Hi there!
My name is Nancy. I turned 49 this October. My husband and I lost a combined 35 pounds with the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge. Here’s our story.
I’m married with two boys and I teach kindergarten in the Bronx, NY. My commute is long, and after work I’m often exhausted, so finding time and energy to exercise regularly is challenging. That’s why the idea of Eating Clean appealed to me — it promised a practical way to feel better without adding extra workouts to my already busy schedule.
Before the challenge, my husband and I used the CleanFoodCrush website and Facebook page for recipes.
He’s an excellent cook and I’m good at food prep, so we thought we were already eating clean. We’d also tried Weight Watchers, and many CleanFoodCrush recipes worked well if you were tracking points. The issue with Weight Watchers for us was that so many healthy options are very low in points that we felt justified rewarding ourselves with ice cream or sweets. That left us bloated and uncomfortable in our clothes. We wanted more than calorie tracking — we wanted lasting changes that would help us genuinely crave healthier food.
We’re also very social. We host friends and go out often, usually at least twice a week. During the week we’d eat well, then on weekends it would turn into an alcohol-and-carb fest. I kept thinking about doing the challenge but would postpone it whenever an event was scheduled. One long weekend, on our drive home, I felt especially rundown and decided to sign up. My husband joined in without hesitation. It was funny because we forgot we had major social events every weekend during that month, including a destination wedding and my birthday. But since the challenge was paid for, we committed to the mantra, “You can do anything for seven days,” and took it one step at a time.
In the first few days we both noticed immediate changes. As soon as we eliminated processed sugar, the bloating went away almost instantly. I missed my morning tea with milk and sugar, but feeling lighter and seeing pounds drop kept me motivated. I told myself that I could reintroduce a sweetened tea later, perhaps with a small amount of maple syrup, so it felt manageable.
The first week was the most challenging because I food-prepped the same meals five days in a row, but I appreciated having a clear plan. The guidance removed the guesswork, and the early weight loss was a powerful motivator.
By the end of the challenge I had lost 12 pounds and later lost an additional 3 pounds. My husband lost 20 pounds. Our clothes fit much better and we’re wearing smaller sizes. I play in a women’s soccer league, and my stamina during games improved noticeably.
My favorite part of this change is no longer digging through my closet for oversized shirts to hide my belly. I love putting on clothes that didn’t fit before and actually enjoying how I look. It’s a small joy that means a lot.
Eating Clean is not a diet — it’s a lifestyle. My husband and I find it easy to use clean ingredients, and food prep has been the key to our success. When you have an assortment of healthy meals and snacks ready, you set yourself up to make the right choices.
My advice for anyone starting the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge is to follow the first week exactly. Trust the process and learn how to identify truly clean foods. Spending a little extra time at the start to understand what’s clean turns you into a confident grocery shopper quickly.
Thank you to Rachel and the CleanFoodCrush team. We feel amazing!