I feel rather lithe and long-limbed, like a....gazelle.

I am happy to say I am FINISHED with this juice cleanse. DONE. No more.

Before I give you my feedback I have to make one admission.........
I only did 3 days of just juice, instead of the 4 I had planned. I really just didn't want to do it anymore. Three days was enough for me. I don't feel bad about it, because it's not as though I started to eat junk today (Day 4), but I mixed in some fruits and veggies, quinoa and almonds along WITH the rest of my juice.

The weird thing is, once I started eating real food, I found that I WANTED juice. Or a salad. I can literally feel a change in my taste buds and the foods I'm craving.

For a recap I decided to do this Q & A style.

Why did I want to do a juice cleanse?
I am telling you RIGHT now, I did not do this for weight loss. I am educated and smart enough to know that the weight I'd lose as a result wouldn't be in the form I wanted to lose (water vs. fat). Do NOT let weight loss be a driving factor for you in doing a 3-4 day juice cleanse. It's not that you won't see the scale move (I weighed out of curiosity and I've dropped 6 pounds) but more than likely some of that will come right back when you eat regular, solid foods. Now, if you're doing a juice cleanse for longer than a week, maybe...just MAYBE you could keep some of that weight off, but damn....that's dedication.

I decided to try this for my health, to see if it would make me feel more alert and more awake as people claimed it did for them. I felt like I needed a jump start again- I had been in a workout slump and needed to feel better.

How do I feel?
I really feel GREAT. Besides having a small craving for a hamburger, I feel more energetic than I have in a long time (and I've felt this way since day 2 mind you), my skin is super soft, I feel like I can go workout for hours on end and I'm ready and wanting to eat big salads and healthy even more than I did a week ago. No headaches, no aches anywhere. No stomach grumbles.

How much coffee do I usually drink? How much alcohol?
The cleanse said to stay off of caffeine/coffee a week before the juice cleanse. I usually drink about 2-3 cups every morning. Sometimes less. The past week I hardly drank any to easily transition into the "no-caffeine" zone that the Juice Cleanse asked of me. Alcohol? Usually it's a few drinks on the weekend: wine or whiskey with one ice cube.

Was it tough to give up alcohol/caffeine?
Nope. I only had one small hankering for a glass of wine while watching TV last night. This morning I really wanted a cup of coffee, but tomorrow will come and that cup of coffee will taste like the best thing in life.

Did I miss anything/have cravings/get actually hungry?
There were times at work when I'd get small cravings for things. Not really cravings...more like just a desire to EAT them. lol. I just wanted to bite into them.

What did I like most about this particular cleanse?
SUPER impressed that the drinks are quite low-glycemic and have a very low sugar content. The green juices have only about 7 grams of sugar per bottle, and 18-20 grams on the higher end. A few other cleanses I looked into contained about 40-60 grams of sugar per bottle! No. Just no, thank you.

Urban Remedy's cashew milk and cleansing lemonade drinks are sweetened with stevia (other cleanses tend to use agave), so they’re even lower in sugar than the juices.

I also really love their use of super-nutritious veggies like dandelion greens, burdock root, fresh turmeric, etc. I'm all for trying new and interesting veggies and....weeds/roots. haha?

Would I do it again?
Ehhhh, I'd definitely drink juices again, but I think I'd only do a juice cleanse for 3 days and it would be MAYBE twice a year during season change. I could see myself doing it after the holidays. Other than that, a long-term juice cleanse isn't for this girl, but never say never.

What did I learn the past four days?
First and foremost, my long-time suspicions were true... I love food. I just do. I love the way food tastes, I love the "experience" of eating and dining with others, and trying new foods. I will never NOT love food and that's OK. But, I also love the way I feel when eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet...

90% of the time I'm careful with what goes into my body because I want to take care of it- I want it to last a good while. I want to set a good example for other women on what a healthy body image is and how to have a HEALTHY relationship with food.

