Drum Roll Pleeaaassseee....

I heard quite a few times "I couldn't eat that way for a whole month." Well what do you know...a whole month has passed and I'm still standing and feeling much better than I did 28 days ago. No joke! In the world of yo-yo dieting, I have truly found something that I believe will stick and will take me down the road of healthy weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. I realize what it feels like to "feel the way my body is meant to feel" and I'm excited to continue this journey! As mentioned in my previous post, I started a weekly class called Ballet Blast. I did my first class the first week of my detox. It was the hardest class ever, I could barely make it through each of the exercises and had zero energy. I hurt so badly the next day from this intense class. I was thrilled when I went to the class last week and made it through the entire workout without stopping!! At the end of each class, we do plank for about 5  minutes straight. The first week was a complete joke; I could barely hold any of the moves for 20 seconds let alone do the entire section of the class. Last week was INCREDIBLE! I was able to do the entire section without stopping! I still have a long ways to go but I am super excited that I can already tell the difference in just 4 weeks!

So I know you're all patiently waiting for the results so I'll just get to it! :)

We'll remind you of where I was just 4 weeks ago:

Final stats after 28 days!

Ending weight: 146.8lb 135lbs
Smallest part of waist: 29" 27.5" 
Belly button: 36.5" 35"
2" below belly button: 37.5" 36"
Thigh: 25" 24"
Butt: 41" 39.5"
Chest: 34" 33"

YES you read that right...after just 4 weeks this is what I have lost!

Down 11.8 Pounds

Down 4.5 total Inches in my mid section plus an addition 4.5" in other places. 

Here are the pictures. I got a new phone that is supposed to be spectacular with pictures, but I'm not impressed so you'll have to deal with the grainy pics!

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 I still have a ways to go but I am so happy with the results and plan to keep up with calorie counting and daily Arbonne protein shakes. When I lost a bunch of weight for my body it started at my face and neck and worked its way down to my booty. I am confident this is how it will happen this go around too. You can see me shrinking at the top. I love being blessed with the extra junk in the trunk...ha ha...I'm ready to be done with that and just be fit and healthy and get rid of the lumps if at all possible!

I will keep you all up on the progress. My goal is to look smoking HOT in this outfit and I am nowhere near that but accountability is step one in reaching whatever goal we set for ourselves and this is my goal. I hope you follow me on my journey and even consider thinking about yourself and take the same leap that I did.

Call or email me to learn more about how you can do this for yourself!

stefanie.e.joseph@gmail.com
801-232-7148

Your mind is stronger than your body!

You know our body and minds are amazing! I recently started to participate in Ballet Blast a cardio ballet class. I've only been 2 times but have loved it every minute of it. Throughout the class, the instructor pushes you to places you didn't think is possible and her words have stuck in my head, "Your mind is stronger than your body!"

Through the 3 weeks of this detox I have come to appreciate this statement. As I've mentioned previously, I started this detox to get my butt in gear to get healthy and lose weight. I had no clue what I was getting myself into, it just sounded right for me. Here I am 3 weeks down and I feel absolutely amazing! I can honestly say that the majority of my cravings have disappeared. My mind is beginning to conquer my body and I truly feel it is because how I am feeling from the inside out. Sure I think about food and I think about eating the "forbidden fruit" but it's strictly out of boredom. Sara and I were talking this week that we really don't feel hungry anymore, even having to remind ourselves to go eat lunch because we're not getting the hunger pangs. I had a pretty stressful day at work last Friday and normally that would be my ticket to a crappy lunch. I said to myself, "I wish I could just go eat ...." and I honestly could not think of something "crappy" that I wanted to indulge in. Please trust me that I am not just saying this to sell you, it is the absolute truth. I have one week left on this detox and I honestly can't think of a "celebration" meal that I want to have.

I'm also not missing my coffee or sodas. If I need a little pick me up, I treat myself to a fizz stick drinkand it gives me the energy without feeling like I've been given the energy. I just feel better and happier, my mind feels a little more clear when I have it and I don't crash like you would with an energy drink. And it's super yummy and fizzy which I do miss about not having a soda here and there!

