Hello! How’s it going? Today I’m sharing my thoughts on the Clean Eating Challenge I did and what I ate. It was good for me to stop eating treats every day. I don’t know when it happened but I realized I was eating some sort of dessert after lunch and dinner (and randomly throughout the day). It wasn’t out of hunger it was just convenience, fun, taste… and I wanted to shut it down and get back to intuitive eating and a healthy diet.
The ‘official’ Herbal Cleanse is the first 10 days of the 24 day challenge.
I didn’t even realize people only did the first part of the challenge until my friend Chandra did it a while back. She says she can’t do the whole 24 days (she loves a good happy hour, but who doesn’t?) so she’s done the 10 day cleanse to reset her diet and get back on track.
We agreed to do it together and keep each other accountable by checking in with updates, pictures and our challenges on What’s App. That really helped! If you do any kind of diet challenge definitely consider asking a friend if they want to do it with you and keep each other on track.
And yeah, you don’t have to do a ‘real’ cleanse to do a Healthy Eating Challenge with your friends. Just choose the ‘rules’, the timeline and how you’ll check in – then go for it!
We agreed that we weren’t shooting for perfection, just progress. So our Healthy Eating Challenge rules were as follows…
1. No straight up junk food / crap. This includes: chips, fried food, cookies, candy, cake, chocolate covered Doritos, ice cream…
2. No alcohol. This includes: Sangria – even though it can technically be considered a fruit smoothie.
3. Yes to eating: lean protein, veggies, fruit, low fat dairy, whole grains.
The focus was on ‘eating clean’, which can mean different things to everyone. I was okay with things that were processed like yogurt, but did try to focus on whole foods.
The hardest part for me was not eating random chocolate or cereal. The hardest part for Chandra was not drinking alcohol, especially because she had some business dinners during the cleanse.
I didn’t take pictures of everything I ate, but did try to do a few “What I Ate” blog posts to share ideas. I’m okay with eating the same thing everyday during the week. I like to change it up and go out to eat on weekends but can probably eat the same breakfast and lunch 6 days a week for 2 years before I get bored of it. So, the ‘what I ate’ posts don’t have a lot of variety – but that’s how I like it.
Typical Day on 10 Day Cleanse:
Pre-workout: Iced Coffee* and toast if I was hungry. Some days I’d skip it, other days I’d have 2 pieces plus a banana.
Breakfast: Green smoothie with protein powder, spinach, almond milk and topped with almonds and apples.
Snack: Spark (and fruit or nuts if I was hungry). I was usually able to skip a morning snack because the protein shake & nuts kept me full.
Lunch: Big salad with leftover chicken, hummus and carrots
Snack: Yogurt, popcorn, nuts, toast with PB.
Dinner: Roasted veggies (usually broccoli and cauliflower), chicken or fish, sweet potato or corn tortillas.
Dessert: Hot tea with stevia and milk. Some nights yogurt or fruit if I wanted something else.
*During the 24 Day Challenge you don’t drink coffee and switch it out for Spark in the morning. I still drink coffee since I don’t think it’s ‘bad’ or hurting my diet. But if you want to stick to the guidelines 100%, skip coffee and drink Spark.*
(The picture below is in a sports-bra. Doesn’t it look like a regular bra? I ordered it from Brooks online.)
Results: I am really happy with how quickly I was able to get back to eating more fruits and veggies and less random donuts and cookies. I wasn’t perfect but cutting back on unnecessary junk made me feel like I lost weight. I might have just gotten rid of junk food bloating, but whatever – I felt better!
I didn’t drink alcohol during the challenge, which is good too. I drank alcohol free spirits Australia drinks instead. Nice to know I’m not a complete alcoholic. #kidding
I am happy that I kept myself accountable and made it a priority to choose fruit when I would normally eat a cookie. The calorie count was probably around the same – but I was eating more vitamins and less processed flour and sugar.
Half way through the challenge Chandra was down 3 pounds and it was motivating to stay on track. The check-ins definitely helped.
