Throughout my life, diets meant a constant state of being hungry, tired and unsatisfied by bland foods. Name a fad diet...I've tried it. I would lose weight (sometimes) and gain it back as soon as I returned to my previous eating habits (and usually plus a few pounds more). Moving to Mississippi (gaining the Mississippi 15#) and turning 30 made me realize I needed to take my health seriously and really focus on the reason why diets always seem to fail me. Clean Kitchen was the first "diet" that stuck. I use the term "diet" loosely because I never felt starving, never felt deprived and found it easy to follow overall. Mentally, the amount of food was tough to eat in the beginning and I was convinced I would gain weight every week, but instead I consistently lost weight for every weigh in during the entire program (29 pounds and counting). The emails can be overwhelming but I set aside 10 minutes every morning to focus on them so that I truly soaked in every bit of information CK was providing me with. Utilizing my coach, Michael, was incredibly helpful as the program went on. He was there to answer questions and to help get me through an energy lull and even a trip out of the country for 7 days. Trust me, seeing positive reinforcement on your food log empowers you to work even harder! It has truly changed so many habits in my life and has set me up to continue working my way towards my goal weight and being the healthiest I have ever been. If you are struggling with a decision to join the next challenge or not, just give in and go for it. Invest in yourself. You won't regret it. - Deanna Stradford, CK Summer 2016