Hi friends! For those of you who follow along with my daily adventures on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me talk about #cleansinginstyle over the past week or two. If this is the first time you’re hearing about my cleanse, I’ll catch you up in a second! Today I’m so excited to share that I’m 2 weeks into my indefinite cleanse. Yikes, that’s kind of scary to say! Keep reading to find out about why I decided to start this cleanse, why this cleanse is different from the last one I did, why I’m calling this “cleansing in style,” and my journey to clearer skin!

P.S. I’ve been trying out a few new products during my cleanse to see if switching up my skincare routine would help at all and I’m LOVING this Hyper Skin Vitamin-C Serum! Check it out here!

The Backstory…

The last time I did a “no fun cleanse,” (I’m not going to sugar coat it…which is ironic since I couldn’t if I tried since I’m not allowed any sugar right now. Ha!) it lasted 40 days. Those 40 days were torture and it was NO JOKE! It would take me a while to list the things I wasn’t allowed to eat on my last cleanse, so let me just summarize what I could eat… almond butter, fruit (1x a day), some vegetables, and beans, but not from a can. There are probably a few more things I’m forgetting, but that’s basically it.

As miserable as my last cleanse was, it had a huge positive impact on my skin! Towards the end of the 40 days my cystic acne cleared up completely and my breakouts became basically nonexistent. It was totally a double-edged sword though. I was the happiest I’ve ever been with how my complexion looked, but at what cost? I was always cranky, always hungry, always craving chocolate (hence for the always being cranky), etc…

After my 40 day cleanse I had every intention of easing those restricted food groups back slowly. Let’s be real, that didn’t happen. Instead, I went back to my old ways of eating and eventually my skin went back to its old ways too.

It’s been 2 years since that first cleanse and I honestly though I’d sworn cleanses off forever. That was until I hit rock bottom last week with my skin. My face hadn’t broken out this badly since high school. I couldn’t stand to look at myself in the mirror. I wanted to cry. I didn’t want to get out of bed because then I’d inevitably have to face my reflection, if not in a mirror, then in a window or photograph…

The thing with acne, and those who have suffered this understand, and those who haven’t, I’m glad you can’t, is that it isn’t just ugly, it’s painful. Serious breakouts, and specifically cystic acne, it straight up hurts. It hurts to move your face, open your mouth, chew your food, to speak and even smile. I think you get the point.

And while I don’t want to downplay the significant toll that acne takes on one’s mental health and wellbeing, I’m SO grateful that acne is the worst of my problems. Apart from my acne, I’m 100% healthy and I recognize how much of a blessing that is.

The Here & Now…

Two weeks in and I’m feeling great! Honestly, I’ve been really enjoying the entire experience thus far. The difference between this cleanse versus last time is that there is no point system, no competition, just the goal of achieving better skin. I’m also giving myself a lot of grace. This past week was a pretty stressful one and I’m not going to lie, I stress ate some chocolate cake one day and I had 3 glasses of wine instead of my allotted 1 glass/week.

That’s okay though! I have to keep reminding myself that I’m still consuming SO much less sugar than I typically do. I don’t want to get caught up in the details because if I do, I know I’ll get bogged down. This cleanse can be summed up in two words: CLEAN POSITIVITY. Clean of course has a few meanings here, I’m embarking on a cleanse that will hopefully clean my body of the bad stuff to allow for clearer skin! Additionally, I’m eating 90-100% clean foods. Foods that are fresh, not processed. Just good, clean, food.

With mindset being half the battle here, positivity is key. I’m POSITIVE that I’ll achieve success as long as I keep up my positivity. Ha, see what I did there?

What I’m Eating…

BREAKFAST: most mornings I start my day off with fruit & Justin’s almond butter. My favorite combo is strawberries and almond butter, followed by apples & almond butter.

LUNCH: I’ve been trying to eat more eggs, but ugh, I really just don’t like eggs. I hate to admit this because I know they’re so good for me, especially as someone who doesn’t eat meat. With that being said, I really have trouble with them. (This goes all the way back to college where I’d always get nauseous after eating the omelets for some reason…) Usually I do quinoa with arugula or spinach sautéed up with some mushrooms or other veggies. I’ve mainly been using coconut oil or olive oil and I don’t dress my quinoa with anything, just plain!

DINNER: looks a lot like lunch! I usually make a huge lunch that way I have leftovers for dinner. I’ve also been eating fish at least once a week to get my protein (scallops and salmon are my favorite!). I’ve also been making some cauliflower pizzas, with are delicious! However, I’m limiting myself on these as the crust falls under my “processed” category that I’m trying to avoid.

DESSERT: Some form of dairy free/sugar free chocolate. Usually 10 pieces of Hu Chocolate Gems. They’re really good! *I’m working on a blog post sharing my favorite dairy free and sugar free/no refined sugar chocolates for you guys!

The Results…

So far I’ve noticed a drastic reduction in my cystic acne. It was completely gone for a week or so, but unfortunately I noticed 1 cystic breakout yesterday. Ugh! All things considered though, I’m so happy with the progress so far. I know this isn’t going to change overnight and am honestly surprised how much as improved in only 2 weeks!

I’d love to get to a place where my skin is completely clear. That would be the dream! I’m hopeful that #cleansinginstyle will get me there!

If you want to join in on the fun…

Yay! That’s awesome! If you want to join in on the fun, I urge you to first talk to your doctor. I’m sharing my experience and what is working best for me, and while it might also work for you, you should definitely consult a medical professional before embarking on your own cleanse. My first cleanse that I participated in 2 years ago was supervised by a nutritionist, which was so invaluable.

And if you too struggle with acne, I see you and I’m here for you. I’m just a DM or email away. Feel free to reach out and we can chat about our whoas our wins and whatever else is going on! Seriously though, I’m here for ya! 🙂

key terms: cleansing in style // journey to clearer skin // acne // dairy free // gluten free // sugar free // low sugar // cystic acne // breakouts //