Clean Eating is Hard Work

You know the drill; Energy drinks and cereal for breakfast. Maybe a pop tart or two. Tasty, bubbly soda with a bag of chips for lunch. Maybe a treat of Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino accompanied by the ever tempting Lemon Iced Pound Cake. 

 

Round up the evening with tacos and some homemade cookies.......oh the unhealthy lifestyle of America. We are all guilty. We have all been there in some way or another. But we need to stop. This sort of lifestyle is contributing to the ever growing obesity in our nation. One family at a time, in your home, is the best place to start. 

We recently decided as a family to eat better. Feel better. Be happier and healthier and set a better example for our children. 

Hubby and I decided together we would Go Big or stay fat. We opted for a Clean  Eating diet with a few variations to help us shed the excess weight. A huge culprit in both our diets was sugar. In coffee, tea, lattes, energy drinks, soda, and juice. Pretty much everything we were drinking was slowly adding to our weight gain. Simply, we cut it out. No sugar. Water, black coffee and green tea have become our daily liquids. Easy, no. Worth it, yes. 

We also cut unnatural or foods with added sugar and switched to natural sugar only. Eating fruit for breakfast has really upped my energy level in way that doesn't lead to a crash later on. Eliminating added sugar, led to taking away processed food in general. We eat a small amount of whole grains a day, with a low amount of added sugar. The higher the fiber, less sugar and calories the better. 

Our version of Eating Clean has brought both of us through some rough patches (detoxing off of sugar isn't pretty) but 2 weeks in, we feel better. I never thought a diet high in fresh fruits and veggies would actually work for me. Don't get me wrong, we eat meat, but lean meat. We avoid dairy products as well. A little cream in the coffee every now and then and that's about it. 

I know this sounds like mania, but honestly when my food is fresh and delicious, it's hard to want to go back to anything in a package. 

Not only have the two of us lost a combined total of 25lbs in 2 weeks, our children have started to ask for sliced apples as a snack, and have adjusted to water only in our fridge. The kids haven't quite adapted the entire idea of eating clean, but little by little they're watching us and making better choices as well. 

Fresh is Better and we are Happier.