All my friends in college knew me as a crazy chicken nugget lover.
No, not tender (and healthier) Tyson chicken nuggets, I’m talking about McDonald’snuggets.
My snacking habits were out of control because fast food wasn’t as satiating as “real food.”
Kiersten Hickman/Eat This, Not That!
Plus, I also felt rundown and tired all the time.
Now, see what happened when I gave up fast food for a month.
What I ate
I quit cold turkey.
Ann Marie Langrehr/Eat This, Not That!
No more Baconators, or Doritos Locos Tacos, or my beloved chicken nuggets for 30 days.
However, I didn’t go full kale-and-eggs-with-lemon-water diet right off the bat.
I still ate the foods I normally enjoy, but tried to make some healthier tweaks.
Ann Marie Langrehr/Eat This, Not That!
I bought southwest-style salad mixes from Trader Joe’s instead of Taco Bell when I wanted something spicy.
I made homemade beef and broccoli from a Trader Joe’s frozen bag instead of a takeout option.
Halfway through the month, I weaned myself off soda, and I was craving citrus fruit water.
Ann Marie Langrehr/Eat This, Not That!
I’m usually unknowingly dehydrated, and now my skin feels great.
Now, being hydrated is something I don’t even think about anymore.
How it made my body feel
Aclean dietis a real thing.
Kiersten Hickman/Eat This, Not That!
I can honestly say I felt “clean” the whole month.
I was a lot more energized.
Enough to even participate in a few workouts!
The only craving of fast food that I sort-of caved to wasChipotle.
This challenge actually taught me how toeat more mindfully.
Mymoodchanged in some ways, too.
I noticed I slept much more soundly this month.
I woke up more refreshed and not as tired.
This resulted in less cranky behavior and less irritability when something frustrating happened at work or my personal life.
Food can definitely change your mood, and my better eating habits resulted in a more positive mood.
Surprisingly, my skin was much drier this month.
In a good way!
I even noticed my leg muscles becoming more defined and the bloat in my hips went down.
I was completely sick to my stomach.
There’s no denying the satisfaction of a huge meal for only $5.
But the bodily feeling of “satisfaction” had definitely changed.
I was only halfway through the fries when I started to feel full.
I took a break, and got back to the fries.
Had to take another break to eat the nuggets.
Managed to down a little bit of my drink, but I felt, in a way, defeated.
My new diet in no way had me eating more food.
I was just eating more satiating food.
The foods I had been eating had no problem making me feel full.
A meal I once had at least three times a week was now impossible to finish.
The day after eating fast food again, my face and hair felt greasy again.
I was freshly showered and clean, but I didn’t feel it.
I felt awful and run down.
My body was literally craving those clean foods instead, something I never thought I would write.
Now, I don’t think people should NEVER eat fast food, that’s not my point.
It’s just something I wasn’t sure I was aware of and kept giving it to my body.
Yet, I had no idea a simple tweak in my diet could enhance my overall mood and motivation.
The food I ateand likedtruly did shock me.
Sometimes that’s French fries with S’Awesome sauce.
Sometimes that’s a kale salad.
Who knows, maybe I’ll change my wedding reception dinner from chicken nuggets to veggie nuggets one day?
