*13* Cleanse Overview

Now that we're 10 days down and done with the cleanse, I wanted to summarize our experience with it all and update with our results so far.

This morning we both weighed ourselves and I am down 4.4 lbs.  I'm a mere 3lbs from my goal weight! This is great news to me because prior to starting the challenge, I was hovering around 126-127lbs, an all new high for me. The day we started the challenge, I somehow was down to 122.4, which completely surprised me (though I'm not complaining).  My husband is down a whopping 15.2lbs! I'm so proud of him!  When we took our measurements after work, I was down a total of 8.5" and Jake 9.75".  I don't see a ton of changes in my body yet, but I know that only good things are going to come.  I do think that my face seems thinner-which was one result I was really hoping for. This challenge has been hard, don't get me wrong, but seeing results like this is so worth it.
Here are my insights on the cleanse phase now that we've completed it.

*Eating and choosing acceptable foods that we also like was easier than I thought it would be.  I've been forced to be a little creative with dinner so that we don't get bored and I think we've done a good job

*I miss dairy. A.LOT. I'm a big milk drinker, especially with dinner.

*We have found that we're able to get fuller on smaller quantities and our bodies are starting to tell us throughout the day when we're hungry for those mid morning and mid afternoon snacks.

*I used to routinely skip breakfast.  I can't do that anymore.  By 8:00 my stomach is growling for food!  I'm lovin' these meal replacement shakes and am thinking about continuing them past the challenge.  I'm a grab and go kinda girl, so I need something I can eat on the fly.

*Drinking water is still a bit of a challenge, but I've gotten in the habit of forcing myself to do it.  It really helps having plenty of water on hand.  We keep two full pictures of water in the fridge at all times. I always make sure to fill up my water bottle the night before so that it's ready to grab on my way out the door in the morning.

*Having my husband do the challenge with me is my saving grace.  If it weren't for him, I would never have been successful.  I'm so glad that he decided to do the challenge with me and is motivating me not to cheat. 

Here's to another successful 14 days! Burn, baby, burn!