August Challenge

I recently decided to challenge myself to a "no cheat" August, meaning clean foods only for me. If you are looking for a good kick start, recharge, or reset to your health and fitness, I encourage you to take this challenge with me. 

Normally I allow myself to eat freely on the weekends. When I am truly focused on weight loss, I allow myself no more than one cheat per week. Eating clean is very rewarding to your body from the inside out. 

There is a lot of gray area to clean eating. I encourage you to do some research and decide for yourself what best fits your lifestyle and your goals. The more extreme you are with it, the more extreme your results will be. Personally, I like to find a balance. Living in a small town, whole food stores are not really available. Also, I have kids and my family and I like to eat out. I focus on nutritional value, a short shelf life, and lean foods that have been modified as little as possible. 

My preferences and view of clean eating and what works best for me, may not work for you. It takes time to figure out what you can live with and what you can live without. It doesn't have to be hard, and maybe you would do best to start off slowly. But, if you're ready to jump in with both feet, join me and a few of my friends in this challenge. 

To start, on August 1, you need to take a photo of yourself wearing something fitted (preferably with your stomach visible). You also need to weigh. You may want to take some measurements. Your photo, clothing, and measurements will show results more than the scales will, so don't be discouraged if you haven't lost 20 pounds by the end. 

There will be days that are harder than others. You will face temptation. You will have cravings. If you're hungry, eat. Understand the difference between hungry and snacky. If you're snacky, drink water and snack on low calorie veggies. 

I hope you decide to take the challenge with me. I believe you can do this and that you will be very happy with the results. I'd love to hear from you about your experience with the no cheat August challenge. If you have any questions, or just need someone to talk you through a temptation, feel free to email me. My email is lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com. Also, if you have any good clean recipes that you would like to share, please do! We can all use some help with creativity! I'm not that great of a cook..... Yea, my poor family....clean eating August + not a very good cook. They're so lucky. Haha. 

Good luck to you on the challenge!! Keep me posted on your progress!! Oh, and after you weigh on the 1st....PUT THE SCALES AWAY!!! No need to weigh again until the end. It will only mess you up! Trust me...