Black Weight Loss Success

The Official Blog of the Black Women Losing Weight Community. Tips, articles and weight loss resources for African American Women.

Join Our Email List:
We respect your email privacy
You are here: Home / Monthly Challenge / October 21 Days of Clean Eating Challenge

October 21 Days of Clean Eating Challenge

by 85 Comments

Eat Clean for 21 Days and Lose to Win with our October DietBet Weight Loss Pool
October 1-21, 2018! #BWLWOCT

The end of the year is about 12 weeks away. That is plenty of time to make significant progress in 2018.

  • That could mean not being out of breath when you play outside with your kids.
  • That could mean keeping that promise you made earlier this year that you would lose the pounds and get healthy.
  • That could mean seeing an improvement in your blood pressure or blood sugar numbers.
  • That could mean feeling better than you have in years.

We know that 80% of the transformation equation is what we put in our mouths. This October, we are going to commit to Eating Clean and refining our eating habits for 21 days straight. (We’ve provided lots of resources below to help you.)

What is Clean Eating?

When you eat clean, you will be eating lots of unprocessed, whole foods that are prepared or cooked in ways that don’t add extra chemicals and toxins. We are talking about fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, lean meats, meat substitutes like tofu or jackfruit, healthy dairy and whole grains. You’ll be drinking lots of water, freshly brewed tea, and fresh juice.

You will avoid fried food, fast food, junk food, bleached white flour, artificial ingredients, soda, commercial juice and sugary drinks, processed sugar (white sugar, corn syrup), and foods with preservatives, toxins, dyes, saturated fat, and trans fat.

You will likely be cooking a lot of food at home, making green smoothies, eating salads, eating healthy snacks, and really realizing just how healthy you’ve really been eating.  It’s not about perfection…it’s about making healthy choices.

Ultimately, this is not just about weight loss. It’s about your long-term wellness goals and building a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain for the long haul. You may have a day or two where you don’t eat clean, and that’s ok. This challenge is about making progress… not eating some perfectly healthy diet. For 21 days, you are going to focus on health and wellness goals and take action by giving yourself the healthiest food possible.

How can you join the challenge?

Sign up by leaving a comment below. Let us know what your weight loss and wellness goals are for October. Tell us what you would like to achieve during the 21 day challenge.

This is a self-guided challenge. We will post daily check-in posts on our social media channels every evening for accountablity. Tips will be sent out via our email list as well, so if you aren’t signed up, join today.






Click to Tweet: “I’m Eating Clean for 21 Days with the Black Women Losing Weight Sisterhood. #eatclean #BWLWOct https://www.blackweightlosssuccess.com/october-21-days-of-clean-eating-challenge/”

Medical Disclaimer: If there is any reason why you should not change your diet and how you normally eat due to an ailment, pregnancy, blood sugar issues, chronic illness, allergies or other medical issue, Do NOT participate in this challenge. If you have trouble digesting raw or cooked fruits and veggies, this may not be the challenge for you. Speak with your doctor before joining any weight loss challenge or before starting ANY eating plan/diet.

Getting Started/Resources

  • Clean Eating Guide E-bookNeed a guide to help you get started? – Looking for a clear, straightforward guide to help you navigate clean eating? Check out our ebook, Clean Eating for Wellness and Weight Loss.  It includes recipes and meal ideas too. Get your copy today for just $7.99.

    This book covers:

    • Benefits of Eating Clean
    • What Foods are Clean?
    • How to Eat Clean
    • Importance of Hydration
    • Eating Clean on the Go and at Work
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Exercising While Eating Clean
    • Recipes
    • Quick Meal Planning Ideas

    … and MUCH MORE!

Buy Clean Eating Book(PDF File) Kindle book
  • Create a Weekly Grocery List based on your food preferences.  – Not sure what to eat? Check out our Clean Eating Foods List. Whether you are vegan, going low carb, keto, paleo, vegetarian etc… you can eat more clean, whole foods.
  • Create a Clean Recipe Go-To List with 10 Breakfast options, 10 lunch options and 10 dinner options. This list can serve as your go to list of meal ideas for meal prep and meal planning. A great place to start looking for recipes is Pinterest. We’ve also compliled a list of recipes and resources for each week of the challenge.

    Recipes and Resources for Week 1

    Recipes and Resources for Week 2

    Recipes and Resources for Week 3

  • Check out these tips for eating clean on a budget.
  • Share your meal photos for Photo Accountability – Post photos of your cooking photos, meal photos, meal prep tips and recipe links on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #BWLWOCT
  • Don’t forget to exercise. Exercise and clean eating is a powerful combination. Work at your own pace. Find a form of exercise that works best for your level of fitness and your lifestyle.

Join our October DietBet Weight Loss Pool!

Photo Weigh-in: October 6-8th | Bet: $35 – Lose 4% of your weight in 28 days and split the pot with other participants who’ve done the same. Get the full details today. Bonus Stakes Giveaway: One DietBet participant, chosen at random, will get 35 DietBet Credits.

dietbet

Goals for October!

  • Cook or prepare at least 1 meal at home each day.  The goal is to cook more meals for yourself.  Feel free to prep and cook as many meals as you can, but 1 per day will be the minimum.
  • Eat 4-5 times per day – 3 meals and 2 healthy snacks is a great way to split your meals up.  Don’t let more than 4 hours pass between meals (unless you are practicing intermittent fasting).
  • Stop eating at least 2 hours before bedtime.
  • No fast food, junk food or foods high in processed sugar.  
  • If you have the time, look up the calorie, carb, fat and protein counts for what you eat before you eat it.
  • Be mindful of chemicals, preservatives, dyes and other additives in the foods you eat. Read nutrition labels and do your research online.
  • Avoid sugary drinks or soda. This includes artificial sugars in diet drinks/diet soda.
  • Eat ANY fresh fruits or veggies that you like (fresh or frozen). Eat all the veggies you want. Use fruit to combat fruit cravings. (Note: Limit your intake of dried fruit as they are often dried with sugar and sulfur).
  • Use Moderation and Portion Control. If you do indulge in processed food, fast food, junk food, etc… do it in moderation and eat reasonable portions.

