My first week on this journey with Arbonne has come and gone. It was equally exciting and challenging as I have encountered times of victory, trial and error, and opposition. Spending time in prayer and affirmations from dear friends have encouraged me to move forward.

As stated in the previous post, I started this program to change my relationship with food, to eat to live, not live to eat so to speak. For the most part, I am height and weight proportionate, so my goals did not include weight loss (although I could stand to lose a little bit of belly, some may argue not).

I spent Sunday shopping for ingredients and was surprised that the final bill came out $20-$25 cheaper than the usual trips to the supermarket I am accustomed to, buying junk! (Good junk tho…lol)

The first day was surprisingly the easiest. I was off from work, so I had the opportunity to dedicate full, undivided attention to the program. I referenced the blueprint I compiled the day before: incorporate digestion plus, morning detox tea, breakfast shake, salad for lunch, 30 minutes of aerobics, midday shake, dinner, sip the energy fizz throughout the day. Everyday of the week by 6:00pm, my body was satisfied and I didn’t feel the urge to munch on junk food in bed before falling into a coma-like stupor (the former best sleep I ever had!)

I realized my first misstep midway through day 1 when I read a reply to a picture I posted in the 30-Day Cleanse FB group with a caption of my morning tea where I incorporated the digestion plus. The hot tea killed the enzymes rendering the supplement useless. I took the constructive feedback into the next day and dissolved the supplement in water to shoot first thing in the morning. But that time I didn’t measure enough water, (or didn’t stir the supplement good enough), and walked about with this unpleasant I think I ate too much feeling in my belly all day. It wasn’t until day 3 that I mastered the art of the digestion supplement, which I prefer hidden in my morning shake because taste on its own is less than appealing. (Think about dry swallowing a big pill. Now keep that same bitter taste in mind as you imagine drinking it.)

I work in the early morning to mid afternoon. So everyday I would wake up, have my morning tea over the daily devotional, and pack my morning shake, lunch, snacks, and the occasional energy fizzes to work. I remember that week joking to my coworkers about my shakes smelling like “healthy.”

With the different array of products to consume and keep track of, it was easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. Day 2 was my first cleanse, a supplement I had to drink throughout the course of the day to clear the kidneys that administered several bathroom trips. Bouncing back and forth between, shakes, fizzes, water, and the cleanse proved exhausting. I later learned that I could combine the fizzes with the cleanse, and I incorporated that practice on Day 4, my second scheduled cleanse.

Several times during my first week I fell off course and had to reroute. On Day 3, I left for the morning without my morning shake and was in no condition to drive back without being late. Luckily, I work in a kitchen. As an alternative I made an egg and veggie scramble that turned out to be very satisfying and saved that morning shake for the midday. Because of the 4th of July holiday my schedule at work was pushed back an hour on day 4. So I invested in some extra sleep and change in the menu for breakfast, a protein power bowl instead of the usual shake. The additional time seemed to fly by fast. By the time I finished the brown rice for the protein bowl, it appeared that it wouldn’t be too much longer until I had to be at work. I rushed through breakfast and headed out the door without my lunch only to get to work and find out that I was scheduled for a paid holiday off. A true bruh moment.

The majority of time out of my days seemed to go into preparation. Luckily, I chose menu items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with like ingredients. So nothing appeared to go to waste. Bur because of my scheeule my subconscious wasn’t on preparing things ahead of time. So I did my prep day by day, which accumulated a lot of dishes. Although at the time it made since to me b/c I am unmarried w/o children. So I had more freedom to change my mind, whether to make something at the house, or eat something at work/in town within the guidelines.

On day 4, I prepped ingredients for the remaining meals of the week to rid myself of the overwhelmingness. I portioned out the frozen fruit for my shakes in bags and sealed leftover slices of lemons/limes (that I used for tea, fizzes, and cleanses) in mini tupperware. This cut down on the labor and allowed more time in thr morning to get ready for work. I portioned it out the rice I made earlier that morning for the burrito bowls and more power protein bowls for later. The ingredients remaining from the burrito bowls I made that night (diced onions, diced tomatoes, minced the parsley, etc) made good use for future meals/salads.

As a reminder, I work in the kitchen. We cook three square meals a day for 1200+ clients and staff, so there is plenty of food to go around. Returning to work fresh on the program was a challenge as I cooked and smelled foods I couldn’t eat. The fried and cheesy delicacies were the hardest to resist. I snacked hard on apples & almond butter/carrots and hummus hoping it would clear my mind of the crisp and goey forbidden foods in the warmer. I managed to make it home each day to my midday shake w/o giving in to the delicacies. (Though I was heartbroken I couldn’t indulge in the gourmet breakfast on Friday, still dreaming about those waffles.)

Now allow me to address more of the opposition. This occurred on day 4 One and I was preparing ingredients for dinner. I had my laptop propped up on the stool with the recipe in view, and used my phone to provide the background noise. I was searching YouTube for a support video that was posted in the FB group and came across a couple of videos posted by former Arbonne consultants recording their grievances with the company. I settled for a video from one of my subscriptions instead. Yet later on in the evening my curiosity for the best of me and I decided to watch a couple of the videos. Although they stated by their own admission (some more admitting than others) that participating in the program wasn’t right for them, I couldn’t help but feel some type of way, or be all in my feelings, as my clients would put it (got to love them.) I allowed myself to be affected by the testimonies of people who approached the program led by misconception, and doubted my decision.

I prayed that night and recalled the conversation I had with my coach about changing my relationship with food. Because I had more to credit the program for than blame it, I decided to continue. Any of my friends/family can tell you how much of a glutton I am. I have finished off several sweet potato pies in one sitting, (true story, ask my mom) and yet wouldn’t touch a vegetable to save my life. Spending the introductory week planning has mentally prepared me for the task. Now within the past week I have made healthier choices, and incorporated more vegetables/salad in my diet (whhhhaaaat?), and to my surprise liking it! I brought discuss all concerns with my coach, which I will get into more detail within the next blog. I’ve held you for too long already.

I hope you are enjoying this series and am looking forward to see you in the next one!