Days 18-19 - New recipe, another Migraine and I'm DONE.

Days 18 and 19...big changes.

But first....

I did make a yummy recipe last night that is another one of my old WW recipes.

Monterey Chicken

Serves: 4

WWP: 6

4 (5 oz.) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 Cup Barbecue Sauce
1/4 Cup Hormel Real Bacon Bits
1 Cup 2% Colby and Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese*
1 (14 oz.) Can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, drained (optional)

Or 1 medium chopped tomato (optional) I do this option
Sliced Green Onions (optional) I do not add
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pound out the chicken breasts to flatten.

Season each with a little salt & pepper.
Cook the chicken in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium-low heat until no longer pink.(or in oven on about 350 for 20 minutes)
Place each breast onto a baking sheet and top each breast with 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup tomatoes, green onions and 1 tablespoon of bacon bits. (I add the bacon FIRST when layering- it stays put better!)
Place into the oven and bake until the cheese has melted (about 5 minutes).


Per Serving: 263 Calories; 8g Fat (29.0% calories from fat); 39g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 108mg Cholesterol; 840mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

 

I served dinner with a litle brown rice, roasted green beans and mushrooms (tossed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roasted) and some grapes (for my girls)!

 

 

But here is the deal. Day 19 and I got another migraine. That makes 2 in 8 days. I've had like ONE migraine in my entire life before these two. And this one was rather scary for me.

According to reearch I did this morning about migraines. What happened to me is what I highlighted in red:

Phase Two: Aura
Approximately 15 to 20% of individuals with migraines experience an aura, or visual distortions, preceding the headache. Some people only experience the aura phase, which is a phenomenon called a "silent migraine." The aura phase usually begins minutes or hours before the onset of headache pain. Visual symptoms during aura can include:

• Blurred vision
• Appearance of floaters (tiny specks that float before the eyes)
• Flashes of light or color, or blurry vision
• A blind spot or even complete blindness in one eye

Additional symptoms of the aura phase can include:

• Numbness or tingling of the hands, feet, and/or face (particularly around the mouth)
• Stiff neck
• Weakness
• Vertigo or Dizziness
• Loss of balance
• Ringing in the ears
• Double vision
• Difficulty talking
• Slow thinking or confusion
• Problems with concentration
• Changes in mood and activity level

Because some of these symptoms can also occur with other conditions, such as a detached retina or stroke, individuals suffering any of these symptoms for the first time should check with their healthcare provider to ensure that their symptoms are the result of a migraine episode.

Phase Three: Headache
This is the phase most commonly associated with migraines. The headache of a migraine is a one-sided, throbbing or pounding pain. It causes between 4 to 72 hours of moderate to severe pain (mine lasted about 8 hours before I finally just went to bed!) A headaches that last longer than 72 hours are called s"tatus migrainosus", and require immediate medical attention.The headache is the most disruptive of the phases. To avoid increasing the severity of headache, individuals who have reached this phase usually stop all activity and lie down in a quiet, darkened room, avoiding all stimulation. In addition to the pulsing head pain, the headache is normally associated with a number of other unsavory symptoms, including:

• Extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia), sound (phonophobia) and smell
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Increased pain with physical activity (such as walking or going up or down stairs)

So....with two of these beauties happening to me just since I started the 2nd part of the Challenge, I can't help but wonder???  Yesterday's incident was enough to scare me straight. It honestly felt like the time I had a concussion. Blurry & double vision and weird light flashes in my right eye. I couldn't form words or sentences. I couldn't hold a conversation because I couldn't think or talk. It was strange and scary. Now- I have NO idea if migraines are a side effect of Advocare MNS. NONE - I haven't done that research yet, but as for me and my body - something is going on and the only new thing introduced to it in the last few weeks in the MNS.

So, I'm done.
I'm not going to finish the 24 Day Challenge. In all honesty, I'm kinda scared TO finish it.

In 19 complete days:

Total weight lost = 4 lbs
Total inches lost = 1.7 inches TOTAL

The 24-Day challenge was not successful for me. That doesn't mean it won't be for successful for someone else. If you are considering the Challenge, I urge you to do a little bit of research about the products BEFORE you start. I did not. I wanted to go in blind without any preconception or a biased attitute of how it might or might not work. Hindsight being what it is, I wish I'd done some research on what was in the supplements (or I wish I had just known the AMOUNT of supplements I'd be taking each day). I feel like I let my Advocare gal down. I tried, I really did. I just have to listen to my body. 

I feel somewhat liberated this morning by not having to take the 7 supplements I would have already taken by this time of day (and the 4 more to come!).

I am starting Weight Watchers soon. I really would like like to lose 10-15 lbs. That is it. I'm never going to be super skinny again. Its just not happening. Oh sure, I could lose 30 lbs by mid-summer, but if I were being honest with myself, I know I can't maintain that. I can probably maintain a 10-15 lbs loss. And I'm never going to be a exercise queen. Its just not going to happen.

I am not going to be blogging anymore about my Advocare journey. I am either going to change the name or possibly starting a new one with just healthy recipes and stuff. Hubby is going to start the Insanity Workout soon, too, and that diet is VERY similar to the Advocare diet, minus the supplements, but with the increased protein (which will be different than what I'm going to be doing - this should be interesting!!). Well, all I can do is keep providing healthy dinners on the table and having healthy choices in the pantry and frig. 

Here we go again....