Mer and I just finished up three weeks on the Clean diet, so it is time for an update. As of this morning, I weighed in at 160.0, which represents 14.5 pounds lost in twenty-one days, which is simply remarkable. It also puts me just 0.5 pounds away from my all-time lightest adult weight, with a week still to go. (As an aside, the body does shift as it gets older. I found a pair of suit pants that I bought when I was twenty-four years old. I am now as light as or even lighter than I was then, but the pants are a good two inches away from fitting.)

As far as some of the benefits Clean is supposed to impart, it has been hard to say. I do not feel as if I have tons of additional energy, but I also still have not had my typical mid-day “sleepies,” where I get tired in the early afternoon, so that has been okay.

Clean also mentions that the feeling of hunger goes away as you are on the diet. I have found it to be just the opposite. This last week has been difficult for me in that I have been hungry fairly often – usually once a day, and sometimes more. Clean also indicates that typically your cravings for “bad” food will go away, and that has very much not been the case for me and Mer. We have been both craving various foods, and have avoided certain social situations in order to keep away from tempting food.

Running for me has also been very difficult. In part, that is because I took a lot of time off in January and February. Still, when I run, I’ve struggled with stomach cramps and a pretty large lack of energy – it is hard for me to push the pace at all. I think some of that comes from the diet – I’m probably not getting enough calories for sustained exercise, and I am not eating foods that can be quickly converted to energy.

Mer and I have both been counting down the days until we can eat freely again. That has been disappointing, because we are not normally like that – we don’t usually try to rush time, wishing it were days ahead, except on rare occasions (when we have something very special planned for the weekend or the like).

So, on the whole, we have both found Clean to be increasingly difficult. Since there are two of us holding each other accountable, we have not cracked and eaten a ton of ice cream or the like. The weight loss has been wonderful, and I have been pleasantly surprised that I have found ways to prepare vegetables that I actually like (olive oil and pepper and then stir-fry). My guess is that I would not do a full-fledged four weeks again, but I can see myself doing a Clean-style diet for a week or two every now and then when I feel as if it is needed.