2 down... 8 to go!

Preparation is key...

The Advocare 'cleanse' is very mild, to say the least. I'm going to touch base on this very personal issue, only because I know everyone who reads and hears about this cleanse is wondering how 'effective' it is. I suppose I had my first 'cleansing' effect this morning, and was expecting, well, to be blunt, a shit-tas-trophy. But not at all. I felt replenished (lol) but, it did make me go more often than normal. Last I spoke with Lisa, she had yet to have any effect. I guess it will determine on how much 'cleansing' you need. By the way I ate this past Easter weekend (knowing I was going to be doing this for the next 10 days, I was on a peanut butter egg eating marathon) I'm suspecting I needed more cleansing. But, enough of that talk...

The fiber drink (UGH) is... awful. I didn't think it was as bad as I heard it was when I had it yesterday morning, but today it did not go down as smoothly. I mixed it and started replying to an email (you know, my morning iPad session) as I sipped it, and when I went to drink it again, it turned into almost a gelatin! I had to add more water, mix, and chug. That is, by far, the worst part so far. And keep in mind, I ate nothing but fruits and veggies all day yesterday!

I cannot stress enough, when taking on this cleanse (and then challenge), how important it is to prepare and be organized. I want to touch on that a little bit more to help those who are following along with the mealplan or plan on purchasing the cleanse supplements and doing it the future. 

First off, there are several times a day you take Advocare supplements and products. Mornings can be pretty hectic around here, being I have a 19-month old and am trying to get up and out to the gym, so I cleaned out a drawer in my kitchen, and dedicated it to the cleanse. First, I read the outline of when to take supplements and ziplock-bagged my fiber drink, spark packet, catalyst (I chose to take as an add-on) and my omegaplex that you take with breakfast. I wrote the day on them and its much easier to grab a ziplock in the morning. Behind them is my container of 'Spark' for the afternoon, and behind that is my portioned out nuts (healthy fats). 

At night right before bed, you are to take another 2 omegaplex and the herbal cleanse packet (3 pills).  I took a little container and put all my herbal cleanse packets and filled a pill box with my omegaplex and put them right on the nightstand. When I go up to bed, I bring my 'jug' of water, as Eddie calls it, and swallow all my supplements while I watch 'King of Queens' repeats and pass out. Then, guess what I do in the morning... I wake up, go downstairs, and grab my prepared ziplock to start all over again. Having everything handy will help out a lot.

We know I prepped our foods for this week. So today at lunch, without thinking, I opened the fridge, grabbed a zip locked chicken breast, green beans, and 1/2 sweet potato. Heat and eat! At 'snack time,' I grabbed a 1/4 cup portioned bag of cashews and banana. If you are on-the-go or work during the day, the preparation is crucial to stay on track. 

Today has been a much easier day than yesterday! Although the thought of not being able to eat anything but fruits and veggies was more terrifying yesterday than actually following through with it. After getting creative and making a '#bigasssalad' (as us Instagrammers say- hehe)  with fruit and tons of veggies, I felt a lot more fulfilled and did not go to bed hungry. 

**Don't forget to follow #mandalisacleanse on Instagram for ideas and to follow our journey!

Don't be nervous friends! Hop on the bandwagon and get clean! 

..don't be shy, and thanks for stopping by!.. 

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