If you want to succeed, sometimes all it takes is a simple plan. At Steve’s PaleoGoods, we believe that going back to basics and keeping it simple will lead us to our goals. Whether it’s ditching the sugar in your coffee, packing grilled chicken and a colorful salad for lunch instead of a quick sandwich or passing up the daily donuts at the office, we believe small changes lead to big results!
For Kim Abreu, small changes like these lead to huge results both physically and mentally, in just 90 days.
It started with just eating real food – no junk, no sugar, nothing processed, for 90 days during the recent Just Eat Real Food (JERF) challenge at Kim’s CrossFit box. With over 50 people signed up to compete for major prizes, Kim knew that this it was not going to be an easy win.
“You would think after having three children, I would have been prepared to get back in shape, ” said Kim. “But I wasn’t. I became very depressed and shut off to the world. I couldn’t be a role model to my children or maintain a healthy relationship if I continued on unhappy with myself. I took this challenge to heal myself emotionally more than physically.”
With four kids, a baby under one and a full time job, Kim had to become the master of time management. Many people think that eating clean takes too effort, but Kim is proof that with just a little bit of time and the right support, changing the way you eat can change your life.
“My goal was to lose 40 pounds,” said Kim. “Because food is such a comfort to me when I’m stressed, I told absolutely everyone I knew. In some way that helped me stay accountable. I told my doctor, co-workers, friends, pretty much anyone who would listen to me. By the end of the challenge I had lost 39 pounds.”
Kim stuck with the basics: eggs, chicken, ground beef, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, big salads with lots of colorful veggies, sautéed spinach and kale, coconut oil, olive oil and avocados. When running low on prep time, she used a Paleo meal service to make lunches and dinners. As a detective for the Camden County Prosecutor’s office, Kim is often on the go working long hours and short on time. But thanks to her 8:30pm CrossFit crew, close friends and her stellar partner Matt, Kim was able to keep herself on track.
“We had a pretty packed schedule between work, driving kids around, the gym and feeding a newborn at 12am, 3am and 5am,” said Kim. “While it did take a bit of planning, it was worth it. Since cutting out sugar and anything processed, I sleep better, I have more energy during the day and my mood became more positive. I stopped craving my usual comfort foods.”
Even though the challenge is over, Kim loves the way eating real food makes her feel and plans to continue her new way of eating.
“I can’t lie and say I won’t have treats EVER, because I know that some times it is worth it to eat the cake,” said Kim. “Now I know how to only have ONE piece or ONE bite and put the rest away. That’s my real victory.”
