My name is Kristi, I’m 31 years old. I’m thrilled to share what my journey was like on the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge with you.
I lost 25 pounds, my “bad” cholesterol dropped by 33 points and my triglycerides dropped by 45 and I have a completely new (and healthy) relationship to food. So here’s how I did it…
I’m married to an amazing man that I’ve been with since college and we are parents to our furbaby, Bella; a 4 year old dog that loves to snuggle and create chaos. For the past 10 years I have worked in the field of victim services and currently oversee the Education Department of a non-profit domestic violence and sexual abuse agency. When I’m not at work I like to spend time with my dog, am a reality TV junkie (I know, don’t judge me), enjoy camping and being in nature.
Throughout my whole life I have struggled with the relationship I have with my body and with food. I grew up with a very distorted view of my body. I constantly thought I overweight and needed a diet, and then used food as a means of comfort.
I had very little knowledge about what healthy eating was. Growing up I was surrounded by dieters- oscillating between “diet” foods to weight watchers to diet shakes and everything in between. This left me with little skill in how to have a healthy diet without deprivation or calorie counting.
During college I began gaining weight and went to the only thing I had known at the time – fad diets, shakes, calorie counting- and while at times I had success it never stuck.
Then at the age of 29 I started becoming inexplicably ill which impacted all parts of my life. This led to terrible eating habits and increased weight gain. Then the hardest time of all hit.
At the age of 30 I was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkins Lymphoma and began 6 months of intense Chemotherapy. While Chemo saved my life it ravaged my body and the medications that kept me functioning caused nearly 30 pounds of weight gain.
Get this Spicy Pumpkin Chili Recipe
I have to admit. I came across CleanFoodCrush on Facebook randomly after a friend shared a recipe that looked amazing! I began following the page for many, many, many months before I finally took the plunge to do the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge.
I always had an excuse for why it wasn’t the right time, or procrastinated until I missed yet another start date so I could use that as an excuse. Finally, I took my power back and joined the challenge one night… it was the BEST thing I ever did!
The Challenge gave me the tools to get started. I was nervous, doubting myself and had no idea what healthy eating really was.
- The structured eating plans, fantastic recipes and most of all support from the groups gave me the skills, knowledge and confidence to finally start the path to a healthy life.
- Not even 6 months later I’m able to plan meals for the week
- I make healthier choices while away from home
- I make informed choices about how to incorporate other foods in moderation and listen more to the needs of my body.
Since starting the challenge I have lost over 25 pounds, am down a pants size, able to fit into traditional sized clothing (tear free shopping!)
- I have less bloating and gained a healthier relationship with food and my body.
- After less than 1 month on the plan my doctor was also floored to see that my “bad” cholesterol dropped by 33 points and my triglycerides dropped by 45!
Even with all those great successes, the most powerful things I have gained from this lifestyle change is the confidence I have gained that I am healing my body and doing all I can to treat my body well after all it’s been through.
I could lie and tell you that this has always been smooth or easy but that’s not real. Changing how you eat, learning new ways of engaging with food and prioritizing money and time for a healthy lifestyle can at times feel very difficult but I have also known that at those hard moments I have a group of people to turn to for support, validation and guidance.
The most powerful thing I learned from the CleanFoodCrush Support Group is the mantra, “It’s about progress not perfection.” That is something I repeat to myself in those challenging moments and that I share with others who are making this change.
My Words of Encouragement to You If You’re Thinking About Taking the Challenge
Take the plunge! You can do this and you won’t have to do it alone. Even if you’re the only one in your life making this change you have an entire community online who will be by your side through every struggle, fall, reset and most importantly- Victory! You’re worth the investment!
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