That's just how it's going to be for me, but that being said a juice cleanse is a nice way to break things up, try new things. ESPECIALLY if you don't get enough fruits and veggies, I think this would be outstanding for you.

I also learned that tastes and habits can be changed and redirected toward something better.
Cost: Urban Remedy cleanses cost $60 a day plus shipping (which costs $45 per 3-day cleanse).

Support: Urban Remedy sends you a pre-cleanse email containing tips for how to prepare for your cleanse. I liked that little something extra.

How to Order: Their website, urbanremedy.com 


Thanks for following along! If you have questions on my experience, let me know I'd be glad to answer! Now on to bigger challenges...what shall I attempt next? Hmmm.........

Yay!! So Beachbosy is participating in Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year!

If you've ever wanted to try P90X or TurboFire, but didn't really have the money to do so in one setting, now is the PERFECT time!!

TurboFire is 55% off and save 27% on P90X Friday through Monday! Supplies are limited so buy quickly! I just got my TurboFire today! Nope...can you believe I didn't have it yet? Mom and I will be sharing it :) See other programs on sale below! May find something else for that stocking!!!

Click HERE to buy

This post was inspired by a good blog friend of mine, Kelly. She's as awesome as they come and her latest blog post was about those pounds that just aren't coming off quick enough. We've all been there, right? When nothing budges and you don't know what the freaking deal is. What up fat?? Move on! Oh, but you can stay in my chestal area. Thanks so much! ;)

Kelly was asking me specifically about higher protein snacks, so I gave her my short but sweet list of the foods I grab for throughout the day for protein. Needless to say, that totally spun me up and I realized just how much I miss blogging about my healthy eating and fitness routines. A total STRONG yearning to write about it even. So, that's what I'm doing.

I think I blog about this every few months, so if you don't wanna read, move along.

At present time I can honestly say I've been doing so well with my workouts and eating healthy. So much in fact, that I've lost almost 8 pounds in TWO weeks! Then again, I gained about 15 during the holidays. LOL. Yeah, I had a bit of a free-for-all last Holiday Season. It's not normal to lose that much weight so quickly, but I'm happy it's peeling off me.

My secret? The type of cardio I choose and my diet. 

I rely HEAVILY on my at-home DVD workouts. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way! Thank you, Beachbody! Seriously. I'm just not big on paying gym memberships- I'd much rather have everything I need for an overall body workout right at home. I'm more likely to do it, for one!

Currently I'm relying on Insanity to whip my ass back into shape. It's SO amazing. High intensity, so if you're a beginner you'll need to start slow, but once you get into the program you'll start to see MAJOR changes FAST!

One of these days, I promise I'll show you a before and after comparison photo. It scares me to think that I'd show my less-than stellar figure off, but if it motivates someone else, who cares. But that won't be for a few more months ;)

I'm a firm believer that a healthy diet is a LIFESTYLE change. You can't just eat healthy and then after losing that weight or gaining the muscle you want, go back to your old ways unless you want to end up RIGHT where you started. And who needs or wants to move backwards?? No one!

That being said, I also believe in "everything in moderation." There are times I just want that Chocolate Peanut Butter Reese's egg, aiyt?? And I'm going to eat it! That also means, that I'm going to still do my workouts the next day and STILL eat my lovely Salmon or chicken breast at my next meal. The biggest thing I've actually soaked in recently is that I am my BIGGEST hindrance in my quest for true fitness goal reaching. I want to look back on this year and realize that I did everything I possibly could to get my body to its full fitness potential! Our bodies do so much for us and to take care of it is a HUGE deal. I want to see those defined abs and arms. I want my legs to be able to climb hill after hill- I cannot WAIT!

I expect this journey to take a year or so, and the maintenance to last a lifetime- and I'm OK with that.

I know this post is all over the place!

