Newlywed Nutrition : Day 14

At the start I told you all that I would be completely honest about my experience with the 24 day challenge. Today marks day 14. I am done with the cleanse which ended on day 10 (Feb22nd). The biggest thing to remember during your cleanse is to drink LOTS of water. At least 64 oz per day! I have a goal log on my work computer that looks like this

Goal: 64 oz water/day

Drink 8oz by the time I get to work
Drink 16oz before I go up on the unit
Drink 8oz while I am up on the unit (Thankfully each unit I work on in the hospital has a little kitchen with cups and a water fountain)
Drink 8oz at lunch
Drink 8oz during my afternoon work
Drink 16 oz during my evening workout

I check each off as I go! Visual Motivation! Below is awesome link to great printouts.
Great Printouts!

A couple of things I want to point out about days 11-24.. You need to be organized when it comes to meal time because you will need to take vitamins accordingly.

My daily regimen

Before Breakfast Color Packet
Metabolic Enhancer (herbal extracts, vitamins and minerals)– 2 caplets
Thermo T (combination of tea extracts and other nutrients) – 1 caplet
ProBiotic Restore – 1 capsule

Before Lunch Color Packet
Metabolic Enhancer – 2 caplets
Thermo T – 1 caplet

White Packet
CorePlex (multivitamin) – 3 caplets
CitriSate – (appetite suppressant caple) 1 caplet

White Packet
OmegaPlex (blend of omega-3 fatty acids) – 1 softgel

I keep this chart in the front of my planner so I can check off every time! More visuals!!

My appetite is controlled only because I have regular eating habits and I drink plenty of fluid in-between meals. The main ingredient of the "appetite suppressant" is 5-Hydroxytryptophan. It's is used to help increase serotonin (the feel good hormone) in the brain. Now this will work on some, but not all (just like a lot of herbs, vitamins and even prescription drugs)!

It is often used by those who suffer from depression (chemical imbalance in the brain), so if you're already chemically balanced then this will, more then likely, not have an effect on appetite. But you may get the good mood boost. The thought is, if you are balanced, you will not have a hunger spike causing you to crave simple carbohydrates. It make sense, however, it does not work on some and I'm one of those. A greater detail is below.

An intermediate formed from the essential aromatic amino acid, L-tryptophan. The production of 5-hydroxytryptophan is the first step in the synthesis of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), which functions primarily as a neurotransmitter, and melatonin, the principal hormone secreted by the pineal gland. These substances are believed to have effects on mood and performance. 5-Hydroxytryptophan gives rise to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) in the tissues by a decarboxylase enzyme.

If you are research junkie like me visit this link for more information: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

As I continue I will go into the science behind all of these vitamins!

Overall I have great amounts of Energy! I am eating 3 meals a day with fluid and fruit in between. I did try the meal replacement shake today, because I was not too hungry. It was actually very good. Theflavo was berry!

I mixed with with 9 oz of water and added in a cutie =) aka a small mandarin orange!

NOTE: If you are limiting caffeine or get the "shakes" you may want to lay off of the Spark in the morning and save it just for work outs, because their is about 280 mg of caffeine in the vitamins (or do what I do, water it down and sip on it throughout the day). Caffeine does serve as a diuretic in the body, meaning it pulls fluid out! All of the more reason to consume >64oz per day! I have a couple of clients who enjoy the V16 Energy Drink with is caffeine free.