Day 1 of the 3-Day Refresh

I was MORE than ready for this day to come! Since the July 4th holiday I have not eaten my healthiest and had way more cheat days than I should have. I don't know if I'm the only one that does this but I've been planning this Refresh for 2 weeks so up to that point I almost felt like I was in competition with myself to see how unhealthy I could eat (my before pictures attest to this). For example, on Sunday, I decided since I was going to have to follow a 3 day STRICT clean eating deit, I would make a Zaxby's run and eat the delicious Nibbler meal WITH fries and some fried cheddar bites even though I knew it would make me feel sick (I'm human and actually enjoy eating this food so please don't judge.) I felt pretty blah later that day and decided that I was ready to start on Monday.

I made sure I did ALL of the prep work for the 3 days ahead of time so I would minimize any chance that I'd fall off the wagon. I spent over an hour prepping the salads and salad dressings, cutting up my fruit, and making my veggie cups. I packed up my single serving blender to take to work so I could sit in my office, alone, and away from any temptation. I'm making my husband cook dinner for the next 3 nights for him and Carter so I won't be tempted to eat any! I took my before and after pictures on Sunday night along with my measurements and placed the required 8 oz of water in the bathroom to drink as soon as I got up! I'm all prepped and ready!

Day 1: I woke up at 5:00 AM and drank the water I placed in the bathroom over a 15 minute period and to my surprise it curbed my appetite for breakfast. I weighed myself on an empty stomach so I could get an accurate weight. My starting weight was 123.8.

My weight the morning of Day 1!

 Around 5:45 I ate breakfast; I drank my usual strawberry Shakeology mixed with 10 oz of water and 1/2 a banana. It was actually pretty good (I usually add lemonade in with it).

Sorry, I drank most of it before I remembered to take a picture!!

I felt full and wasn't starving by the time I was supposed to drink the Fiber Sweep for my mid morning "snack". I was able to get this down around 10:30. This was NOT very pleasant to drink and I had a hard time forcing it down. The taste wasn't too bad and had a lemony kind of flavor. The thick, grainy texture is what did me in. I'm just glad I only have to drink one of these bad boys per day!!

Mix the packet with 8 oz of COLD water.

I wouldn't say that the Fiber Sweep filled me up but at 12:30 when it was time for lunch, I still wasn't starving. I know you're looking at what I've eaten today and thinking there is NO way, and that you would have already died of starvation but I promise it didn't make me feel like that. I'm not sure if it was the water before breakfast or what but I honestly was not dying! For lunch I made the Vanilla Refresh shake mixed with about 8 strawberries and 10 oz of water. I also ate 5 baby carrots and 2 TBSP of classic Hummus.

The Vanilla Refresh shake was MUCH better than the Fiber Sweep shake but not as good as my regular Shakeology. :) I ate and drank slower than usual so I could savor the food since I wasn't getting a whole lot for lunch. I did really good up until after lunch. That's when I usually struggle because I get hit with that "after lunch, ready to go home" feeling. I was good and stayed away from the vending machines and instead ate my PLANNED afternoon snack around 3:00 PM. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, I finished my recommended water intake by lunch time! I usually struggle with drinking enough water but I've made sure to drink PLENTY of it so I know this is playing a part in feeling full longer.

1/2 medium cucumber drizzled with Olive Oil

I drank more water which held me over pretty well until dinner time. I ate my premade tomato and cucumber salad for dinner around 6:30 PM. I can't lie, it was really tough to not mow down the steaks that my husband made for dinner. I did cheat and have 2 TINY pieces just to taste it. I wasn't hungry but I'm an emotional/stress eater and have been under stress lately so I just wanted to eat something, I didn't care what it was really... I'm proud that it was just two tiny pieces and not the whole thing so something has to be said about that!

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients: 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 medium cucumber, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (halved), 1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, 1 dash Himalayan salt. 

Directions: 1. Combine red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and oil in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside. 2. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, basil, and salt in a large bowl; mix well. 3. Drizzle dressing over cucumber mixture; toss gently to blend.

I went to bed without eating anything else. I wasn't starving by any means but I had this urge to eat. I'm thinking it was because I was bored and just wanted to stress eat. I stayed strong though so I'm giving myself a little pat on the back this morning!

My weight the morning of Day 2!

Overall: The good, the bad, and the ugly!
-Felt satisfied all day
-HATED the Fiber Sweep
-Had to tinkle A LOT
-Didn't feel bloated
-Slept AMAZING (compared to the night before)
-Lost 1.4 lbs

All in all Day 1 of the Refresh was a SUCCESS!