I have lost a total of 11 lbs in 3 weeks, my belly appears to be going down (you'll have to wait for the results of the inches for one more week!) I have to admit, it is definitely nice seeing the number on the scale go down because it really tells me that I am doing something right and it gives me the motivation to keep pushing through this and 28 days and honestly beyond the 28 days. I saw a post on FB that went something like this: You notice the difference in 4 weeks, your family/friends notice the difference in 8 weeks, and the world notices the difference in 12 weeks. Keep it up!!! I'm honestly going to keep this up because I know it will give me the results that I am looking for.

I can't say it enough how passionate I have become about this program and I hope my journey inspires you to take the plunge and do this for yourself. You are worth it! I want to be there with you for your journey and promise you that it is worth it...28 days is nothing when it comes to feeling good!

Let the cleanse begin

So halfway through this thing...it truly is flying by...I'm serious! Started the cleanse today for 7 days. My sponsor wasn't kidding when she said this stuff was not very tasty! Anyone want a jolt of prune juice, ok jolt is not the right word since you have to drink 32 ounces of it! 2nd day was much tougher to swallow than the first but the today, 3rd day, was no sweat. Also no change elsewhere in the body like people have been joking about. I have to pee more often but everything else is just as normal!! ;)

https://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/showitem.asp?ProductId=2082

My partners in crime

So I have to give a shout out to Rob and Sara for doing this journey with me! It's one thing to have the motivation to get your butt in gear on your own but there's something to having a support system behind you when you take a leap...even if it's a small one! I'm so excited we're taking this journey together and I can't wait to see what clean eating will do for all of us!!

I got permission to post Sara's stats...once we see her killer results, I may be able to convince her to allow me to post the before and after pictures as well!

Weight: 148.6
Waist: 30"
Belly Button: 36.5"
2" below belly button: 37.5"

We both laughed at our measurement similarities, we are almost identical!

It's especially awesome to work with Sara so we can run to each other if there is a temptation. It's worked really well for both of us and I'm happy to report that to date, neither of us have had any cheat moments!!!

Week one down!

So one week has come and gone. To be honest it went by rather quickly. I struggled with energy for the first week but day 8 came and I honestly didn't even notice! Before I started this, I was a cup of coffee a day girl with at least one Diet Pepsi most days so I really thought I would struggle more with the lack of caffeine. Who would've known if you put good stuff into your body, you somehow manage!

Here's the meals we have been enjoying this week:

Chicken and broccoli stir-fry with brown rice spaghetti noodles

I used a little bit of olive oil and coconut oil with some fresh garlic as my sauce. It was scrumptious!

Chicken fajitas with black beans on a brown rice tortillas

I used my own mix of seasoning, cajun pepper, red pepper, garlic powder and paprika. It was a tad spicy but still very flavorful and tasty. The rice tortillas are ok. The texture is very different from flour tortillas. Rob wasn't a huge fan but would eat it. I think maybe frying them in a little bit of olive oil and treating them like a tostado may be good. Hey...got a whole month to try it!

I weighed myself on day 7 and game weighed in at 142.8...about 4 lbs down in one week! Yes I know it's mostly water weight but it's nice to see results that quickly!

I've mastered the shakes and actually enjoy drinking them! I mix about a 1/8 cup of strawberries, a scoop of vanilla protein mix, a scoop of chocolate, a scoop of fiber, a 1/2 tsp of almond butter or coconut oil, mix in the food processor the night before and got my two meals the next day!

Day 1 - May 28, 2013

Ok holiday is over, BBQ fun has come and gone. Time to get on track with this healthy living!

Had a shake for breakfast and lunch. Not bad! Mixed about 1/4 cup strawberries, 4oz Coconut Milk (unsweetened), 1 scoop of Arbonne chocolate protein, 1 scoop of vanilla, 1 scoop of Arbonne fiber supplement, and 1/2 Tbs of almond butter. Blend it my food processor and enjoy!

