#healthyteacher

My official 24-Day Challenge is over! (well- actually my last day was on the 3rd... but I was not about to write up a lil post on the FOURTH of JULY! Or the weekend following... Ain't nobody got time for that.)

Here are my final quantitative stats:

L-Bs Lost: 8.8

Total Inches Lost: 16.5

Inches lost around my gut (because "belly" is waaaay too cute a word to describe what I was previously rocking): SEVEN INCHES

Though the weight loss aspect was nice, I was much more excited about the inches coming off. Those numbers are really what directly relate to how well my clothes fit and on day 24, I was squeezing back into my student teaching pants!

I followed the rules of the challenge fairly closely. I would say that I ate dairy products maybe 4x total during the program, and had something off of the complex carbs list an average of 1x day. I ate TONS of veggies (carrots, broccoli, peppers, corn, asparagus, green beans, snap peas, etc.), fresh fruit (mostly apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, pears, blackberries, and raspberries), almond and peanut butter, chicken, ground turkey, shrimp, egg whites, and almonds. A couple of times when I was starving and knew I might cheat, I had veggie sushi (brown rice, avocado, carrots, and cucumber) for lunch from good ol' HEB. When I was craving something sweet (which was actually pretty rare), I usually had an apple or banana with peanut butter, OR a no-sugar added fruit cup.

I honest and truly thought that it was easy to stick with this challenge, even when we ate out a few times... But I also honest and truly know that a huge part of the reason I found it so easy is because I was home most of the time and I could plan my snacks and meals ahead or spend the time to cook whatever I found in the fridge. Planning ahead is definitely something I will take into next year.

Now, back from my weekend of indulgence and Independence celebrating, I am back on the wagon. I gained about two pounds back over the course of my long weekend of fun, but I know it will not be difficult to shake off. I am not currently on Advocare products (but really only because I ran out and didn't have anyone to order from!), but I am sticking pretty closely to the Max Phase eating plan (because when you break it down, it is just a plan to help you make healthy choices- nothing ridiculous) and intend to do so throughout the rest of the summer.

...speaking of, my next challenge is going to be eating healthy while I am traveling. I will be flying, mission-tripping AND road-tripping over the course of the next few weeks. Maybe sticking to an 80-20 rule? Here's to hoping!