Resources You Don’t Want to Miss

TOP TIP for Success: Decide on a daily calorie goal and daily goals for carbs, fat and protein.

  • Protein has 4 calories per gram – .7 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight
  • Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram – .7 to .9 gram per pound of bodyweight
  • Fat has 9 calories per gram – .4 to .5 gram per pound of bodyweight
  • You can also break down your calories by percentage. For example, 30% carbs, 40% protein and 30% fats.

How do you decide on how much food to eat? Use an online weight loss calculator to help you decide on the numbers that work for you. Here are some helpful calculators: www.webmd.com, www.myfitnesspal.com or www.freedieting.com. Please keep in mind that you have to do your own research and work figure out what works for your needs. Someone with blood sugar issues is not going to eat a high carb diet. Someone with pancreas or gallbladder issues can’t just pick numbers without considering how much fat they will be eating. There is no “one size fits all” plan. Here is some additional guidance.

PS: This post includes Amazon affiliate links. We may receive compensation if you make a purchase. It’s just one of the ways we keep the lights on. 🙂

Related posts:

  1. October 30 Days of Exercise Challenge
  2. December Challenge – Exercises of the Day Instructions
  3. December Challenge – “Don’t Wait for 2018” DietBet
  4. October 2017 How I Eat, How I Feel Challenge
  5. 14 Day Plan and Prep – Lesson 6: Analyze your 5 Day Food Log
  6. Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #12: Plan Your Leftovers
  7. Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #2: High Intensity Exercise Routines on Youtube

Reader Interactions

Comment Via Facebook

Comments

    • I am in and ready this challenge is so needed.. Great way to start the fall season by reclaiming a healthy lifestyle by cleaning eating. My ultimate weight loss goal is 100lbs within a year. This challenge will be part of my first step.

      Reply

    • I am in. I need to lose some weight and feel healthier. It would be great to get rid of 20 pounds. This will be a good start for me.

      Reply

    • I’m in! My wellness goal is to gain more energy and confidence. I’d like to lose 10 lbs this month.

      Reply

    • I’m in. I have been trying since 9 months to get on a health routine and my job has gotten in the way. Newsflash, my job isn’t going snywhere so I need a better plan. I am willing to connect with a community that works on small goals to reach larger ones. 21-days no junk food , no fries. 40 pushups a day.

      Reply

  5. I am definitely in, my weight loss goal is to lose 44lbs. I have lost 60 so far and hope to reach my goal by the new year.

    Reply

  6. I’m in! Looking to gain energy and jump start weight loss after significant weight gain due to thyroidectomy and medication.

    Reply

  7. I love all your challenges. This one I am particularly interested because I am challenged when it comes to eating clean on a continuous basis. I can do it for a few days then I revert back to unhealthy habits. So ultimately I want to gain more control of my eating habits and some weight loss would be a bonus

    Reply

  11. Hello!! My name is Lynette and I’m 31 years old. I’ve never done a challenge like this before,so I’m looking forward to completing this journey and learning about myself in the process. I am definitely in!

    Reply

  13. Hello, My name is Lynette. I’m 31 years old. I’ve never done a challenge before, but im excited to join. I’m definitely in

    Reply

  16. I’m in for the 21 day clean eating challenge!! Can’t wait to get my focus back on track! Looking forward to dropping 8 lbs or more!

    Reply

  21. I’m in. , By joining this challenge will help me to remain consistent and stay on track with my goals as I embark on this journey of a healthier life style.

    Reply

  26. I am in! I struggle with consistency and will power. I would love to lose 7 or more pounds by the end of October. I can’t seem to get away from 240 lbs. I know that my ultimate goal is 50 or more lbs with a mind shift to match my progress.

    Reply

  27. I’m in. I would like to learn how to eat clean properly and meal prep being as though I work so much. I carry most of my weight in my belly and would love to lose about 30 pounds. I just happened to come across this challenge so I’m excited to join. Thank you in advance.

    Reply

  28. I’m ready for this challenge. I want to learn to make better food choices and cut down my portion sizes. I have a long way to go, but this is a start. I’m motivated!

    Reply

  29. I’m in and would be happy to lose let go 10 pounds to start but would be over the moon with 20. I’d like to get rid of knee pains and other aches and pains that I am sure are weight related.

    Reply

  43. I’m in..I’m ready to stop the yoyo dieting and really lose the weight to live a healthier life and no longer see doctors as much as I do.

    Reply

  44. I’m excited about starting the challenge and excited about incorporating clean eating and more healthy living in my life. Looking forward to shedding a few pounds while learning to be eat better.

    Reply

  53. Yes! Im ready for change😊 i need to take better care of myself. I love to snack on chips and saltly crunchy items, i just started taking medication for hypertension😑 So this is good for me to make some positive changes

    Reply

  54. Joining this challenge to develop healthy eating habits, and lose 20lbs. I need accountability and stop chasing the quick fixes.

    Reply

  57. Happy Sunday! I’m IN 🙋🏽‍♀️! I’m motivated now more than ever to get rid of this extra person I’ve been carrying around & begin working toward a healthier new ME! Anyone want to connect on FitBit?

    Reply

  61. Im all for it…. During this time I would like to lose atleast 5lbs and pick up some new healthy eating habits, while learning to become more consistent.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.