Dinner:
Sauteed chicken, then added broccoli and cauliflower. Seasoned with curry, basil, black pepper and maybe a few other spices. Chicken was a little dry and lacked flavor so we'll step it up a bit next time.
Boiled lentil beans with rosemary, bay leaves, and onion. First time ever making lentil beans and they were pretty yummy if I say so myself. I let them cook slightly too long but they were still yummy. Made way too much though!!

Love my fine china?!?

First day was a success, was able to make up for the lack of coffee with a couple Arbonne fizz sticks and running around with the kids. I think this will be the hardest part for me though!

I'm bearing it all!

So there's obviously a starting point to all of this madness. You get to see and hear about the before, during and continued success (hopefully) of a new healthy Stefanie!

Starting Stats 5-28-13:
Starting weight: 146.8lb
Belly button: 36.5"
2" below belly button: 37.5"
Thigh: 25"
Butt: 41"

Now the fun stuff...PICTURES!

The area that frustrates me is my mid section. Growing up I always had that flat tummy no matter what the rest of me looked like. I know my softness comes from my sweet little babies so I'm not complaining, just done with the way I look. The success stories I have read about this program have been about the reduction in inches in the mid section. Detoxification diets help to remove accumulated toxins in your body that are naturally stored in your fat cells. (www.ehow.com) The Arbonne detox line helps you reduce belly fat as it's naturally cleaning you out.

My disclaimer: Yes I know I am not a doctor, I'm still learning about this program. I'm still learning about all of the benefits that healthy clean eating can do for you. There are many "diets" out there, some that I have personally tried, but this is a focus on making better choices about what I put in my body! You will get first hand results...good and bad from me through this journey. Come join me and see what it can do for you too!

Why am I here?

After my sweet Samillya was born, I wanted to get back into a healthy lifestyle. I did so well getting healthy and fit before our wedding and loved how great I felt. Having kids changes everything...from how you eat, when you eat, what time you have to work out...if you get to work out...it's just so different. The main thing I did for the wedding was put myself on a strict 1200 calorie diet and picked up running a few times a week. I felt awesome! Food pretty much became a necessity to me and I truly did get rid of a lot of cravings for the bad food. Don't get me wrong I still had cheat meals here and there but I lost of 30 lbs and felt and looked the best that I ever have.

Fast forward 4 years now! Two beautiful children, a full time job and a desire to get back to being healthy. I was doing ok here and there, trying to make better choices, trying to count calories, but I just couldn't find the thing that motivated me! I want to do it and know I can do it, but needed to find a way to jump start my way back to being healthy and feeling great. I contacted my Arbonne rep...now sponsor Katy Gallegos for some make-up having no clue what other products they have to offer. I heard about their great primer and foundation and I wanted to try it. After receiving samples from Katy, I instantly fell in love! In talking to Katy, I learned about the broad spectrum of products that Arbonne has to offer. The line that peaked my interest was the nutrition. She had me sold on it when she mentioned it was vegan and gluten free! Imagine my surprise! If you know me I could care less about vegan and gluten free. I love my meats and bread! But my surprise was that here was this product that had tons of protein, tastes good, and Malcolm friendly!! I had no clue something like this was out there! So we kept talking...she educated me on their whole line and how she has helped over a hundred people to feel better and get healthy. Here's where the 28 days to health comes in. The program focuses on five key areas of fitness:
1. Eat clean
2. Increase nutrient intake
3. Eliminate allergenic and addictive foods
4. Balance blood sugar
5. Support elimination organs.
*All 5 areas are supported by Arbonne's whole food nutritional line that is certified vegan and free of gluten, dairy, soy and artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners.

I had the tickles in my stomach knowing that this is exactly what I needed. I felt it inside...yes as silly as it sounds, but I felt this was my ticket to a healthy me. I've already been focused on avoiding allergenic foods while cooking with Malcolm, why didn't I do this for myself? I was so excited about this adventure that I even felt it necessary to become an Arbonne rep. You get to follow me through the entire journey...if it doesn't work, you get to see that it doesn't work. But if it does what they promote and what many people already have claimed has helped them, then you get to witness that too and hopefully you'll take this challenge yourself!