Eat to Survive...

So I've almost reached the end of my two week clean eating cleanse. It's been an interesting two weeks, but I feel great. It's amazing what it has done for my skin, as a friend has said... it has a glow to it. It has just cleared up all imperfections and the dark circles under my eyes have lightened significantly. My stomach has started to flatten a bit and after weighing myself I'm down 7lbs. It's clear that I've lost a lot of water weight & bloating. I never noticed but apparently my ankles had been swollen and with only drinking water for the past two weeks that is no longer the case. It's amazing! My stomach has shrunk because I get fuller faster and eat a few short meals a day. I've had people comment on how they notice the change in my body and that feels amazing! My dad, friends, coworkers, sister, friends mothers, etc.

Not only has my body changed but my attitude is changing as well. I am happy and I wake up and I'm actually awake. I'm not groggy and tired for a few hours, I'm just awake and ready for the day. I have more energy and don't have trouble falling asleep at night. It's quite amazing what no junk food, no processed food, no fast food, & correct portion size has done. I'm just in a good mood and I don't want that to go away!

I still have a long road ahead of me, but I'm finally ready for the road trip. I can't wait to see what I look like in December for my birthday, I'll post a before and after picture because that will be 3 months of doing this. Then again in March at the 6 month point. We'll see how much I can transform my body by then.

A coworker of mine had mentioned this phrase to me at the start of this "Eat to Survive." It is so true, I'm no longer eating for comfort or because I think I want something. I'm eating to fuel my body. At some point in life, I started eating for comfort as most of us do. But for me, it lead to instant weight gain because I never have had a super quick metabolism allowing me to eat whatever I wanted, even as a teenager. Bread, french fries, chips, pasta, etc. All these things were my go to foods but I don't even really want them right now. And when I do feel like I want something that is not a part of my plan, I just think of what my friends or family have said about how I look and that kills any craving! I'm looking forward to my trip to Roots tonight to stock up for next week, especially because I can get some of the stuff that I couldn't get last time. I am sticking with the clean eating but adding in a tiny amount of dairy & meat. So I have more options at the store!

I was originally a little worried about this weekend and going out of town for Saturday night, but I think I'll be just fine. I get filled up really fast, so I'll just do small healthy meals and if I drink... I'll just have to remember to keep it light (not a lot of sugary mixers!). And if nothing else, it's two days and if I mess up, I'll make up for it! I'm just so excited to go party with the girls. It's been far too long since I've hung out with these friends and I know it will be a blast!

& I just love pinterest, all these inspirational photos are from pinterst. One of my favorite boards is the health & fitness category! (As for the last picture to the left, I don't know that I'll ever be quite that tiny, but I still love the message!)