock! Apparently, I lost more weight than I thought because a size smaller was still too big and no other sizes were available. Womp Womp. Returned.
CITY CHIC | Trina Off The Shoulder Dress | $79.00
I love a good summer dress and I loved the color and fabric of this one, but empire waists aren't the most flattering on me and I have never been a fan of cold shoulder styles. Returned.
SKIES ARE BLUE | Zinny Embroidery Detail Top | $48.00
KUT FROM THE KLOTH | Corynne Distressed Boyfriend Short | $68.00
I believe the top is this year's version of a top I received last season - the Zina split neck top. That top was one of my all time favorite SF pieces due to the fun print and amazingly soft rayon fabric. This top was the same style and fabric but the print just felt frumpy. Returned.
I could use some good shorts and I love Kut From the Kloth denim, but between the distressed look and the large unflattering fit, these were a no for me. Returned.
Well, this fix was a bit of a bummer but it happens. The stylist did choose two items that were exactly my style but just didn't work out. The others? Eh. Summer is quickly coming as is vacation, so I've requested a follow-up fix ASAP. Stay tuned to see if we have a winner!
Baltimore, MD, USA
Arbonne Protein Balls: 2 Ways!
April 8, 2019 • brands, food, health and beauty
My most popular post of all time is the recipe for Arbonne Protein Bars. I'm not surprised—they're easy and delicious!
2 of the ingredients, however, aren't compliant with a strict 30 day challenge. While I haven't found a swap to make them fully compliant, I've found a new and improved way to make these with only one forbidden ingredient: honey! They satisfy my sweet tooth and are a way cleaner option than most desserts. I follow the program at about 80% now and honey is one of the ingredients I let slide, especially since I only generally have it in these protein balls.
The chocolate version is very similar to the original bars, using almond butter in place of peanut butter. The kick of cinnamon in the vanilla version makes them equally satisfying. My hubby has been reaching for both since I started making them—let me know which variety you like best!
Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Balls
by
Prep Time: 5 Min
Cook Time: 0 Min
Ingredients (6 balls)
- 3/4 cup gluten free oats
- 1/4 cup Arbonne vanilla protein powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1 tbsp organic honey
- Splash of vanilla
Instructions
Put all ingredients into food processor
Blend until combined
Roll into 6 balls
Sprinkle additional cinnamon on top if desired
Place in covered dish and refrigerate
Blend until combined
Roll into 6 balls
Sprinkle additional cinnamon on top if desired
Place in covered dish and refrigerate
Chocolate Almond Protein Balls
by
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ingredients (6 balls)
- 3/4 cup gluten free oats
- 1/4 cup Arbonne chocolate protein powder
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1 tbsp organic honey
Instructions
Put all ingredients into food processor
Blend until combined
Roll into 6 balls
Place in covered dish and refrigerate
Baltimore, MD, USA
Arbonne30: Week 3 Results
January 28, 2019 • brands, green, health and beauty
3 weeks down, 1 to go!
I've been doing the Arbonne 30 days to healthy living challenge all month which involves shakes and clean eating including Arbonne products, many of which I'd already tried and loved. I've lost pounds and inches while gaining energy and overall better health.
I was worried going into week 3 because it involves an additional step: the 7 day body cleanse.
I've heard of all sorts of side effects related to cleanses and even started mine a day early so I could try it out at home vs. work for the first two days.
Thankfully, I needn't have worried. It didn't taste bad, I didn't get headaches, I wasn't rushing to the bathroom. I did everything I did in weeks 1 and 2 plus drank this stuff every day. No sweat, really. If the label didn't say "cleanse" I could have easily mistaken it for a lemon flavored fizz stick.
I again prepped a big batch of food to prep for all my lunches: black beans and rice/quinoa with ground turkey, guacamole, and a mixed greens salad. Yum! Prepping has hands down kept me successful with the program.
