24 Day Challenge: Prep

So here's how the challenge works. First, you need to find a distributor and set up a time to chat with them about your goals, questions, concerns, etc. This conversation will help inform you so that you know which options to choose within your program bundle. Alice wanted to achieve higher levels of energy, while I'm more focused on weight loss, so our products are slightly different.

After you've purchased your program bundle, I highly recommend spending a day or two getting organized. This will help you stay on track and minimize your chances of getting off track. There are a few things I'd recommend you have ready for your challenge.

1. A 20oz Blender Bottle
2. A set of GoStak Containers (or any small containers like these)
3. Lots of leftover containers (I prefer glass like this)
4. A 48oz Water Bottle (I like my Nalgene one, I also recommend this for the Nalgenes)
5. A large lunch box (big enough to fit whatever leftover containers you're using)

We already had a lot of this stuff so it made getting started cheaper, but by no means do you have to buy what I had. Just use what you have as much as you can.  Ok, so now you've got your products and your gear, it's time make a meal plan! 

So, you can get as engrossed in meal planning as you want. I find that planning my meals out makes the whole week MUCH easier, and it helps me stay on budget at the grocery store. I don't go to the extent that I'm researching what's on sale and planning meals around that, although you certainly could to save even more $$$, but I do find the recipes I want to make ahead of time, and make a grocery list based off what I need for those things. I use this menu planning chart I found on Pinterest to help me map out my week. 

During the 24DC, there are some foods that you'll be cutting out (preferably for all 24 days, but at LEAST for the first 10 and then limiting them for the next 14) for maximum results. Those foods are sugar, coffee, dairy, alcohol, and wheat. Notice I said WHEAT and NOT carbs! One thing I love is that the meal plan focuses on complex carb consumption and not low carb. I don't know about you but I get waaaayy to "hangry" when I try to do no carbs. And let's face it, even if you can do it for 24 days, it's really not a sustainable life plan, and that is what the challenge is all about. This is not a crash diet. It's a way to move into making better lifestyle choices. 

Now, I know that eating "healthy" is a very subjective phrase now a days. Depending on your individual needs, healthy can mean sooo many different things. I disclose upfront that I am NOT a nutritionist, or a dietician and I have NO expertise in this arena. I'm only sharing with you what I have found works for me after about 10 years of trial and error. The 24DC meal plan revolves around a few basic food groups: lean protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, fruits, and veggies. For someone like me who really doesn't consume many heavily processed foods (again this term is also very broad but for now, think all the foods that exist in the middle isles of the grocery store), this meal plan makes SO much sense. So after reading through my 24DC Manual that came with the program, I set out on Pinterest to find meals that both Alice and I would enjoy. 

So I spent the day before the challenge getting organized, making my menu, grocery shopping, and doing some food prep. I don't have kids, I don't work on Sunday, and I generally don't make plans for Sunday because I like to be able to get ready for the week ahead, so all of this pretty much took up my day. You do what works for YOU! My upcoming posts will focus more on WHAT exactly we're eating during the challenge. Spoiler alert: it's gonna be delicious!!

If you have any questions about the challenge or want more info, you can always put those in the comments or send me an email. :)