Clean eating...and some of the challenges I face with it.

So not only have I decided to eat "healthy", I have now decided to eat "clean". Boy I am REALLY pushing the limits of my Fiance. He likes change, but I don't think he likes DRASTIC change! With my first round of Insanity, I didn't really stick to eating healthy...I had a hard time with it. See, my fiance is the type who doesn't gain weight. So he thinks he can eat whatever he wants. Well, in actuality he CAN. But, that's not the point. You do NOT eat healthy just to lose weight. You eat healthy to BE healthy. I mean, it makes sense when I put it in those terms right? So he is having a hard time grasping the fact that he has to stop eating those darn swiss cake rolls and drinking coke that does nothing but damage his health in the long run and our pockets! So, back to what I was saying...I had a hard time eating "correctly" the first round of Insanity because my Fiance just wasn't really giving in. Therefor I kind of gave up. Which was dumb in my opinion because I'm the one who cooks if you know what I mean. But I did. I stopped eating junk food for the most part though. I would occasionally eat something sweet. When it came to dinner, I kind of lost motivation about making healthier meals because it didn't really interest my Fiance. I mean, I did cut out the hamburger helper! That stuff is a heart attack waiting to happen! But I still made things like tacos, I still used butter, I would eat fast food when we were out and about instead of packing something to eat. Things like that. Towards the end up my first round (week 6), I had lost 11 1/2 inches total and 3 pounds. I did NOT finish the last 2 weeks due to traveling. I was quite happy with those results, but I didn't feel accomplished. I KNEW I could have done better. No matter how much you exercise, if you do not eat right, you will not have that sexy flat stomach that you have been wanting. It just will not happen.

I was starting a Challenge group on September 3 and I KNEW that I wanted to join in with my challengers. But this time, I wanted to do it right. I wanted to prove something to everyone, to my friends, to my family, and to my fiance, that I CAN and WILL achieve the goal that I want. And the only way I would do that was if I made the lifestyle change of eating clean. I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm okay with that. You just have to decide and commit to something and JUST DO IT. A quote I like is "What is uncomfortable in the beginning will be comfortable later, but what is comfortable in the beginning will be uncomfortable later".  Remember that. That goes for EVERYTHING in life...

WHAT IS CLEAN EATING??
  With all that being said, you may not even know what "clean eating" is. That's okay. I will explain it to you.
Eating clean simply means eating foods that are in their most natural form or pretty close to it. Eat mostly foods that are off of a tree, bush, or vine, and you are good to go! Eat lean cuts of meat. Pretty much just chicken breast and fish, occasionally lean cuts of red meat. Always make sure to cut off the fat. If you have access to a butcher, then go that route. That way you know the meat is coming straight off the animal and not being loaded with "extra" stuff. And last but not least, eat WHOLE grains. In the world of eating clean, there is NO such thing as white bread, or white rice, or white sugar...you get the point. Eat WHOLE wheat bread, BROWN rice, WHOLE wheat noodles. And make sure they are 100% whole wheat. Check the nutrition label for the very first ingredient. Sometimes they think they are sneaky and whole grain is not the first ingredient. So be careful! And also, brown sugar is NOT healthy. All that is is white sugar with maple syrup added to it. So don't be fooled. I will give a list later on of the things to eat.

 Also, for an example, a banana versus banana ice cream. Obviously you KNOW which one is clean and which one isn't. Or frozen dinners that are LOADED with preservatives and other harmful things instead of making the "real deal". Why is eating clean so hard for people? Because that is society nowadays. We have become accustomed to thinking that eating boxed meals or frozen meals are easier and convenient. But is it really convenient? No. It's more expensive. Therefor you have to work harder to make more money to pay for that food. That's not convenient. Stop following the crowd. Make smart decisions about what's healthy. It's not convenient to eat fast food when 20 years down the line you have a heart attack and have to pay the doctor bills. Seriously, sit down and THINK about that for a moment. As you can see, this is why I have decided to start eating clean. Not just to lose weight, but because it makes the MOST sense.

Okay! Moving on. I will share a list of examples. Once you start reading some of them, you will start to get the idea and will be ready to go to the store!

A tip I found helpful: When shopping at wal-mart, you have NO REASON to go in those middle isles. You should do 95% of your shopping in the produce and meat section, if you do not know a butcher. The only time you should go to the middle isles is to grab BASIC things. Like pasta or natural sweeteners. Things like that.

LEAN PROTEINS:
Egg whites
Shellfish
Bison
Game meat
Ahi tuna
London broil
Turkey
Lean ground turkey
Tilapia
Halibut
Top round
Chicken breast
Pork chops

FATTY PROTEINS
Avocado
Almonds
Salmon
Trout
Coconut
Walnut
Cashews
Natural peanut butter

DAIRY
Unsweetened almond milk
Greek yogurt
Unsweetened rice milk
Cottage cheese

FRUIT (really, anything goes, moderation is key though)
Melons
Bananas
Dates
Apples
Blueberries
Cherries
Mangoes
Oranges
Strawberries
Tomatoes

VEGETABLES
Kale
Beets
Lettuce
Cabbage
Spinach
Broccoli
Artichoke
Carrots
Radishes
Onions
Garlic
Beans
Potatoes

OILS
Sunflower
Olive
Coconut
Avocado

SWEETENERS
Sugar free maple syrup
Applesauce (no sugar added)
Coconut sugar
Birch sugar ideal (xylitol)
Stevia in the raw- or truvia

So there is a short list. As you can see, you will not be deprived. It just takes some getting used to. And if you were smart, unlike me, it might be best NOT to mention the change to your spouse? Let him or her figure it out on their own if they ever do. There are MANY more food items I did not cover. And maybe some of them that I did cover not everyone agrees with are "clean". So go by your own judgement! Personally I think anything is better than nothing when it comes to being healthy! Good luck to you for trying! And like always, if you like my posts, please subscribe and comment below. Share if you please. :)