So… how did my cleanse go?  These emojis sums it up:

cleanse 30th day

Overall, it’s been good. What I wanted at the end was to eat really clean 90% of time, coming up with good strategies for getting there and maintaining it. And that’s about where I’m at.

The not so great parts:

  • Not drinking nearly enough water (which I’m realizing made a big difference the first time I did the cleanse).
  • But … drinking more than enough wine. (Next time I’ll be more specific when saying I’ll just have on special occasions. “Making it through the day” does not qualify!)
  • The more unorganized I was on a particular day or week, the worse it tended to go.  

The top three things that worked beautifully:

  1. Plan it out: Map out what meals / snacks you’ll have each week. Making that decision up front removes decision making at weaker moments. And enables you to get what you need up front i.e., one main trip to grocery vs. daily stops that adds up to a lot of wasted time (and a lot of fast food).  And by sharing it with family members (who had an opportunity ONCE WEEKLY to give input), I noticed the pre-mealtime complaining, bargaining was greatly reduced!
Mine not quite as cute so I'll share Sara's (courtesy of sincerelysarad.com)

My board is not quite as cute so I’ll share Sara’s (courtesy of sincerelysarad.com)

2.  Make super easy:  Being that I get annoyed having more than one step when microwaving a frozen dinner, I know that it’s got to be super easy if I’m going to stick to it. I loved these shakes and juices from Daily Harvest. (DIY TIP:  Make your own by prepping and freezing in individual ziplocs) 

Daily Harvest makes super healthy shades super easy

Daily Harvest makes super healthy shakes super easy (delivered directly to your door!)

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And believe it or not – very tasty!

3.  Tweak:   If you tend to be an all-or-nothing gal like me, you’ve probably set yourself up for lots of “failures.” Over the years (maybe it comes with age?) I’ve learned to give myself a break – but not too big of one. If something is worthy of my energy (and this was), I figure out a way to change it up / get back on track.

Interestingly enough, these three things can make a big difference in any goal / project you set out to do.  A good way to remember:  Just like your pet can make all the difference, so can these 3 things:

P (PLAN it out)

E (make as EASY as possible)

T (TWEAK when needed)

PET!  

xoxo from me & my pet posse…