24 Day Challenge...Day 11

Well, today was the first day of the Max Phase and I would say I did pretty good.  Like I said yesterday, during the Max phase there are no real restrictions on foods (aside from just not being a heifer and over indulging ; ).  I did go back to strictly using the my fitness pal app on my phone to track my calorie intake, if you bite it write it kind of thing.  I am also going to continue to try to stay away as much as possible from too much processed, fried, salty, or sugary stuff.  I have discovered I really like Stevia in the Raw and that will be my choice for sweetener rather than the Sweet and Low I have used in the past.  I did indulge my craving for cheese today by having a grilled cheese (don't worry, I used the weight watchers cheese and 45 calorie a slice whole grain bread) and it was yummy.
I was surprised to notice that I was a little more hungry today, and it donned on me that until tonight I hadn't had any protein since my meal replacement shake this morning.  It is crazy how much fuller you feel when you eat protein!  That is something I am going to try to do better on tomorrow.  I also learned a lesson about the meal replacement shakes.  I had my first one this morning, and after taking forever to stir it by hand and try to get the lumps out, I finally threw it in the blender.  I thought it would be good really cold so I threw quite a bit of ice in with it.   I was disappointed to find out that I think I added too much ice because it tasted like I had really watered it down.  To help add some more flavor I threw in half a banana.  To not make that mistake again, I decided to go ahead and make tomorrow's shake tonight and just leave it in the fridge so it is nice and chilled.  Hoping for better results tomorrow.
One of my weaknesses in the past has been every time that Miss Thang would want a snack (which is non-stop right now) I would snack with her.  I did it without even thinking about it.  I have really tried to rein that in, and since I couldn't eat what she was snacking on during the cleanse, I have kind of broken that habit.  I don't feel quite as tempted to steal a fruit snack or chip every time she eats one.
I did try a new recipe tonight and it wasn't too bad, although I would have liked for it to be a little spicier.  I got the idea from something a friend in my Bible study group had cooked one night.  I didn't have the recipe so I just made it up as I went to try and be as close as possible.  It was a potato dish with  jalapenos and onions (see below for recipe).  We also had some hot dogs (I splurged for Hebrew National) and corn.
Tomorrow is the halfway point of my challenge, I haven't been weighing yet just so that I am not bogged down by little fluctuations every single day.  I will probably weigh in after I do the Max Phase for a couple of days (Remember, the Cleanse Phase is not necessarily designed for weight loss, it is just to help get your body ready for the Max Phase).  I have been feeling good though, and can tell a difference in my energy level from the Spark drink.

Jalapeno and Onion Potatoes

8-10 potatoes (I used red)
1 medium onion
3-4 jalapenos
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (I used my lite salt)

Slice up potatoes, jalapenos (with or without seeds depending on how spicy you want it), and onion and layer in an 9x13 baking pan.  Pour olive oil on top and season.  Bake at 400 for about an hour.