Hey, everyone! I am so honored that Chef Angela has allowed me to be a guest blogger this week. My name is Kelly, and I have been one of Angela’s best friends for 10 plus years. I am a mom, a teacher and a food lover. Angela has been a huge inspiration in my life and a big reason why I love cooking, especially Paleo recipes.

I first read about eating Paleo in Esther Blum’s book, Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat back in January 2014. It sounds cliché, but it really was life-changing. I’ve been eating a Paleo diet on and off ever since; however, my ultimate goal is to be more on than off, LOL. So, when I saw Jenny Champion Prenderville’s (@thepaleobarbie, editor of @poshpaleomag) post about a FREE 7-day Paleo cleanse, I immediately signed up without a second thought.

Okay, so for those of you who don’t know, eating Paleo means eliminating gluten, grains, sugar, dairy, beans, legumes, white potatoes and corn from your diet. I know, I know, this sounds pretty restrictive, right? Like almost impossible? Well, hold that thought. There are a gazillion ways to incorporate foods you love while maintaining Paleo lifestyle. Do a quick search on Pinterest or Google, and you will see recipes for Paleo pancakes, Paleo lasagna, Paleo desserts, etc. If you’re craving it, chances are there is a Paleo version that you can make.

Now, the purpose of the cleanse is to reset your body, to detox from sugar and as Jenny simply puts it, “crap food”. This cleanse is supposed to kill your cravings and get rid of your bloat, with the possibility of losing anywhere between 3-12 pounds! So that being said, the cleanse is much more restrictive, it was basically meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Yes, that means you are drinking black coffee unless you are someone who blends it with grass fed butter or another Paleo-approved method. Foods that are usually allowed were eliminated for this cleanse, including fruit, maple syrup, honey and sweet potatoes. Jenny also emphasizes no snacking, and that you should eat 3 big meals each day (I know this totally going against what you always hear is best for you, but she’s got science and stuff on her side).

I was totally game for this because 1) who doesn’t want to lose a couple pounds? 2) I totally believe that one can become addicted to sugar and crap foods. One of the main reasons I am an on and off Paleo eater is because I sometimes get sucked into the vicious cycle of constantly craving carbs. And 3) I feel like complete crap when I don’t eat a Paleo diet. I am sluggish, moody, bloated, my skin breaks out and I have uncontrollable cravings and end up eating a TON. Yeah, not good. So here is a quick summary of my 7-day cleanse and my big takeaways.

Days 1-3

I literally felt amazing, like I was high on motivation and determination. My fridge was stocked with the right foods, I had meal ideas in mind and I was so sick of feeling terrible that I was ready to crush these seven days without any hesitation. I even went to a local carnival, where my family ate cotton candy and funnel cake in front of me (like literally at one point I was holding the plate of funnel cake for them so that they could eat it) and I did not even think about eating it. This was a major personal victory for me.

Days 4-6

STRUGGLE isn’t even the word. Now Jenny does say that days 3 and 4 can be difficult because you are detoxing from sugar and might feel foggy and tired, but that once you get over the hump you feel incredible. Well, my body must have had some serious detoxing to do because I had 3 DIFFICULT days instead one or two. On one hand, I felt incredible these 3 days. I was so proud of myself for sticking with this despite all the temptations surrounding me, and my body felt great. I was way less bloated and moody. On the other hand, I literally was seeing mirages of doughnuts and cupcakes. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t stop thinking about them, and these aren’t even things I eat often. I struggled so much that I would have committed a crime for a piece of watermelon, but I stayed strong.

Day 7

This is probably the most emotional day of all. I woke up feeling rested, light and skinny. I checked my weight and was down 4.6 lbs.! I was so utterly happy with the results and proud of myself. Then, it happened. A very dear out of town friend was able to do lunch. There was no way I was saying no as I really only get to see her once or twice a year. I decided I would go to lunch and order a salad. Well, things didn’t go as planned and we decided to split some appetizers. I was so hungry and they were so delicious that I didn’t feel one bit guilty while eating them. Afterwards, though, the guilt really set in. I was so upset that I was right at the end and didn’t finish strong.

Even though I still feel defeated and guilty about it, I decided I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I want to enjoy my life, and sometimes that means indulging in non-Paleo foods. Yeah, it stinks that it happened to be the last day of my cleanse, but I am so glad I got to see my friend and I probably would have felt worse if I passed up that opportunity because of the cleanse.

The Takeaway

The cleanse made me feel great physically. Jenny is so motivating and supportive (there is a cleanse Facebook group to keep you on the honor system, support each other and get meal ideas) and really cares about your progress. I do feel like it was very restrictive (duh, it’s a cleanse) and so I got sick of certain food items (like eggs) quickly. But I certainly wasn’t deprived, look at these delicious dishes I made for myself!

Clockwise, from top left:  Chicken Stir-fry with Riced Cauliflower, “Fried” Eggs with Asparagus, Spinach and Homemade Pork Sausage,  Paleo Taco Skillet and Golden Cauliflower Soup.

Ultimately, the cleanse made me realize how much mindless eating I had been doing and it really made me realize that eating Paleo isn’t nearly as restrictive as I used to think it was. My main goal is to try to maintain eating a Paleo diet most of the time while still indulging sometimes. However, I am going to try the cleanse again the next round, which starts September 5th. I’m hoping that it won’t be as difficult if I’ve been maintaining a mostly Paleo diet between now and then.

I would encourage all of Chef Annie’s foodie fans to give something like this a try. It’s incredible to see how much your body improves in those few days, and you never know what healthy habits you might keep for good. Hey, I am still drinking black coffee (gasp!).

Note from Chef Angela – be sure to check out Kelly’s Instagram account for more great Paleo pics!  https://www.instagram.com/plenty.of.paleo/