BGR! U - Clean Eating Challenge: Prep Week

By Toni Carey (@toni_carey)

The BGR! U "Clean Eating Challenge" led by Danielle Omar is well underway and so far, it can only be summed up by headaches and stomach pain. Let me explain....

Prep week is all about starting to eliminate the things that are a no-go during the cleanse. Just to name a few, they include:

• Alcohol
• Coffee (caffeine)
• Processed foods
• Dairy 
• Gluten

The hardest of the list for me? Alcohol (wine) and coffee. While Danielle recommended that you ween yourself off of each gradually, I decided to cut both cold turkey, (along with gluten and dairy). I'm an all or nothing kind of girl. 

Three days in and I began experiencing headaches, which were to be expected, but what I didn't expect was the stomach pain. Here's the deal. When your body craves something like caffeine (and alcohol) your body responds the same way that someone would that may be quitting something a little heavier, like drugs. Now of course, the symptoms pale in comparison, but there are real side-effects, nonetheless. Unfortunately, the headaches and other side effects are all a part of the process, but I'm definitely reconsidering ever having wine or coffee EVER again. 

It wasn't an easy week and I admit, I spent a lot of time resting, sleeping and drinking tons of water. But, by the end of the week, my symptoms totally faded and I was already starting to feel better. I did have pizza on Friday and it was the worst decision of my life! LOL I spent the next several hours combatting stomach pain and gas. Gross. But, the good news is, is that I know for sure that my body hates gluten and/or cheese. 

This upcoming week is the first real week of the challenge and I can't wait to continue to see how my body and state of mind will change along with my eating habits! 

If you're joining the "21 Day Clean Eating Challenge", how was your first week? 

Stay tuned as I continue to chronicle my progress as I incorporate more clean eating methods into my diet! 

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