I've added a few new recipes to the "Eat This" page- just a few things I've been eating as of late, and also, you can follow me on Pinterest- I'm always adding foods to my boards. Healthy and the not so healthy. haha

My eventual goal? I'd like to be a personal trainer. I love the idea. I love giving advice to others on fitness and health. I love to workout MOST days. I couldn't imagine anything cooler than helping people achieve a healthy mind, body and soul. I don't know why I've never said this out loud before, but I am now. I am determined to one day be the person people look up to and ask advice. Until the, I can only add my two cents to this blog of mine.

My first step is to become a Beachbody coach! Anyone can become one, actually. You do have to pay a monthly fee, but you're part of a team and you get people to become coaches and make your own team. It's a great way to make money, yes, but you also have a big group of motivation behind you! Plus, as a coach you get discounts on Shakeology and the Beachbody workouts! UHM, yes please!! I can't justify doing it quite right now because of Brady's vet bills, but soon. it's not expensive to become a coach, but every cent counts for him.


Anyone interested in being part of my Beachbody team once I start one?? I'd love to have you guys as part of my group! 

Thanks for listening to my blab! I think the next post I do will be my daily meal plan. I always like to see what others eat and how often they eat. I'm weird.

Have a great weekend!

Seriously, if all I'm REALLY craving is some frozen yogurt, I think I'd doing pretty good...and if I just stick with adding fruit to it, it'll be even better....but I can't make that promise, ok?

Holy WOW. I'm writing a blog.

I swear I've tried to type something for the past few weeks, but every time I went to my "edit post" page I decided I didn't feel like doing that crap. So then I closed the window.

Well, here I am and I'd like to simply make a few points.....

Point 1: I'm still not completely out of my funk. Soon. I feel a change coming soon. In the meantime, I'm trying to remain positive.


Point 2: I made a resolution to only buy TWO items from Anthropologie a month, unless I had a gift card of some sort. So far, I have succeeded. I even have two cards with money on them to use- It makes me happy that Anthro has some ugly junk on their website at the moment. Oh, sure, there's still item after cute itme on my wishlist, but it's older stuff that's OUT OF STOCK. I'm stalking in hopes for a pop-back.

Point 3: Jenny likes to dance. I decided I needed "Dance Central" for Kinect and an Xbox to play it on...So, I bought it. I couldn't be happier with it. It's fun. It's hard, surprisingly. If you don't have some sort of dance background, try to do the medium skill level.....I can see how it could be somewhat of a challenge...and probably HILARIOUS. I can't wait to get my non-rhythmic friends over to play with me. Hhaha! I'm just kidding around. Geez. ;-)

Point 4: As of today, January whatever, there are TWO items I simply NEED...NEED....for Spring.

I created this blog originally for inspiration and motivation to attain my fitness goals- I love working out and love to hear about what others eat and do for their workouts.

First of all- you guys must try the Slow-cooked Salsa Chicken. I, for one, don't really get the idea of slow cooking- is it supposed to taste better? Is it SUPPOSED to be convenient, because how is that convenient? Your food has to cook for 6 hours- can anyone keep me from feeling stupid and explain? Either way- I love it! First time I've used my little baby. The chicken was OH so tender and the salsa, taco seasoning and mushroom soup was an awesome, delicious combo. How can something so healthy (besides being high on the sodium side) be so good? I almost feel guilty- I DO feel guilty. In my mind, my ass needs to be eating fish and chicken 24/7. It's all mental.

I'm apologizing to all of you right meow (haha). This blog may as well have been written by Negative Nancy herself- I'm pissed. Depressed and disappointed in myself. For those of you who've been following me for awhile- you KNOW how good I was doing in the gym- how fit I was earlier this year and the end of last year- always working out, eating right. THEN- I moved to DC- and got so busy I never worked out right- and I ate out all the time to socialize with my new colleagues and friends- and now I'm paying that horrid decision. No I don't regret all the fun times spent chatting over great food and wine, but I'm still pissed.

