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12 things that happened when I gave up sugar, dairy, alcohol and gluten

I ate “clean” for three weeks and it wasn’t as terrible as it sounds.

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I know what you’re thinking: Why would anyone give up bread, sugar or alcohol for three weeks?  

Look, I’m not the worst eater in the world, but after a few consecutive months of bad food choices, my husband Jeff and I wanted to make some diet changes. We decided to eat “clean” for three weeks leading up to a beach trip. There are a lot of different definitions ofShow More

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Why nix healthy foods like beans?

Of course there are healthy reasons to nix sugars, alcohol and processed foods from your diet. In the short-term, you might notice more energy and focus, and better sleep. But why give up healthy foods like grains and legumes? Well, while the great majority of nutrition experts consider them vitalShow More

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I immediately felt slimmer

Perhaps one of the most rewarding and satisfying parts of the three-week clean eating plan was how slim I felt, almost immediately. After just three days, I had little to no bloating, and my stomach felt slimmer. Talk about a confidence boost—that was one change I was totally on board with.  

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I was in a better mood

Around day 12, I started to notice improvement in my mood. I’m typically a pretty impatient person, but I felt my patience growing and improving. My temper was also better and I felt more positive from morning to night.

For me, knowing that I was putting good, wholesome food in my body helped meShow More

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I didn’t crave some of my favorite foods

I love a good pre-dinner breadbasket and a creamy pasta dish for my main meal. But much to my surprise, I didn’t crave these foods until days 14 and 15.

Something about days 14 and 15 was bringing on the cravings—I salivated when anyone in the office was eating a sandwich, and I craved mac andShow More

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I had headaches in the morning

Over the entire 21 days, I noticed headaches each morning for the first five days, and then every other day or so. The dull, but annoying headaches felt very similar to the headaches I get if I don’t have my afternoon caffeine fix. The headaches subsided after being awake for about an hour, soShow More

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I wanted to exercise more, and I had more energy to do it

I’ve read that one of the positive benefits of eating better food is increased energy levels.

I found it easier to wake up earlier and get my butt to the gym, which was shocking because it normally takes everything in me to get up at 6 a.m. for the gym. It’s likely that my bright-eyed mornings wereShow More

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I was more focused at work

Probably because I had more energy, I noticed I was more focused and productive at work. My 3 p.m. afternoon slumps were non-existent, and I felt energized from 6 a.m. to around 9 p.m every day, sans extra caffeine. Unexpectedly, I was able to stick with my usual caffeine schedule throughout: oneShow More

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I lost 4 pounds

I know you’re not really supposed to weigh yourself that often when testing out a new eating plan, and I’m not a weight counter anyway, but when I knew I was going to document my experience, I thought a couple of weigh-ins were necessary.

Maybe it was the eating, or maybe it was the increase in Show More

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I spent a fortune on food…or did I?

Going out to eat was super challenging, especially when you have to say no to common toppings like cheese and sides, so most of our eating was done at home. I became quite the regular at the three grocery stores within a mile of our house. I spent about $150 a week on whole, organic foods andShow More

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I cheated once and felt awful afterwards

Day 10 sent us to a friend’s birthday at a local pizza place. I indulged in two small slices of pizza and three glasses of wine. I definitely enjoyed both the pizza and wine at the time, but the mental and physical hangover the next day wasn’t worth it. Not only did I feel horrible forShow More

spaghetti squash dinner
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I learned how to cook

When you can’t eat any of your favorite foods, you have to get creative. I scoured the internet for tasty paleo brownies, paleo pizza and other delicious dishes. I found that it’s actually kind of fun to cook things like cauliflower pizza, zucchini fritters and spaghetti squash.

After dinner weShow More

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I ate a lot of the same stuff over and over

So what did I eat exactly? A lot of the same foods! My breakfasts were almost always identical. I tried to get creative with lunch and dinner, but typically stuck to a lean protein, plus veggies. A typical day of eating looked like this:  

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1 to 2 turkey sausages,Show More

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I started to love foods I wasn’t accustomed to eating

Prior to our new eating plan, unless sweet potatoes were in fry form, I probably wasn’t going to eat them. But our new eating plan really pushed us to get creative when it came to satisfying our cravings, and sweet potatoes of all variations and spaghetti squash were two foods that fit the bill.

ItShow More

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Will I do it again?

Now that I can eat like a normal person, everyone asks me if I’d do it again. The answer? Kind of. I’m now eating Paleo-style during the workweek and I’m not so hard on myself if I have a slip-up, which definitely happens. The weekends are still made for glasses of wine and French fries.

As IShow More

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