We had friends over for a Rent Live viewing on Sunday and I put out veggies with hummus, mixed berries, chips with guacamole/salsa, and LaCroix. It was quite a healthy event (I had to skip the chips), and I didn't feel deprived at all. It felt good to step on the scale the next morning and see I hadn't gained an ounce.
At the beginning of the program I was sad to part with favorite things like bread and cheese, but I've been surprised to realize how much I love corn. I don't generally eat straight corn, so I didn't think it was an issue, but man do I miss snacking on some popcorn or the crunch of a tortilla chip with guacamole. I can definitely see it being a "cheat" food for me when I move to a maintenance plan!
Results
I lost another inch and 2 pounds this week! I've read countless articles refer to 2 lbs/week being healthy weight loss, so I'm glad to be maintaining that (my big week 1 loss was of course, water weight). I love how my clothes are fitting, and again, how I'm feeling. I'm still stunned that I haven't had a headache in 2 weeks and haven't needed a nap since beginning the program!
Bonus
I wore the dress in this week's update pic to Ireland in 2016. Technically I weigh the same now as I did then, but wow! Look at the difference healthy makes. You can especially see how much healthier my face is compared to then.
The next 30 day program begins on February 4. If you're prioritizing your wellness, consider this your invitation. I'd be happy to help you!
Baltimore, MD, USA
Arbonne 30: Week 1 Breakdown and Results
January 14, 2019 • brands, health and beauty
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:
Day 1
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.
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.
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 :)
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| 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
Snack: Hummus with raw broccoli/carrots, detox tea
Day 2
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!
Dinner: Chocolate protein shake with greens and almond butter
Snack: Broccoli and carrots with hummus
Snack: Broccoli and carrots with hummus
Day 3
Breakfast: vanilla protein shake with greens, fiber, avocado oil, and berries
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.
Day 4
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.
Day 5
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
Snack: boiled egg
Day 6
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.
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.
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.
Day 7
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!
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.
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.
Results
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!
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!
Baltimore, MD, USA
Gourmet Pear Parmesean Bites with Stella + Giveaway!
November 19, 2018 • brands, food
This post is sponsored by Stella® Cheese but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
No holiday party is complete without delicious bites to eat. In anticipation of the season, my Facebook feed has been filled with videos of festive punches and appetizers. One particular appetizer featuring brie has appeared time and time again. Delicious as it is, why should brie get all the cheese love? If you're a cheeseaholic like me, take a good look at the cheese section of your local grocer and get creative! One cheesy appetizer is never enough.
My local Harris Teeter is full of Stella chesses. They are easy to use and have an Italian history of traditional cheesemaking almost as rich as it's flavors. I grabbed some organic shredded parmesean and explored pairings to find the best gourmet bite.
I love how it tastes in these puff pastry bites combined with the sweetness of pear and hint of cinnamon. It's easy to make, easy to eat, and looks super fancy. They're the perfect addition to your party hors d'oeuvre lineup!
I love how it tastes in these puff pastry bites combined with the sweetness of pear and hint of cinnamon. It's easy to make, easy to eat, and looks super fancy. They're the perfect addition to your party hors d'oeuvre lineup!
Psst...what's a holiday party without a stocking?
Enter to win this stocking full of goodies while you nibble on some yummy Stella Cheeses!
December to Remember Giveaway Hop
Enter to win this stocking full of goodies while you nibble on some yummy Stella Cheeses!
December to Remember Giveaway Hop
Parmesean Pear Bites
by
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients (2 dozen bites)
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp water
For the bites:
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 container Stella shredded parmesean cheese
- 1 pear, diced
- Chopped walnuts
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Honey
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| Easy as 1,2,3! |
Instructions
For the egg wash:
Whisk egg and water together in separate container
For the bites:
Preheat oven to 425 F
Coat puff pastry on one side with egg wash
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
Cut pastry into squares approximately 2x2 inches
Press squares wash side up into mini muffin tin
Fill pastry halfway with shredded Parmesan
Fill rest of pastry with diced pear
Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top and additional Parmesan if desired
Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes
Drizzle with honey and serve warm
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Baltimore, MD, USA
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