I went to the gym tonight- first time in a few months. I have no good news. Unfortunately, I weigh the heaviest I've ever weighed. EVER (great!) and my measurements SUCKED (perfect). And today I was so great on eating- PERFECT! Nice, clean meals- and then this hit me- Probably because I wasn't expecting those numbers. I was WAY underestimating. It doesn't help that the other women and girls walking around the gym are looking awesome...I kept thinking "HEY! I used to look that good. Now look at me. Stupid out of control lard!" lol ;-)

No, I won't let this beat me up- and I hate writing about it- but I had to get it off my chest, how sad I am :-( Boo. The good thing is, this makes me want to push harder and get my ass into great shape again.

*sigh*

Otherwise- Hope everyone had a great Monday.

I received those cutesy grey heels from ALDO in the mail today- and lemme say- They are precious!! Also The Sidestep Skirt came! Not sure what the obsession with greys and blues are for me right now, but the bug has bitten me for sure.
The Bachelor is on - so I gotta run! :-) Until later!

My very first fitness/weight loss blog!

I'm so excited!

Ok, so technically I do some light blogging on my myspace account...mostly about what's happening in my life, sprinkled with small stories about my fitness journey--but for the avergae Joe, reading about how long I ran on the treadmill or how I almost busted my kneecap at the gym doesn't really interest them.

I've always been a lurker on weight loss blogs, jotting down other people's tips and recipes, but never wanting to take the time to set up an account. :-) Sure, I can be lazy-I admit it. Just a few days ago, however, I stumbled upon Fitting Back In's blog. I started reading and found her writing to be so fun and motivating--then I saw her photo and realized I recognized her and that we had mutual friends! SMALL WORLD! I mean--from just a random weight loss blog search? Really?

Therefore--I'm HERE and ready to share my angst/happiness/pain/struggle/success with you all.

I'd like this first post to be an introduction of sorts...I find numbered lists to be easiest and satisfies the perfectionist inside me. HA!


1. I love to write--it is, after all, my profession, so I may tend to babble and blog randomly about nothing or everything!

2. I'm 25 years old. Born and raised in Alabama. Do I have an accent? Not really. I guess the most reasonable explanation is that I lived near an Army base so growing up I was exposed to so many different people.

3. The love of my life at the moment is my Chihuahua, Brady.



4. The title of my blog may raise a few eyebrows and lead you to believe I'm...conceited, possibly? Not so. It seems my entire life I've been told I had "such a pretty face". You ALL know the saying--in other words, "You have a great face--lose weight". As a child I was slightly more overweight than my peers and to be honest I'm just made big! LOL Of course at that time, all I saw was a fat girl in the mirror and not reality. I won't overuse the term "big-boned"--even though I AM, in all honesty. I have broad shoulders, natural muscle tone, long legs (I'm 5'10!) and am quite sturdy, my friends. In high school I was never the girl boys wanted to date, because I wasn't the gorgeous, thin ninny (who are all now overweight and lazy. Odd isn't it?) Around my senior year of high school and my college years I began getting fit, working out regularly, eating right...Which has led me to where I am now. Grown into my own skin and overall happy with who I am and what I look like. Nowadays, I'm not afraid to tell my weight. Who cares?! I try not to bother with the scale--as great of a tool it is, it can cause some slight depression! LOL...especially after a big carb slip-up. Most people are shocked to learn my true weight anyway. They're usually off my about 20 pounds. Hey! I'll take it! :-)

Instead of weighing everyday, I weigh myself every week or two weeks and take my measurements religiously! That, in my opinion, is the best source of tracking weight loss. Oh, that and body fat analysis. Here at work, we have a "life center" trainer who will gladly take our body fat percentages for us. It's amazing to see those numbers reduce over time.

5. My main purpose for this blog is to have a tool where I can easily track my workouts and what I eat...and of course mingle with everyone and share ideas. So please feel free to share anything. (Especially recipes! I LOOOOVE getting new recipes! Preferably low carb *hint hint*)

Check back later for a blog with my current photo, my lowest weight photo and heaviest photo. As well as my current diet and workout routines. YAY!!