Now I’m going to try and get back to a good balance of 80% healthy and 20% sangria (or whatever sounds like a good lil treat that day).
Question: Do you have a friend you talk to about RUNNING or EATING?
Yes, I talk to SR about running, Chandra about eating and Vegas about not judging me when I’m eating chocolate in bed.
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You can get more info or buy the 10 Day Cleanse here
You can get more info or buy the 24 Day Challenge here
Go Girl! Good vibes. Love your attitude and persistence. Actually not just taking someone by the hand but rather doing it together, makes all the difference in the world.
Normally, I’m a healthy eater and hardly eat chips/cookies/candy but I do like my martinis. I was in school the last year and a half and received my BA this May (at age 45) and sat on my butt during this time reading a whole lot and writing a ton. I can say I am one of those people that needs to exercise to not gain weight vs abs are made in the kitchen…. Now that I am done and about 15 pounds heavier then I want to be it’s time to buckle down. I ordered the 24 day challenge since I have a trip to LA planned at the beginning of August and need to feel less frumpy and more comfortable in my skin. Any advice?
A scientific method. I am using more fruits and vegetables in my meals.
I was going to post previously about you looking thinner and I guess I know the reason behind it now. I wouldn’t try to lose too much weight. 🙂
I’m still stuffing my face like I’m pregnant (14 months postpartum) and due to that, I still have 5-8 pounds attached to my gut. I need to do a challenge or something so I can finally get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes without feeling like a stuffed sausage. This may have motivated me a little more, so thank you! You look great!
Also, I think people who don’t work their angles in pictures are the crazy ones…who doesn’t do this? Seriously?
It is so easy to fall into the rut of a daily sugar fix. My husband and I decided yesterday to stop buying the sweets and get back to eating healthier. So thank you for this post! I do have running buddies to chat about running but it’s harder to talk about what I eat with anyone. A lot of people dont get that it’s not always about weight loss but how you feel and about just being healthy.
You’re looking good, Monica!
My best friend loves to eat as much as I do. We talk about food a lot. I also talk about running a lot, she just listen to me on that one haha.
Nice job – you look fabulous! And it sounds like you self corrected pretty well so good for you 🙂 I’m starting something similar April 3rd (would start sooner but I have a vacation and figure it’s easier when home) and trying to do 21 days. No calorie restructions or anything but no processed food – more whole foods. I’m vegan so eat a ton of veggies anyways and don’t really drink alcohol but I’ve been randomly eating potato chips and candy and thin mints – basically junk – multiple times per day and really need to stop that before it starts to have a major negative impact!
Thanks Elena 🙂 Yeah I think just focusing on healthy whole foods helps it not feel like a diet but just like I’m trying to be healthier. As a vegan I’m guessing you’re pretty good with filling your plate with fruits and veggies – it was nice to work on that for a bit and hopefully got me back to healthier habits.
That bra is super cute for a sports bra, it’s for running not low impact?
Your abs are looking great! What is that green shake? Is it Shakeology?
Good luck in Boson!
It’s medium impact so I wore it for a strength session (Beachbody workout, forgot which one). I think it might work for running though.
It’s an advocare shake with spinach.
All your meals look delicious, not boring at all, and you’re looking good!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks Charmaine! I think I keep it fairly simple, but I like what I like 🙂
You look great! I actually thought you looked leaner in recent IG photos! It feels good to just eat more real foods, doesn’t it? I’ve kind of been on the junky side of eating lately… Gotta remind myself to put nutrients first! Thanks. 😀
Thanks Bonnie 🙂 Yeah, I definitely got sloppy with my eats and realized it was happening every day. You always look lean and strong to me though!
Jesus you and your angles. Monica, anyone looks skinny from that ridiculous angle. Please get a clue, you look desperate
I am all about knowing your angles and best side, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But, in this pic I was trying to cover my face since I just woke up when I took it.
Dang girl, looking good! I’ve been doing something similar, and it feels great.
Thanks! Yeah, I felt better after just a few days. Are you keeping it up? I’m trying to focus on more fruits and veggies with lunch and dinner.