Hi there!
My name is Mellyn and this is my review of the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge.
I am 41 years old and work in the wine business. I love to garden, cook, spend time with friends and family, travel, and enjoy the outdoors.
I have had a few challenges with chronic pain over years, but the worst was my work accident a little over 1 year ago. After my accident, I had nerve damage in my hand and then underwent surgery. I wasn’t able to do much exercise or cook for myself.
My husband works long hours, so for a long time, we were eating poorly. When you love wine like I do, loving food is practically synonymous.
Even though I understood the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, I wasn’t consistently eating healthy. I reached a point where I knew I needed to make a lifestyle change before I started developing health issues from the extra weight I was carrying.
I had been following Rachel and cooked some meals from CleanFoodCrush already. I really enjoyed how delicious they were. I also loved that I didn’t have to count calories or be restrictive about my eating. After reviewing a few Clean Eating plans, I knew CleanFoodCrush was the path for me.
Starting the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!Â
I learned that I wasn’t eating nearly enough each day as I often skipped meals. This was causing my low energy and weight gain. Learning to food prep consistently has helped me stick to eating 5 smaller meals per day. Now I wake up hungry (I was never hungry in the mornings before), and have so much energy all day long!
After dinner, I am full and satisfied, and therefore no longer snack at night or eat dessert. There are so many recipes to keep our taste buds happy too. We have staple recipes from CleanFoodCrush, like the Tangy Pulled Chicken which I make in my crockpot. It’s so good that I can eat that chicken with the oven roasted broccoli and quinoa every day for lunch! This Lemony Chicken for Clean Eating Weight Loss is another great recipe you can throw in your crockpot.
The other key to my success with the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge, was the private Facebook group.
I would check in daily for motivation, recipe suggestions, accountability, and the amazing support. Having a group going through the struggles and successes with you is priceless. Having people that are CleanFoodCrush pros from previous months like Daisy and Billie-Jo quickly answering my questions and offering suggestions on the private page was such huge help.
This plan is so easy to follow that I didn’t stop after 30 days and plan to keep going indefinitely. So far, I have lost 13 pounds and 4 inches overall.Â
Considering I am still limited on exercise because of injuries, I am very happy with my progress! This is me AFTER the first 30 Day’s of Clean Eating!
I am down a size in clothing, but waiting to buy more clothes since I am still following the program and losing weight (relying on belts and alterations for now).
And for those wondering, after the first week I have enjoyed some wine (it is my job after all!), but in moderation. My husband is slowly coming around to eating more of the Clean Eating meals I prepare and he’s loving them. He’s starting to notice how much sugar he consumes and is finding ways to wean off of it. The peanut butter protein balls are a good substitute for him when he wants something sweet. Since I am trying to make lifelong Clean Eating habits, it really helps to have him jumping on board!
If you’re on the fence about joining the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge, I recommend going for it! Before the challenge starts, have a conversation with your family and let them know how they can support you. Don’t let a bit of resistance to change from family stop you, that’s normal! You will be surprised how quickly their resistance fades and they start requesting their favorite recipes.
Another part of the mental preparation is to look at this challenge as a journey to creating a lifetime of healthy habits. We didn’t become unhealthy overnight, and thus we won’t lose the weight overnight either.
I also read through the weekly information I received from CleanFoodCrush ahead of time and created my own documents to get mentally organized. The first week can feel overwhelming when preparing so much food ahead of time, but everything new can feel hard at first. It get’s easier! Creating my own organization helped me feel focused and ready to take on the challenge.
Before you know it, you will be excited about meal planning and preparation. You will also start to notice how much better you feel, the extra energy you have, and your body will begin to crave healthy foods.
Wishing you the very best on the adventure with Clean Eating ahead of you!
Cheers!
Mellyn Craig