December 29, 2020

Ashlee's Transformation Feature!

I have been a member of the Clean Simple Eats community for a couple of years. After attempting to complete challenge after challenge and never finishing, I finally decided 2020 would be the year I went all in. It was my first year in my 30’s, and after 4 babies, I wanted to get in the best shape of my life.

I started with completing the Spring challenge 100%. It was the first time in over a decade that I had finished any type of fitness plan and I experienced incredible results. I lost several inches all over my body and 12 lbs. For a small 5 foot frame, that felt like a lot of weight to lose! I lost another 4 lbs over the Summer Challenge, and just completed the Fall Challenge and lost my final 6 lbs and another few inches to hit my major weight loss goals. The last two weeks, I worked towards maintenance and gaining some muscle!

I am so excited to work on muscle gain over the coming months. For the first time in my adult life, I can focus on maintaining my weight. For the first time when the new year rolls around, I won’t have any weight loss goals. That thought makes me emotional because after having 4 babies, I have been trying so long to lose weight and Clean Simple Eats made that happen for me. This last challenge was by far the easiest.

Over the years of doing Clean Simple Eats, I have “accidentally” learned how to count macros (because of the ease of them already being counted in the recipe!), learned how to weigh food fast and efficiently, learned favorite new recipes, and learned what a serving size should look like. So during the Fall challenge, if I went out to eat, I could adjust my macros well in advance so I could enjoy my time at the restaurant. I also would look up menus before dining out and knew how to make good choices that fit with my eating plan.

I’ve had several people ask me what my secret is to losing weight this year. And for me, there isn’t a secret magic sauce. It was showing up every single day. It was spending consistent time in the kitchen, even when I didn’t want to and when I was tired. It was looking over my schedule each week and making sure I had time to cook. If I had an especially busy day, I would cook extra a few days before so I had plenty of food on the busy day. On a few road trips we took, I packed food to cook at our destination and made my own food for the drive so I wouldn’t be tempted to get fast food. I woke up before my kids every day to make sure I’d get a good work out in. It was hard to say no to sugary desserts, it was hard to make a new healthy eating routine. I am busy, we are all busy, but I just embraced the hard. And now, it’s feeling more and more like lifestyle and very do-able.

My birthday is tomorrow, I will be 31, and I am in the best shape of my life. My mood has improved and my stress levels have gone way down. I am so happy Clean Simple Eats helped me reach this goal. I am convinced anyone can experience the health results they want if they commit and embrace the hard for awhile. Over time, it gets easier and easier. I am so grateful to have committed to a journey, it’s been a great year thanks to CSE!

P.S., I requested the Strawberry Cream French Toast from the summer plan for my birthday breakfast! I told my husband I don’t have a desire to gorge myself on a sugary breakfast. I can’t believe those words are coming out of my mouth. I know the time spent over months and months of eating healthy have made a huge difference for me in what I prefer to eat. Thank you for hosting a challenge that committed me to a journey, it’s made all the difference!