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How to Start Eating Clean!

So I get asked all the time about Clean Eating. Here's some background on my story.
Towards the  end of high school years, I began to notice that I started gaining 10-15lbs every winter. My senior year of high school, for the 1st time EVER, I started working out. I did this to lose that holiday weight before PROM. It worked!! I am pretty sure that I quit working out that summer or maybe when I started college in the fall. Then from that time until 2012, I did the same with the exception of around my wedding when I worked out pretty consistently for over a year but really NEVER enjoyed it.
Oh and then in grad school I started counting calories because running (what I resorted to) wasn't quite cutting it. I ALWAYS quit come summer and horse riding season. ALWAYS!

In 2011, I began to follow a high school acquaintance in her fitness model journey and noticed how awesome she looked and what she was doing...lifting weights and eating clean.
In January 2012, I decided I might want to try this eating clean. I had seen what a unhealthy lifestyle did to people later in life thanks to my job as a physical therapist and I knew I did NOT want to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an extra tire, stroke, heart attack, diabetes,etc.
So I asked the high school acquaintance and another friend who was eating clean a few questions. One of them recommended a website and a book. I checked out both and did a lot of research!! Now I just had to get to husband on board! Surprisingly, it was easy to get him to agree to this lifestyle change! We started in March 2012 and by May 2012 I had lost 16 lbs!! My husband lost a lot too. Since then I have been perfecting my diet! I still have the goal to have a visible 6 pack (abs) and will have one one day!!

Anyway, so I did I just JUMP full fledge in?? NO! I started the first week by drinking only water and A LOT of it! I recommend at least 1/2 your weight in ounces, but I often drink way more that now.
Each week I added something new. Week 1: water. Week 2: changed my snacks (I already ate 5 times a day). Week 3: changed my breakfast. Week 4: changed my lunch. Week 5: changed my dinners. I did this gradually and still lost 16lbs in about 8 weeks. I was ecstatic! My skin was radiant, my hair healthier, and I felt like I had a ton of energy!!

Keep in mind that I am not a nutritionist or expert in this field. This is just what worked for me!
I do run FREE 7 day Clean Eating Groups all the time and if you are interested leave you email below, email me at ddtwaring@aol.com, or find me on FB or IG at Diana Freyaldenhoven

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