Skip to content

A Clean Eating Update

2014 May 7
by WWGD

CleanEating-WhatWouldGwynethDo

So I don’t want this to become another blog about clean eating, but I thought I would provide a few updates along the way, for those of you who are interested.

As a reminder, I am doing The 30 Clean, which is 30 days of clean eating: no gluten, grains, dairy, sugar or anything processed.

What does that leave, you ask? Protein, veggies, fruit (though limited), nuts, more veggies and one glass of wine per week.

Why am I doing it? For a few reasons: a little weight loss, to address some digestive issues, to see if diet may be affecting my chronic cough and frankly, to see if I can do it.

Today is day three. I am 1/10 of the way there.

I will say this: I am not hungry, in the traditional sense. The program recommends three meals per day, no snacking. I am not there quite yet and have relied on 1-2 small snacks per day, but overall, I am not hungry and feel satisfied after a meal. I do, however, feel a serious energy shift at certain times of the day. I feel a little light-headed, a little fatigued, and a lot like I want a cupcake. Or a piece of cheese. The good news? Those moments pass and within an hour I can be feeling great. And apparently once my system gets used to the detox from all the sugar and grains and goodness it has stored up, those spells will pass as well.

What am I eating? Not enough in the morning, it appears. The program wants you filling up your plate with veggies, which I have a very hard time incorporating into my morning routine, and then adding in a protein and a good fat (avocado, coconut oil, nuts). This prosciutto salad pictured above has been a delicious go-to for lunch that is tasty and keeps you going and this spaghetti squash bake we made last night tasted exactly like homemade lasagna, sans noodles or cheese. There are lots of hard-boiled eggs and berries and homemade sweet potato fries, which I have perfected. No cream or sugar in my coffee which has been very tough and the recommended substitutions of coconut milk or almond milk just aren’t doing it for me.

Overall: still on the fence. I hear that you start to feel AMAZING in week two, so I am looking forward to that. It has been easier than I thought it would be and the online support that this particular program offers is amazing…but I am still seriously craving everything bad.

But maybe that’s why it’s so good that I am doing it, right??

Will let you know how week two goes.

*recipe and image above via here

12 Responses
  1. May 7, 2014

    The first while can be rough – it’s a detox – don’t forget that. Your body can do weird and wonderful things – as can your mind – as you shed those toxins. And then you realize you don’t need those snacks, that green juices are filling, tasty, and renewing, and that water is your bestest friend ever. And the 90/10 rule: eat the way you know your body needs to 90% of the time, and that other 10% lets the sugars and such in…if you want them. Have so much fun doing this!

    • WWGD permalink*
      May 7, 2014

      Fun?!? Good one 😉

  2. Susan permalink
    May 7, 2014

    Your blog inspired me to do this as well! Technically I have already cheated a little bit (a little bit of soda, as I am not a coffee drinker, and that has always been my go to wake up drink, and some chocolate). But overall I am eating much better than I normally would so I am trying not to feel too bad about it. I am hoping that my willpower be stronger over the next couple of days and that I will finally break the sugar craving completely!

    • WWGD permalink*
      May 7, 2014

      Good luck! It definitely helps to have the online support group because they call you out and make recommendations to get you through the day – you may want to give that a go some time, too! Congrats on finding the energy and the focus to make even one little step – it all counts!

  3. Natalie permalink
    May 7, 2014

    Just a note on my experience that didn’t allow for caffeine, alcohol or any animal product whatsoever (eek). Everyone kept saying you will feel “AMAZING”, so each day I kept waiting for it. Well, I never got to “AMAZING” but I did get to “PRETTY DARN GOOD”, which was enough for me. I was however, “AMAZED” at myself for accomplishing such a tough challenge. Good luck!

    • WWGD permalink*
      May 7, 2014

      LOVE that so much.

  4. May 7, 2014

    I’m on day 21, and I feel incredible! The first week was rough. I didn’t realize how addicted to sugar I was! It almost felt like detox. I find myself reaching more and more for veggies, fruits, and nuts for small snacks or even an entire meal. Let’s meet up for a black coffee or go for a walk and we can swap recipes!

    You can do this!!!

    P.S. Perry is grain intolerant, she was one of the main reasons why I wanted to try this.

  5. May 8, 2014

    I’ve also had trouble with no snacking so I’ve ended up with a handful of nuts and half of an apple in the afternoon. If that’s the worst thing . . . 😉

    Otherwise it’s going well though. Yesterday I had that fluish feeling at night, but I’m feeling better today.

  6. Natalie permalink
    May 12, 2014

    You can do it girlfriend! I’ve been there. But you’ll see how easy it gets – your palate just has to adjust. Soon you’ll be able to taste how sweet most plain bread is! It’s cuckoo how addicted to sugar we all get – whenever I start eating a lot of it I realize I soon want more and more.

    Btw – my fave new clean breakfast on the go – Chia Pods! Mango, Banana, and Vanilla are my faves, in that order. When you’re done with the no grains thing, Ezekiel bread (sprouted grains) with half an avocado spread onto it, black sesame seeds, a sunny side up egg, and a sprinkle of salt will hold you over for a good while in the morning.

  7. Natalie permalink
    May 12, 2014

    P.s. My other tip for making this journey a bit easier – if you have time (which I know is probably not the case!), make a point of really tasting all of the stuff you’re eating. Whenever I get so hungry and busy I just have to shovel some food down, I realize I’ve hardly tasted or experienced what I’ve eaten. You’re a beautiful writer – what would you say about the creaminess or texture of an avocado? Or the sweetness of coconut milk? It might seem wacky, but when I really paid attention to the experience of eating, I found myself describing it all in my mind, and it made the whole thing feel a lot more adventurous and sensual. I’m talking 5 minutes as you eat your breakfast or lunch – that’s all it takes. But that attitude eventually permeated my whole outlook on food, and even though I don’t restrict myself to a specific diet, I find I don’t want a lot of things the way I used to because when I really pay attention to how they taste, I’m turned off. I have never once caught myself savoring and very slowly chewing a fast food burger or Snickers, for example, and I think most people would say the same. Eating can be pretty luxurious when we give it proper attention.

    On breakfast: I eat a HUGE breakfast now, whereas I used to eat none. I’ll have a first breakfast with chia pudding and a squeeze packet of almond butter, then a little later Ezekiel bread with avocado. Makes it a lot easier to go a little lighter on lunch and dinner! Also, the BEST grain free bread recipe is Elena’s Paleo Bread. It is so so so so good, especially with peanut or almond or cashew butter. http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-bread/

    On coffee: I think that might be the hardest part. I used to put 2 Splendas in mine, and now any way other than black or with plain unsweetened almond milk tastes just awful and sickly sweet to me. I promise you, it really is true that your taste for it will go away, and you won’t feel like it’s such a sacrifice, as it does now.

    • WWGD permalink*
      May 13, 2014

      Thanks for all of this awesomeness, love! I think there is definitely a happy place in the middle and I just need to find that…I am always so afraid of “the middle” when it comes to anything in life, but sometimes it might be just right. 😉

      • Natalie Soud permalink
        May 19, 2014

        YES! That is the key. I think these dramatic however many day long changes are great for jump starting a different approach, but being that restrictive isn’t (for me at least) sustainable in the long run. I completely understand being afraid of the middle – I’m only just learning how to keep away from extremes myself. xoxo

Comments are closed.