Clean Program Review
21 days later and I'm feeling cleeeeean and energized and my skin and mood definitely show for it! I did miss udon, pasta, and ice cream but it was SO worth how I felt afterwards. I'm diving into the clean program and answering alllllll your Qs ! Read on friends
In case you missed it I decided to do the clean program after a long birthday vacation and too many indulgences #carbdiet . My skin was suffering from the poor diet + weather changes between travels. I had developed hives all over my body and my face. It was super uncomfortable and I knew that it was my body telling me I needed a big reset. I chose this program because it focuses on eating whole clean foods and eliminating all things that may cause inflammation like gluten, eggs, soy, dairy etc. My goal wasnt to lose weight so I liked that I could eat meals that were still high in protein and sufficient in calories but in a clean way.
I started by making a PLAN! When you're starting a new routine of any kind it's so important to plan and prepare or chances are you will fall off track. So a week before receiving my program in the mail, I downloaded the manual online and wrote down everything I could and could not eat. I wanted to refer to it easily when I was grocery shopping or eating out. After that, I wrote down simple go-to recipes, Ex: Sweet potatoes call for 1 hour at 425 degrees , and other easy "how to's" that would make throwing everything together into a bowl easy over rice and greens.
The clean program calls for eliminating gluten, dairy, beef, eggs, coffee, soda, alcohol, and processed sugar. And encourages enjoying a TON of veggies, leafy greens, fruits, berries, wild fish, organic chicken and turkey, brown rice, quinoa, avocado and coconut oil. They send you smoothie packages, supplements and probiotics to take everyday.
I'm guilty of buying supplements from Target just because the gummies look tasty but never consistently taking them (anyone else?). Truthfully, I'm not very knowledgeable on what supplements my body needs, so I was very interested to see how my body would react to them after taking them consistently.
Each supplement packet in the clean program contains a digestive enzyme, an herbal antimicrobial, and liver support. The digestive enzyme aids in the digestion of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber. The antimicrobial supports gut health, reduces yeast and fungus, and regulates blood sugar. The liver support supplement contains milk thistle to aid and enhance detoxfication. Source: Clean Program Manuel
I recommend taking a before photo just like you would for any challenge. Seeing the progress visually is the best way to gage if something is really working. So for me, I took a photo of my current skin condition on my face and body and although leaning wasn't a priority, I snapped a quick pic of my body too.
I also recommend journaling how you feel everyday, even if it's just 1 sentence or bullet points.
On Day 1, I wrote:
Body rash all over, bumpy and itchy
Lower face small dry bumps
Lips are chapped
Hard to wake up
Nose is so dry its peeling
Working out makes my rashes itch more
Tired after every meal
So, what do you eat?
One clean shake for breakfast with supplements and probiotics. A clean meal for lunch with supplements, and a clean meal + a shake for dinner with supplements.
My go-to recipe for the Clean shake was, 1 cup frozen mango, heaping spoonful of almond butter, tbsp of coconut oil, 1 scoop of vanilla protein, 1/2 avocado, 1.5 cups almond milk, handful of spinach and a Clean shake packet. It tastes delicious!
Below is an example:
Breakfast: CLEAN SHAKE + supplements +probiotic
Snack: Sweet potato
Lunch: Large macro bowl with chicken+ supplements
Snack: Bone broth w bok choy
Dinner: CLEAN SHAKE + curried Salmon with roasted veggies over brown rice + supplements
The clean program just calls for just a shake for dinner but I didn't want to lose weight, so I had a clean approved meal on top of the shake.
As you can see I was still eating a lot and feeling very full at the end of each day and I didn't feel like I was on a restricting cleanse AT ALL. The only time I felt that way was eating out with Ian or with friends. It is do-able but just takes some self control.
Bye coffee, hello matcha lattes.
Bye in and out, hello bun-less turkey burgers.
Bye ice cream, hello date sweetened vegan treats.
Overall It wasn't THAT bad. The first few days I remember getting a headache around 3-4 pm from coffee withdrawals. That was tough but I drank a lot of water and it eventually went away completely. I was feeling great by the end of the first week. I was exercising as I normally do, 6x a week so I made sure to add in extra protein in my clean shake at night. I noticed that I didn't have ANY bloating that week which lead me to feeling more lean. I was so full each day and didnt have any cravings for sweets either, which was surprising.
On day 7, I wrote:
No more breakouts on skin
Rashes are nearly gone
Had allergies while hiking
Not craving sweets (surprised)
The second week, I started craving CARBS- really bad. Brown rice was good but it wasn't quite the same as bread or pasta. I would have moments where I resented the cleanse, especially when friends would ask me to go out. But I reminded myself why I started and knew I had to stay strong because I already got this far and I was so close to learning more about myself...what my body likes and what it dislikes.
On day 14 , I wrote:
Energy is great , all day
Craving udon like crazy
No PMS this month
No breakouts this month
Rashes are gone, skin is healing
I pushed through another week and by this time, my friend Qian who sees me everyday was like, "wow you actually have no skin issues on your face for once". We're like sisters so she can totally be up front with me like that. I remember looking at myself in the car mirror and realizing that ALL the rashes, hives and breakouts WERE GONE. Zero. Zip.
My skin was looking GOOD AF. Smooth, radiant, and moisturized and I didn't need to use any concealer or foundation when I went out. And if I did it actually ended up making my skin look more dull!
That motivated me to finish off the rest of the cleanse.
After the 21 days, your body is at a perfect state to start introducing foods back into your diet one at a time. The first thing I ate on day 22 was UDON noodles because duhh. It was sooo delicious and I felt a heavy full-ness immediately afterwards, but my stomach wasn't necessarily bloated.
I wanted to investigate further, so after another day of introducing gluten, I went back to clean eating for 2 days and introduced dairy next. The first thing I had was ice cream, butter with my pancakes and cheese. Almost immediately my stomach had a reaction. I got bloated, my stomach had sharp pain and I got super gasey. I knew going into the cleanse that I may have been lactose intolerant, but this test really validated it. I was also surprised that I wasn't as intolerant to yogurt or kefir, when I tested that the following day. Anyone else like this?!
Check out my skin transformation!! Day 1 vs Day 21 (no filters on both photos)
Body transformation! Definitely noticed a difference in my abs. Felt more energy at the gym too and overall good about myself!
All in all the struggle was definitely worth the reward! I 100% know that dairy and I can’t be friends and if we want to hang out, it will surely come with some hard times.
I've also completely stopped drinking coffee! Not sure when I'll pick up a yummy iced latte again, but for now I don't feel like I need it in the mornings like I used to and I kinda love that.
The clean program served to getting me feeling great, healing my skin and feeling back on track PLUS the reintroduction phase taught me a few new things about my body!
I hope this recap helps you understand the program – ask me any questions in the comments and I’ll get back to you.
Also if if you guys want a promo code for the program, let me know. I can definitely see if I can get you one.
