Post-vacation pounds and Plexus (A 34 by 34 update)

Oh Punta Cana, you couldn't have been any better. It was the kind of vacation we have been dreaming of for quite some time and it was as amazing as we had imagined. No major travel hiccups, the food was better than I hoped, the weather was great and the sun was hot. I was sad when it was finally over...but I know that my mom was not.

 

My parents had quite a houseful with my 4 kids and my sister-in-law and her 4 kids in from Florida. On the first night we were away, we awoke to a text from my parents at 4am saying they were taking Hudson to the ER. I had instructed them over and over about what to do if Hudson accidentally ingested something with eggs, to which he has a life-threatening allergy. Benadryl at the first sign of coughing. Epi-pen immediately if vomiting.

So when he began throwing up they worried. He hadn't eaten anything (to their knowledge). He didn't have any other signs (they thought). But they wanted to be on the safe side and weren't sure what else to do.

It turns out he just had a stomach virus, thank goodness! BUT...said virus then made it's way through the household occupants, knocking them out cold one by one. Naturally Ricky and I felt awful about the situation back home (while we sipped our Pina Colada's on the beach in the sun)...

After returning to Clorox and Purell headquarters we made a quick pit-stop in Kentucky for a night before the boys and I hit the road once again to go to Michigan. It's one of my favorite places to be and seeing my kids enjoy it up there as much as I did when I was little is just so so cool. Ricky even surprised us at the end of the week to celebrate the 4th of July with us!

And...now we are home. The only good thing about being home after 2 weeks is sleeping in my own bed. Time to get back into a routine for the rest of the summer.

Some of you may remember that a few weeks before vacation I began using some products from Plexus, specifically the TriPlex (Plexus Slim, ProBio5 and BioCleanse). Each of these products works differently to help you feel your best. Plexus Slim works by naturally lowering your blood sugar which lowers your insulin level. Insulin makes your body store fat cells and also makes you hungry. The ProBio works by getting rid of the Candida overgrowth in your system. It is a pro-biotic that actually has an enzyme blend that penetrates the exoskeleton of the Candida and the 5 different strains of healthy bacteria. Candida overgrowth is caused by antibiotics and processed sugary foods. It's a yeast in our system that then grows roots in our intestinal track and colon causing what is called Leaky Gut syndrome. Candida also causes you to have those sugar and carb cravings! When you heal your gut and toxins stop leaking into your blood stream your body balances back out the way it is meant to be. The BioCleanse works to move everything out of your system.

Having had much success on a (mostly) Paleo diet for several months, I was looking for something that would help me maintain my weight-loss and continue my trend of feeling great. I'm never one to jump in to anythings - especially when it comes to taking any kind of supplement - but after a lot of research and question asking, I determined that the science behind it made sense and I would give it a shot.

The verdict? I loved it. I will admit I was both a little skeptical and nervous about taking the products. The instructions for quantities to take and time of day to take them were all different across the 4 products I had and I was a bit overwhelmed at first. However after speaking to the brand ambassador, she gave me some specific tips that helped me develop a good plan that worked for me.

Because I have taken other supplements before, I was expecting to feel a little jittery. When I didn't, I worried they weren't doing anything at all. The thing is, Plexus products are all-natural and actually complement a Paleo lifestyle very well by helping to clean the gut. So the lack of jitters just meant that it isn't a caffeine-based supplement like the ones I had tried in the past.

In the beginning, I had a headache first thing in the morning for several days in a row. Then on the 3rd day I felt nauseous no matter what I ate or drank. I reached out to my Plexus ambassador and she said those were normal symptoms associated with the Candida die-off. She gave me some more information about that which put my mind at ease. She also said I would likely start to feel a whole lot better very soon. And she was right!

I was sleeping more soundly. I was focusing a bit better throughout the day. And I was getting things done around the house. My tummy bloat diminshed. I already had very few food cravings as a benefit of my Paleo diet, but I found that I could make it meal to meal without even giving what I was going to eat next a second thought. Paleo had me feeling great already, but taking the Plexus products made me feel AMAZING!

So how much weight did I lose? Prior to Plexus, I dropped 17 lbs since the start of the year. 12 of that was after I began eating Paleo. I only lost 2 pounds after starting Plexus, however I had been told that the way it made me feel and a loss of inches was going to be a better measure of my success so I expected that.

The next important question is...how did I feel after I stopped taking Plexus? As vacation approached, I had forgotten to re-order my products so I went without for the 2 weeks I was gone. Granted I also gave up Paleo during that time as well (we were on an all-inclusive vacation for goodness sakes...we ate and drank WHATEVER we wanted all. day. long.) And I figured why not just continue my "cheat" well into my Michigan vacation? I indulged in THE best blueberry donuts from our favorite farm market, ate easy go-to meals like pizza and pasta and gave-in to snacking by the pool. Needless to say, when I stepped on the scale my first morning at home I almost broke down in tears.

In just 2 weeks I had almost undone HALF of what I had worked so hard to lose since January. EEEEKKKK. I feel sluggish. Unmotivated. Bloated. Within 24 hours of returning from vacation I was messaging my Plexus contact to help me get started once again.

Tonight, I am back to meal-planning and Paleo-recipe searching. I will be placing my next order of Plexus products this week and CAN.NOT.WAIT to get that package in the mail. I'm ready to feel amazing again and drop the weight I put back on.

PS -- I'm so excited about the part that Plexus will play in my health journey that I have decided to become an Ambassador myself! Message me if you want to learn more about how you can begin cleaning your gut and feeling great. Thank you Vanessa Garcia for introducing me to this wonderful product!