Progress Pictures: 6 months clean

May 30th, 2012, I started my clean eating journey.  I committed to 30 days of clean eating, no cheating. I was doing it as an experiment, mostly just to see what the fuss was about. To see if there were any discernible changes in my body, my mood, my physical feelings, etc.

This was day one:

This was after two weeks:

This was the end of 30 days:

This was after 3 months, which did include cheat meals here and there:

This was earlier this week, at about 6 months. 

I'm now at 6 months and I can't fathom going back.  I've never been healthier. My moods are, for the most part, stable.  My energy level is amazing.  I used to be exhausted from 2pm-8pm every single day.  Now I'm on the go from 7am-1am most of the time.   When I do cheat, I get visibly bloated, I am noticeably more tired, my efforts in the gym are terrible, I have limited mental focus, and I'm extremely moody.

People have asked if I changed my exercise routine at all during this time.  The first month, no.  The second month, no. The third month, maybe just a little, though nothing really significant.  My fourth month, I started pushing myself to do deadlifts and squats with regular frequency.  I started playing a bit with weight and volume and just having fun with my workouts overall.  That said, I can honestly say I was a pretty heavy lifter before, and that the changes I've seen in my body composition are 80% diet related.

What is Clean Eating?

Simply stated, the idea of eating clean is to eliminate processed foods.  This means getting rid of boxed foods, jarred foods, bagged foods (except frozen un-seasoned, no added sugar fruits and veggies) as well as most sauces, marinades, and condiments. It means no refined (white) flour, no refined (white, brown) sugar, no food dyes, no additives, no preservatives other than maybe a little sodium in canned items.  Personally, I only eat packaged foods that have 5 or fewer ingredients, all of which must be pronounceable  all of which must be known to me as real foods, and none of which may be sugar or anything ending in "-ose".

That sounds very, very restrictive to most people.  And frightening. It certainly is daunting, and a huge change. But it can be done.

There are many variations on clean eating. Google it and you'll find some people won't eat certain cheeses.  Or won't drink coffee. Or alcohol.  My advice is to do what works for you. I eat 95% clean. I have coffee and alcohol and cheese. And I have cheat days, though I've found it's best if I severely limit them.

This link explains some of the reasons why eliminating processed foods is so necessary and vital. It's about more than just weight loss. It is about your mental state, your emotional well-being, your physical health, your sleep habits, your LIFE:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/

This next link has further links to pretty much anything you'd ever want to know about clean eating:

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating/

And this one talks specifically about getting started:

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating/getting-started/

That site, www.thegraciouspantry.com , has a plethora of delicious clean recipes.  And if you're on facebook, search for the group Clean Living Recipes.  The site administrator is a woman named Andrea Graf Nolte.  Most of the recipes I use come from her.  Hers tend to be simple.  My kind of cooking :)

Let me say this: before you get started, plan out at least 3 days of meals. Shop for them. Possibly even cook several of them ahead of time.  My biggest mistake going into this was not being prepared!  As a 5x/week weight lifter, I am hungry all.the.time.  Trying to find something clean to eat when your home hasn't been stocked up with clean items is difficult!! And stressful! Especially if you're starving!

My staple foods: brown rice, whole wheat pasta, black and pinto beans, oats, clean peanut butter, green veggies, pork chops, chicken breasts, ground turkey, bananas, clean salsa, and clean tomato sauce. In bulk.

Figure out what foods you like best, how you'll most likely want to consume them, and prepare your kitchen.

Ok! I think that's enough information for blog number one.  Please let me know if I've left out something vital.

Coming soon:  Progress pictures from my clean eating journey.