What's this CRAAAZZZY diet you're on?

**Future blog posts will be listed on my personal website at www.katsprint.com/blog**

In high school, a Honey Bun and chocolate milk were my breakfast, a chicken patty and mayo for lunch, then maybe even a bottle of pop with Starburst in the afternoon.

When college came around, my diet switched to Qdoba, soup, candy and beer. 

My first big girl job

I was sitting on my ass for 8 hours a day. Unfortunately, my food consumption got worse, when my now husband, and I moved in together and shared chocolate covered pretzels, Diet Coke, Doritos and other various delicious foods.

I remember my current clothes began fitting a little tighter, putting jeans on became a little harder, and t-shirts becoming unflattering.

The day I purchased jeans 2 sizes larger than what I had in my closet

This was the day I knew the life of food luxury was gone for me. 

Any way, I've done all sorts of "diets" (juicing, counting calories, cutting carbs, etc.) and none of them seem to have worked for me. Everyone's body is different, I cannot stress this enough. We all know people who can eat whatever they want, without exercise, and not gain a pound. 

That's not me, and that's OK.

A couple months ago, my hair dresser suggested simply "Eating Clean", not as a get skinny quick diet, but as a life style change. Basically eating food that can be picked, grown or killed, you always know what you're eating. Can't pronounce it? Don't eat it.

The pact

My husband and I made a pact to try this out for 7 weeks, and see how we felt mentally and physically. The first few days were a little tough, but not too bad, since I was not cutting calories, I was cutting carbs (I ate A LOT of pasta and bread). After the 3 weeks, we both felt pretty good, and decided to continue on (we made the change in mid February).

Let's be honest

• Eating clean is not for the lazy. Meals need to be made, no processed food. Some people cook all of their meals on one day, that's fine, but I am picky about leftovers, so I make mine every night.
• Our "lunches" are a mix of leftovers from the night before and other various fruits and vegetables.
• We treat ourselves sometimes, and that's fine.
• Sure, maybe you shouldn't treat yourself every few days for the first several weeks in order to prove to yourself you can be without that pizza every weekend.
• Your friends, coworkers, family may become frustrated with you. 
• Friends will get irritated with you because they feel YOU are making them self-conscious about what they are eating. That's their issue, not mine.
• Family will try to guilt you into eating their homemade meals because it's family night. 
• This is not a get-skinny-quick deal. Make this a lifestyle change and you'll feel better forever, instead of for the next few weeks.
• It's so funny to me how many people buy into these ridiculous 7 day diets, or 30-day workout plans. These barely work short term, and never work long term. Why not try something you can do for the rest of your life?
• Know your body. Some people have to work harder than others to keep the weight off, know this about yourself, and do what YOU need to do to feel comfortable.
• Psst, also stop talking about the change you're going to make, and actually do it.

FAQs

• What do you eat?
• Chicken, red meat, fish, veggies, spices, fruits, and even a little popcorn (sans the butter of course), homemade kale chips, and more. Extra virgin olive oil will be your best friend!
• To save time, I typically oven-roast my veggies, and grill my meat.
• What food do you avoid?
• Anything processed, canned food (depends on what it is), bread, most cheeses, rice, sugar (this excludes fruit), dressings, dips, chips... etc.
• What are some examples of food you eat for dessert?
• Brownie Bites, Banana + Natural Peanut Butter, Apple + Natural Peanut Butter
• I mostly combine fruit with PB or just eat some fruit to help with any sugar craving. Try to get your sugars from natural resources, don't add sugar to your food.
• What do you eat when you go out to a restaurant?
• Salads without dressing (include a meat if possible), anything grilled, veggies, and water
• Is there anything you did not give up?
• Yes, at work we have K-Cups, sorry, not giving those up
• Do you still exercise?
• Yes, not excessively, but I like to be active, so usually 3 - 4 times a week
• How often do you eat?
• People seem to think when you eat clean, you never eat. Well the opposite is true. I eat 6 times a day typically. Not huge meals, but I am eating something every couple of hours throughout the day. 

The general rule I abide by

• If I don't know what it was made with, I probably won't eat it
• Can you name the ingredients? If not, avoid.

To be clear, I'm not saying I am a know-it-all about any of this, but a few people have asked me about my change in eating, so I thought I would share from an "average person's perspective". By no means am I model material, or competition ready, but I am comfortable in my own body and feel this lifestyle change has been great for me and my husband.

Some helpful websites:

Eating Clean Magazine

Cooking Light

The Gracious Pantry

Couple of my favorites:
Cucumber Avocado Caprese Salad
Low-Carb Zucchini Boats
Meatza
Turkey Chili
Homemade Kale Chips
Brownie Bites
+ More

Related Items diet eating clean fruit grilling lifestyle change meat no more goodies staying fit treating yourself veggies