Clean & Lean Diet - Review

About 3 months ago I realised no matter how much I workout I wasn't losing any weight. I think I hit some kind of plateau where I think my body just got used to working out so much and just stayed the same. Just for reference I was working out about 1-2 hours every day, with a mix of cardio and strength training. 

My diet seamed in my opinion to be heathy... I would eat some sort of cereal for breakfast mostly Cheerios... I would then eat a sandwich for lunch using brown wholemeal bread... and then for dinner I would eat a bowl of supermarket bought soup eg. covent garden 

I would drink 2-3 cups of green tea, even though I thought it tasted like pond water and lots of plain water. 

One day while I was watching Cassey Ho from Blogilates she mentioned something about eating 'Clean'... and that although everybody is different when it comes to losing weight exercising only counts for 10% of weight loss... your diet counts for 80% and the other 10% is genetics. From this information I was really amazed and quite surprised... I thought it would be more 50:50

I started researching into 'Eating Clean' and seriously there is so much information online... I didn't really know where to begin. 

Clean & Lean Diet £8.96 - Amazon

Looking on Amazon there are a few books on 'Eating Clean' this is when I found the Clean & Lean Diet by James Duigan, currently priced at £8.96. I purchased it purely on the amount of positive 4/5 star reviews, it has over 100.

On the cover it has written '14 days to your best ever body'...this diet is a lifestyle change and is not a crash diet where results are seen immediately. You are not going to be bikini body perfect in 14 days, this 14 days is a kickstart your body needs to detoxify your body.

The book is split into chapters (as most books are), they are all very informative, very easy to read and include a 14 day meal plan, recipe's and an exercise plan.

The book starts with an introduction to what 'clean' is and how this way of eating will benefit you. This introduction was really helpful to me and just made me want to carry on reading the rest of the book.

The book explains what foods to avoid known as toxins and also why these toxic foods cause you to gain weight. At the end of each chapter there is a summary table of food that is bad (these foods you should never eat eg. chocolate coated biscuit), better (these food you should avoid but only eat as a last resort eg. piece of fruit ) and then the best (these foods you can enjoy in your diet eg. fruit and nuts).

The diet plan is high in protein, vegetables and good fats, and low in carbs. It consists of eating 5 small meals throughout the day, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. The kickstart is very restrictive, also repetitive and the first couple of days leaves you feeling really hungry... it is difficult but definitely worth it. 

The diet plan is followed with a recipe chapter that you can use in the 14 day kickstart but also use after the kickstart to help with ideas on how to cook clean for life. 

The exercise plan consists of low intensity strength training, I do find the routine very easy and not challenging enough so have continued with my usual workout routine, which I mentioned above.

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3 months on and I have lost half a stone and feel really energised and lighter on my feet. My diet has completely changed…pretty much all breakfast cereals contain sugar and wheat both of which I no longer eat in my diet. This means I could no longer eat Cheerios for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and even fresh supermarket soup (which contains sugar)… I started eating porridge for breakfast, lunches usually consist of fish or chicken with a salad or stir fry, and I still eat soup for dinner I just make it myself so I know there is no added sugar. Snacks in-between meals keep me full up and I don't get hungry, I love almond butter on Ryvitta or having fresh fruit topped with greek yogurt. 

One last thing to mention and probably the best part of a clean eating lifestyle, is that once a week you can indulge in anything you want… I mean anything… a stack of pancakes and whipped cream… a chocolate cake… a big fat pizza… whatever takes your fancy. And the best part of this is that it actually helps you lose weight as your body goes into shock and starts burning off the extra calories quickly which increases your metabolism. This cheat meal once a week keeps me from feeling deprived, helps me stay focused and also something to look forward to.

I really hope you enjoyed my post, and if you have any questions I would be happy to help. 

If you are looking to change your diet I highly recommend the Clean & Lean Diet by James Duigan… I know it sound cliche but it has changed my life!!!