losing those last 5 {or more} pounds.

Today, we’re on a health bender. Are you ready?!

“to keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” –buddha

Or better yet – have you ever gone on a health bender that actually works? Please, don’t say the “d” word around these parts. I don’t believe in dieting, and I never will. Dieting is deprivation, and it only lasts until you starve yourself enough to binge eat an entire box of Cheez-Its again.

{That would totally my binge food of choice, anyway. What’s yours?}

When Danielle reached out to me about reviewing her program on my blog, I was skeptical. I’ve done cleanses before, and … well, I’ve done a cleanse before, and it was not for me. 3 days of drinking mostly kale and other vegetables and fruits didn’t seem like a bad idea, but my stomach didn’t agree. Beyond that, I was mentally and physically miserable during those 3 days. And perhaps worst of all, there was no pot of gold at the end of the vicious rainbow. When it was over, it was over – I went right back to my old ways.

Still, when I saw that most people lost an average of 5 pounds on this program, I had to try it out myself. Everyone is familiar with those last 5 pounds. And guess what? It happened!

About the 14-Day Fresh Start Nutrition Program: Note that it is not called a cleanse. The cleansing portion is called a reset, and it happens during the first 5 days. During the reset, you eat 3 shakes a day, 2 bars as snacks in between, and then you are free to eat 1 serving of fruit and as many raw or lightly steamed vegetables as you would like (with the exception of carrots and potatoes, which become high-glycemic when cooked – raw is good, though). No coffee, though you can have green tea. Hot water with lemon is recommended to start and end your day to aid with digestion (which surprisingly helped me a lot!). After the reset, you are given more shakes and bars to have one daily for the next 9 days, along with a TON of material to help you learn about the benefits of low-glycemic foods and healthy eating in general. Videos, recipes, everything. Really good stuff.

My Experience with the Program: On the first day, I felt like crap – I’m not gonna lie. The second day, I started feeling better. By the end of the second day through the end of the reset, I felt amazing. I work in a place where I’m surrounded by junk food – better yet, we had 2 birthdays at work that week, and I didn’t even want any of it. I had zero cravings! It was pretty insane. I truly felt my energy skyrocket, which is something I had only previously heard about. When the reset was over, I almost didn’t want it to end. I was loving the feeling of not craving crazy amounts of carbs, sugar, etc. But, that feeling continued on through the 2 weeks. And it’s still happening now. It’s all about eating small meals throughout the day – something I’ve been doing for years – but more importantly, understanding the foods you eat and what they do once they enter your body. I was skeptical that I would lose weight – I don’t own a scale so I didn’t know for sure until I finally found myself at Publix and hopped on one – but I did lose about 5 pounds. You’re still getting a decent amount of calories during the reset if you add it up (around 1100 to 1200 if I remember correctly, plus the extra fruit and veggies) and I eat pretty healthily during the week anyway, so I wasn’t sure if it would affect me. But it did! If you’re not used to eating in small, healthy meals throughout the day, I would think you could lose even more weight. Especially as you continue this style of eating going forward after the fact.

I’ve been reading about healthy eating for a long time, so I do get excited to learn something new. Did you know that instant oatmeal of any kind is a no-no? High-glycemic. Basically, the longer things cooks, the longer they take to be absorbed into your blood stream. Which is good! So step away from the instant brown rice. It ain’t doing you any favors.

This I’ve known – but do you? 300 calories of cake is not the same as 300 calories of vegetables. Seems logical, but you might still tell yourself that if you have that cake, you’ll skip lunch and be even for the day. Go ahead and do that, and see what happens later on that day. That cake is going to make your blood sugar go crazy, and I guarantee the rest of the day will be in much worse shape than if you’d eaten 300 calories of nutrients.

We know that processed foods are bad, but most of us consider sliced turkey or chicken breast from the deli to be a healthy choice. This program advises you to avoid deli meats, which are processed nonetheless. I hadn’t ever really thought about it, but of course, it makes sense. You’re much better off cooking your own turkey/chicken breasts and eating that meat, if you can find the time.

There is SO much information, you’re guaranteed to learn a ton. But the most important takeaway – beyond losing 5 to 10 pounds – is that this program has the power to change the way you think about food. Even after the cleanse, reset, whatever you want to call it, is over with.

Read Danielle’s personal story about her battle with depression and food. And look where she is now! Love, love, love reading stories like this. Get on her email list here, and check her out on Facebook here.

And the grand finale? This program goes for $249, but Danielle was kind enough to give us a $40 discount (she actually offers $20, and a $20 referral fee to me for anyone who buys it, but I would rather the whole discount go to you). So, your total cost will come to $209.

Click here to learn more and get started, and enter “20somethingcupcakes” for the discount code.

P.S. The shakes are amazing! I already have more on order. My favorite was the chocolate, with strawberry coming in at a close second. And if you have any questions for me, shoot!