Oh man. That was hard! Here are some takeaways and tips from our experience. (And this is NOT recommended if you feel that you are in a season of “survival”.)

1. We learned how to cook some new foods!
2. Some of our healthy rhythms have stuck and become routine. The diet definitely motivated us to exercise too.
3. We found that eating the right foods helped us snack less. My blood sugar stopped crashing and, since the diet, Brandon has felt full faster.
4. Wait for a slow season with no traveling. Cooking and shopping on the diet felt very demanding.
5. Financially plan for the diet. It is expensive purchasing new staples and buying enough meat for 3 meals everyday.
6. If you have young children, make a back-up plan for the occasional loooong days. Either have prepared frozen meals or set aside money for Zoe’s Kitchen. 😀
7. We felt a little strained socially since we couldn’t eat out or have dessert, but we made it work by cooking for people!
8. Everyone asked if we had more energy. I didn’t notice a difference. However, Brandon jumped out of bed everyday!
9. We both experienced better gut health, but my acne was worse and I saw no change in my small spot of eczema.
10. We were proud that we finished! Definitely made some innocent mistakes along the way, including having to dump an entire latte out on the ground.

Overall, it was a good adventure, but not one that we are eager to do again. Haha!