It was last month the Hubby and I decided to do something positive before the festive Season kicked in. As far as I was concerned, Operation Biscuit had to begin, before I turned into one! Thankfully, Hubby was on board and liked the idea of losing a few pounds before the Christmas splurge. Support is crucial when you are trying to make changes so ensure you have a buddy to give you encouragement or better still, do it with you!

So we got our Clean 9 boxes and unpacked them with excitement; I went for the vanilla, Hubby went for chocolate. Inside were the 2 bottles of drinking gel, the protein powder with a smart shaker, tape measure and supplements. As I have the memory of a goldfish I was relieved to see the Garcinia and Therm in blister packs that were already conveniently labelled Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. There is also a booklet that has a section where you tick off what you have so you don’t miss anything. You can read part 1 to this review here – this explains more about the Clean 9 Contents and the properties of aloe vera)

So we went shopping and stocked up on an impressive selection of healthy grub. Never before have I felt so righteous at the check out and imagined the other people in the queue think ‘wow, she’s healthy!’

The tape measure in the kit is to record your vital statistics at the start, middle and end. You also weigh yourself and record these in the booklet too so you can track your progress. So we measured each other (with no breathing in / holding in!)

I had been told the first 2 days were the hardest but to be honest, any diet is tough at first because you are trying to break your old habits! I was ready and motivated (probably more than the Hubby) – you have to want to make the changes and you have to want to do them for yourself, not because somebody else wants you to. I knew that if I could do these 9 days (and let’s face it, it’s ONLY 9 DAYS!), I would be over the hump and would be able to keep going. People usually quit around the 14 day mark when it comes to behaviour change so this was totally doable!

The other important thing we must do to guarantee success is decide on our goals. The booklet asks you to write down 3 goals. The more specific they are, the more likely you will achieve them – being vague just isn’t good enough – there is nothing really tangible in saying “I want to lose weight”, or “I want to stop eating junk” because they are too vague.

These were mine:

1. I will save my sweet treats for 1 weekday and 1 weekend day
2. I will take 3 pieces of fruit with me to work every day
3. I will only drink on a Friday and Saturday night

These may seem very simple but progress is more likely to be made if you  break your goals down and take baby steps.

These were the Hubby’s:

1. To lose 7lb
2. To have more energy, especially in the morning
3. To lose 2′ off my belly

The booklet has a very sensible approach to eating more healthily – it focuses on cutting down on fizzy drinks, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and salt. It talks about eating in moderation and provides a number of healthy recipes for your main meal of the day. There are also a number recipes for the shakes too, so no chance of getting bored! I think we would be very naive thinking this was going to be a doddle but we were willing to give it our all.

So we began on a Wednesday – this was so we could do the first two days in the week, when we were more likely to be distracted at work and finish before the following weekend. I would say a Sunday or Monday are a good day to begin as there is something about the start of a new week being associated with fresh beginnings. Although sometimes I think just do it when you are ready. Procrastinating means you can lose the moment when you are most motivated.

Days 1 & 2

We did the gel first thing in the morning (Paul with a slight shudder) – it’s best on an empty stomach, followed by the supplements. We packed a couple of satsumas and an apple for work and had the fibre later so it didn’t interfere with the aloe gel – fibre has a tendency to grab hold of minerals and prevent their absorption. We had a shake for lunch (which was really nice!) along with more gel and then the gel twice more that evening. We had a nice bowl of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and I tell you now, veggies have never tasted so good!

Days 3-9

These were surprisingly easier than expected! We had a shake for breakfast and lunch (which was so easy to do and a great help when trying to rush out the house to do the nursery run etc.) We snacked on fruit and veg if needed in the day and enjoyed a normal meal in the evening – typically we had chicken, salmon or other fish with salad, veg and rice or potatoes.

The worst time for me was the evening; the time I hit the sweets and biscuits is whilst watching TV and having a cuppa before going to bed. Distraction was the solution – use your imagination! If the Hubby wasn’t doing the C9 with me and was sat their munching away without me, this is when I probably would have caved. Days 4 and 5 were also the days I really fancied a cake. I have a stubborn nature so there was no way I was going to give up but the thoughts of a nice treat were constantly in and out of my mind. By day 6 though, I felt so much better! Unlike my husband, I had no desire for a glass of wine at all throughout the 9 days. On the Saturday when West Bromwich Albion won he did have a celebratory pint but it did’t mean he fell off the wagon permanently, he just got straight back on again!

The verdict!

• Brilliant!
• We achieved our goals 🙂
• Although not after weight loss I wasn’t surprised with losing 4lb as I as eating less rubbish! I felt lighter and much more energised. I also slept incredibly well during the 9 days.
• Paul did amazingly well, losing 9.5lb (4.3Kg) and 18cm in total! He says he feels so much better in himself and his belly is definitely smaller 🙂
• Did we feel hungry? Sometimes but we ate when we did!
• I have without a doubt curbed my cravings for sweets, cake and biscuits!
• 4 weeks on I am still carrying on with my new healthy habits. I simply don’t have the desire for sweet stuff any more!
• Would we do it again? YES!

I met Marcus who completed the full FIT range (C9, FIT1 & FIT2) and has completely transformed his body over 12 months!

Other friends have also completed the FIT programme – pretty good eh?!

Please message me or comment below if you would like to know more 🙂