Eating Clean: Day One

Today is exactly two months before we leave for Hawaii. I have never really been one to diet for vacations, but over the last month or so, I have started to have extreme sugar cravings that have only gotten more insatiable as time went on. And of course, this has contributed to some unwanted LBS.

So all that is to say, the timing is right. I have never followed a real diet, but my mom started eating clean and following a loose plan last week to help with digestion issues - and not only are her problems almost entirely solved, but she lost 3 pounds. CRAZY.

The biggest reason I am eating clean is to stabilize my blood sugar levels. I constantly try to deprive myself of things I know are bad for me (mostly carbs) and I end up cutting out a lot of nutrients I actually need to feel satisfied. At the end of the day, I end up bingeing - whether it be on blueberries or Cinnamon Toast Crunch...or gum (I easily go through a pack a night, judge me). I am praying that this eating plan will help me to not only to make sure I get the nutrition I need, but also keep my blood sugar from spiking and causing insatiable cravings.

That said, I am NOT being strict about this. I know, especially living with a boy, that I can't eat perfectly. We go out (a lot), we drink (sometimes a lot...) and I know myself well enough to know that if I completely deprive myself of these things I enjoy, this whole plan will backfire tenfold. I am definitely planning to be more sensitive to my drinking, especially during the week (a vodka soda counts as a carb below if I want to replace one), and am doing my best to avoid processed foods - especially sugars.

These are the overall guidelines I'm following:


Meal 1 (breakfast): Protein, Complex Carbs, Fruit

Meal 2 (snack, 3 hrs later): Fruit, Fat
Meal 3 (lunch): Protein, Carb, Veggie, Fat
Meal 4 (dinner): Protein carb, Veggie, Fat
Meal 5 (snack, afternoon or night): Protein + Fruit or Veggie, or Veggie + Fat

Protein-4 ounces
Carbs-1 cup, 1 slice. Ezekiel sprouted bread or whole grain bread, sweet potato, oats, beans, Kashi cereal (not crunch), almond milk
Veggies-2 ounces, extra is fine, not peas or corn
Fruit- 1 cup. Avoid dried, 4 banana per week limit
Fats- 1T almonds (12), almond butter, olive oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower seeds, avocado, natural peanut butter, olives, coconut oil.

If you use cheese, low fat feta or cheddar.
Free foods: mustard, vinegar, Mrs. Dash, lemon/lime juice, pepper, stevia, bragg's liquid aminos.

Limit caffeine, take multi vitamin, calcium, fish oil, and probiotic
drink 80% of your weight in ounces of water daily
snack on veggies if you're hungry.

It's actually fairly simple, and not a drastic overhaul from what I was eating before. The biggest difference for me is eating 5 times per day and starting with breakfast first thing in the morning before I leave my apartment. I have been pushing breakfast out as long as possible to  cut down on additional eating, and having started this plan this morning, I already feel better.

I'll be updating as often as I can with my progress (more just as a personal documentation) but I will throw in some favorite recipes along the way (next up: breakfast smoothie. I had one this morning was so filling and absolutely delicious).

Do you eat clean? If you've got tips, please share!