Wellness Wednesday - Clean Eating

My health has become my priority with all of the doctor's visits and results I have recently received.  I am taking it one day at a time and focusing on getting me better.  Thanks to one headache caused by TMJ.

After I found out I was no longer allergic to the long list of foods, I was still in shock.  See I was still getting hives after eating.  Stumped by the reaction, I decided to eliminate the things I was previously allergic to.  I wanted to try and pin point the problem.  That same week I was challenged by a blogger friend to make one change.  This was the start of me clean eating.

But what does CLEAN EATING mean?  I have been trying to lose weight for awhile now.  Nothing I tried was working.  I was already under doctor's care for my liver issues.

I decided, enough was enough.  This summer we traveled and of course, enjoyed lots of good food.  I had just came back from our last vacation.  I replayed all the sodas, sweet desserts, and don't get me started on all the fast food we ate.  My one thing to change was that I was not going to drink any more sodas or sweet teas.  I am from the South and sweet tea runs in my blood.  Also because in the past I had been allergic to yeast, I decided to give up bread.

That same day I told my husband we were going grocery shopping to start meal prepping.  While at the store I thought about what I wanted to eat.  I made a dinner schedule that worked for all of the family, not just me.  I know that this is a life style change.  I have been here before in the past and know whats to do.  I have done it several times.  Sunday night, meal prepping was done.  I was ready to start my week.

Then the week started and my 6 small meals was not cutting it.  Day one was super hard.  I felt as all I did all day was eat.  I was too hard to keep up with my eating schedule.  Day two came and it was still hard.  I decided that in order to be accountable I was going to be sharing my story online.  Soon enough I had friends and followers giving support and offering their success stories.  They shared what worked for them.  I felt very supported and listened to each suggestion.

Clean eating for me meant that I eliminate the food that was causing my body to react.  I eliminated sodas and sugars.  I eliminated yeast as it always made my stomach swell.  I started keeping a food diary and watching how my body reacted.  The changes I made actually worked.  I no longer suffer from hives after dinner and the scale has actually started moving.

In a little over a month, I had lost 20 pounds and after 3 months a total of 30.  I made changes to our eating.  We cleaned out our refrigerator and pantry of items that we were not eating.  We stopped eating food that comes in a box.  We started eating all fresh food.  I even have started purchasing organic and grass fed.  We plan a dinner schedule that everyone can enjoy.  We eat foods that we all like.  We cook together.  The life style change has began because we all are in this together.  I am really enjoying my husband cooking for us as well.  He is learning that he enjoys cooking.

And lastly, we eat something different everyday.  Previously meal prepping meant eating the same thing at least two to three times a week.  This time, we are enjoying a variety of choices.

Find what works for you and your family.  Start with one change and see how much this will change.