Kella’ Skin Cleared By Week One of The Challenge

 

Meet Kella, Who Lost 16 Pounds with CleanFoodCrush!

My name is Kella and I took the plunge on June 13, 2022, to do the 30 day CleanFoodCrush 30-Day Clean Eating Challenge. This was after stepping on the scale and hitting a record all-time high of 158.2 pounds. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would let myself get that far out of control.

To date, I have lost 16 pounds and 11.5 inches overall in less than 6 months.

I look at this like it took me 4 years to gain this weight, so I am more than happy to have lost over half my goal weight in 6 months. 

At the age of 30, I was diagnosed with stage zero uterine cancer, uterine polyps, and fibroids, and my previously diagnosed endometriosis had grown out of control taking over the right side of my internal organs.

At this time, I weighed my highest weight of 131 pounds aside from being pregnant. I had an emergency hysterectomy and it resolved the issues I was having, my hormones balanced back out and I lost 18 pounds. I gained back to about 120 pounds and maintained that from the end of 2014 through 2017.

In 2018, things changed once again for me, stress was higher, my job was more taxing, food was noticeably different even, and I started to crave sugar badly. I followed Rachel’s recipes but didn’t really know what was going on, and I went to school for microbiology. I just couldn’t figure it out. I started to gain weight.

The first year I went to 138 pounds, then the next 142 pounds, the next was 147 pounds, and my final high was 158.2 and my final straw.

In January of this year, I went to my OB because something had really changed drastically.  I knew eventually my ovaries would have to be removed, I was told that in 2013. They trucked along for 9 extra years for me.

I battled cystic acne, massive scars, melasma, fibroids swelling in my breasts creating pain and lumps all of the time, pelvic cramping, pressure, and on and on that list goes.

I had a biopsy after two very questionable mammograms and calcium was what was found (phew). My oophorectomy double salpingectomy with cytology was on February 8th, 2022. This was supposed to be the fix for all of these symptoms. It wasn’t! I still had cystic acne, swelling, and pain in my breasts, and I was getting the wonderful addition of weight gain once again because I was sent into full-blown menopause with just an estrogen patch to keep me going. I was not 40 years old yet!!! 

June 13, 2022, I dived in, no looking back and definitely not fully prepared to do any sort of meal prepping, clean eating, etc.

I had been going to the gym 4 days a week already and still was finding myself gaining weight. I was running miles and miles and would lose a few pounds but always came back after months of putting in miles, it was just a few pounds lost. I was tired, I tried everything else so I figured I would give this Clean Eating Challenge my best shot. 

These body pictures are day 1, day 30, and day 90. 

I started eating breakfast for the first time since I was a really small child, I started eating more food in a day than I probably ate in 4 days almost my entire life to this point!

My husband thoroughly enjoyed this because he was feeling really well-fed. Calling it “your diet”, I would correct him. This is how we are supposed to be eating, this is what we are supposed to be eating.

My skin was always clear and I had sprinkles of freckles across my nose, but all the way through my twenties to about 27 years old I only wore eye makeup and concealer for minor spots. It wasn’t until I started gaining weight that I started getting darker spots and cystic acne on my chin. I had no idea what the darker spots were called for a long time. I was told by a friend it’s called melasma. Researching this I found out most women get it when they are pregnant due to hormone fluctuations, but I never did. 

The First Week:

• I lost 4 pounds and 4 inches total.
• I felt better
• I had more energy
• My clothes were already fitting better again
• My breasts were back to a normal state of existing
• The biggest change in one week was my face was starting to really clear up and the discoloration was starting to even back out.

These pictures are Day 1 and Day 7

The Challenge has proven to me that Clean Eating was actually affecting my hormones and balancing my system in a way that hadn’t been done in 9 years!

I’m not perfect, and my journey hasn’t been perfect either, but when I drink one too many adult beverages, or I eat something that is pumped full of chemicals I definitely pay the price.

Rachel has this science figured out in a way I never could have, and it has completely changed my way of thinking about food. REAL food isn’t here just to survive, it is part of how we thrive!

Aside from losing weight and helping balance my hormones, I have so much more energy.

This season has been very demanding on me and time, and there isn’t enough time to do everything that needs to be done, but I’m waking up early (I’m not a morning person) and going to bed later. Most days I don’t even feel like I need a nap. I still love naps though! 

I also can overcome any sort of craving of sugar pretty easily,  now.

I’m finding if I do indulge, my taste buds have changed and I don’t like the chemical taste of processed foods that aren’t good for me. 

The CleanFoodCrush community is amazing whether I post a lot or not at all, I know I have the best support to keep going!

 – Kella

Ready to Get the Tools and Support That Helped Kella Succeed? Come and Join the Challenge!

The post Kella’ Skin Cleared By Week One of The Challenge first appeared on Clean Food Crush.

from Clean Food Crush https://ift.tt/yLC70q4