Advocare is a brand that I’ve seen tons of times. From large sponsored events, to athlete’s repping the brand, all the way down to friends trying out the product; it’s not an unfamiliar brand. But beyond the name, I didn’t know much more about it. When Michael, a Dallas-area Advocare distributor, reached out to me about trying the product, I wasn’t sure how I felt. I had my own preconceived notions about supplement companies. Unlike a fitness class, it would be something I’m putting into my body. Plus, I struggled with a three day juice cleanse, so I wasn’t sure how I’d survive a 24 day long challenge. Keeping an open mind, I wanted to learn more.
The 24 Day Challenge is a nutritional program designed to help jump start your body. It consists of two phases. Phase 1 is a cleanse that lasts 10 days. Once your body is cleansed, you’ll start Phase 2 or the Max Phase where you’ll continue to take supplements that will fuel you body and have it running at peak performance for the remaining 14 days. My goal for taking on the challenge certainly wasn’t to lose weight. I decided to start this cleanse after a very indulgent trip to Guatemala and thought a reset to my digestive system would be just what the doctor ordered.
The first thing I learned about the challenge is that, unlike a juice cleanse, you are allowed to consume food during the challenge. I describe the challenge as a meal planning and supplement program. While you have your vitamins and supplements you take at certain times of the day throughout the day, you are taking it with food. As long as you are eating clean, you get a breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Phase 1 – Cleanse Phase
Can’t say this was delicious. Eventually you got used to it.
For the cleanse phase, there were so many supplements to take I was afraid of missing them altogether. So I referenced this sheet to keep me on track with my supplements, meals, and water intake. There’s also an app you can download as well. It was great to keep things on schedule and Michael checked in on me every few days. Just as the phase name goes, this portion of the challenge is to rid your body of the bad stuff.
I read other blogs that recapped the experience on Advocare. It seemed for some people, they went to the bathroom often, others not so much. It really depends on how your diet was before. It’s not until a few days in can you expect to be more “productive”. My biggest concerned would be how my body would feel while at work. The last thing I wanted was to have an emergency while in the middle of meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it didn’t make tired or cranky. I personally thought the cleanse phase was a breeze.
All this before coffee and breakfast.
Phase 2 – Max Phase
After completing the Cleanse Phase, now it was time to switch to the Max Phase. With my body being cleansed, I was interested to see how my body would react to the new set of supplements. I was told to stick to a 80/20 rule where I could occasionally have a cheat meal and that this phase isn’t supposed to feel like a diet. This phase was particularly challenging for me.
The Metabolic Nutrition System (MNS) E.
During this phase, I made two mistakes. I didn’t plan my meals and snacks properly. I didn’t realize how important it was to include food, more importantly enough protein. I think with the appetite control in the supplements, it made my mind forget to eat or barely eat at all even though my body was screaming for energy. I realized I wasn’t really consuming any food and I had no cravings. Being as active as I was, I had a really bad reaction. Without forcing myself to take in more protein, I was feeling jittery, sick, unfocused, dizzy and nauseous. I was pretty much depleted of all my energy.
Wasn’t a fan of the fruit punch, but really loved this flavor. Reminded me of Tang!
After checking in my with rep, we fixed it quickly and switched me to a different level of the main supplements. There’s MNS E for energy, which is the highest level and the one I was on, MNS 3, which I would describe as a mid-level, and MNS C for appetite control, which I would describe as a lower level. You can learn more about the different products here. After switching to the MNS 3, my body adjusted nicely, all my issues disappeared and I was able to see the program through the end and even continued it for a few more days after.
The Takeaway: In spite of the hiccup in the middle of Phase 2, I liked what the challenge did for my body and my mind. Nothing feels as good as a hitting a reset button. What I also liked is that it’s definitely a sustainable program. I’ve heard of numerous people continuing the program long after they’ve done the challenge. As long as you’re committed to planning your meals, you can definitely do it. The appetite control is also helpful in reminding you to stop eating when you’re full, not because you have to eat the whole portion. I did feel fatigued during the second phase and limited my workouts until after I was done. With the help of Spark (substitute for coffee or redbull) and Arginine Extreme (pre-workout), I was able to make it through my workouts. That nighttime recovery is also fantastic. I still use those products now.
While losing weight wasn’t a goal of mine, I went from 108 to 104. Not a huge drop for most people, but I’m a little person and that was a lot for me. I can only imagine the results for other people would be for more substantial.
After the Challenge: I was incredibly proud that I saw this through and even continued the challenge for a few more days. It takes 21 days to create new habits, and the Advocare challenged helped me notice small habits that needed to fix. I was able to get my water intake on track and my meal planning. I also noticed that I wasn’t overeating as much either. I felt more in-tune with my body and what it needed. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to give my friend Michael a shout by visiting his page and let him know I sent you!
In order to review Advocare, Deep Fried Fit received compensation and all the Advocare products in order to take the 24 Day Challenge. However, all opinions are her own.
Comments
Loving your blog. Keep up the good Work 🙂