Let's face it - a diet change can be daunting. Relying on old eating routines to fuel your days can be easier and more comfortable than committing to breaking old norms and creating new habits. But you have to start somewhere. Whatever your reason for wanting to overhaul your food habits, from health reasons to environmental to new year's resolutions, the goal of Splendid Spoon is to make that change as easy and seamless as possible. We like to think we're a simple, mindless way to take healthy eating off of your to do list while still having a real impact.

Meet Erin*, who put this idea to the test by embarking on a 90-day complete diet overhaul. Her goal was simple – improve her health in order to avoid becoming diabetic (read more about Erin* here). She committed herself to these simple rules:
1) Eat Splendid for breakfast & lunch every weekday, and do a Reset Day monthly.
2) Move more by doing something active daily.

Here's her unedited, unfiltered 90-day journey.

*We changed Erin's name at her request in order to allow her to be totally honest without any fear of embarrassment from her community. We've kept every other detail about her life exactly as she shared it. We hope you understand.

Day 1 - Piece of Cake _____________________________________

Day one was a breeze, but please don’t be impressed. I know from the gazillion experiences of the ubiquitous “I’ll start on Monday” weekend free-for-alls, I was simply riding high from Sunday’s (and Saturday’s and Friday’s) caloric haul. Like any other red-blooded American woman staring down the last few days of so-called freedom - those precious remaining meals where anything goes because a drastic dietary change was just around the corner - I. WENT. HAM. If I had a taste for it, I ate it….and some things I ate, not because I had a taste for them then, but because I knew I would in the future! Yes, I took the proactive approach with my cravings, seeing into my crystal ball of empty calories in order to satisfy the yet-to-be-revealed hankering for tacos. Or pizza. Or burgers and fries. My caloric intake was extraordinary, I know this. So, by the time Thursday morning came around, I wasn’t even hungry. I went for a walk and proceeded with my day feeling quite content.

Food Intake:
Masala Khichri
Ab&J Smoothie
Handful of trail mix (walnuts, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, almonds)
Apple
Sauteed Tilapia and Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower
Grapes
Water - 5 x 16oz bottles

Day 2 - The Reckoning _____________________________________

My body took everything the first day was, balled it up and threw it in the trash. Day two was a BEAST. I woke up with the most massive headache ever. Again, since this is not my first rodeo, I instantly knew the culprits: coffee + sugar. Or, lack thereof. I should mention that coffee and I are intimately connected. I see it more regularly and consistently than much of my family. That’s not true; coffee is family. The point being that the consistency of kicking my mornings off with a piping hot white mocha or boosting my afternoons with an iced hazelnut latte (and some days, both) had me running on a regular drip of caffeine and sugar, no pun intended. I am always amazed at how quickly the body adapts to habits, for the better and for the worse. All I know is that my steady flow of coffees and lattes came crashing down this morning. Thankfully, I was off from work because it was all I could do to move from the couch to the kitchen to grab my Splendid. Zero energy, massive headache and a general, overall feeling of malaise.

Food Intake
Moringa Tea
Ikarian Stew
Cacao Almond Smoothie
2 Handfuls of trail mix (walnuts, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, almonds)
Apple
Sauteed Shrimp and Steamed Broccoli, Carrots and Cauliflower
Grapes
Red Raspberry Hibiscus Tea
Water - 5 x 16oz bottles

Day 3 - Hazy with Clear Skies Ahead ____________________________

Today was a lot better. My headache was mostly gone, though I still had this sort of foggy feel like my head wasn’t clear, but I was definitely functioning much better. I got up early enough to take a walk and I didn’t die, so YAY! However, once home and showered, I really didn’t do much moving about, other than grabbing food and piddling about the house. I wasn’t tired per se, but just felt like I needed to take it easy. On the first couple of days, I napped off and on throughout the day and still went on to sleep through the night. Today was the first day I didn’t feel the need to nap.

Food Intake
Lemon Ginger Tea
Green Matcha Smoothie
2 Handfuls of trail mix (walnuts, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, almonds)
Moroccan Lentil
Apple
Sauteed Shrimp and Steamed Riced Cauliflower
Red Raspberry Hibiscus Tea
Grapes
White Pear Ginger Tea
Water - 4 x 16oz bottles

Day 4 - We Just Might Be Ok! ___________________________

Woke up feeling pretty good today! No headache, no fog, feeling clear and free. I actually eased into breakfast and casually sipped my smoothie, unlike the first couple of days when I descended upon the kitchen at warp, breakneck speed. Today was Easter and my mom was initially planning to come to spend the holiday with me, but decided to postpone her trip a couple of weeks. I think it was for the best because while I did feel a little sad to not be with her, being alone allowed me to focus on making good decisions and stick to the plan I’ve laid out for myself. I cleared my DVR, watched a couple of movies, did some laundry and light cleaning, and then closed the day and received my entire life watching Beyonce’s Coachella performance on Netflix. I didn’t walk today but Queen Bey and I definitely got our cardio in!

Food Intake
Tropical Green Tea
Carrot Ginger Chia Smoothie
Lentil and Kale Soup
Apple
2 Handfuls of trail mix (walnuts, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, almonds)
2 Cuties
Steamed Broccoli, Carrots and Cauliflower
2 Small Tilapia Fillets
Grapes
Lemon Ginger Tea
Water - 4 x 16oz bottles

Day 5 - She’s Baaaaaaaaaaaack! _______________________

What. A. Difference. A. Day. Makes! Wow! I feel GREAT! Interestingly, I didn’t sleep that well, but by the time I rolled out of bed, I felt pretty good. I grabbed my gear and headed to the park for my walk. I did that with no problem, but did Mortal Combat my apple that was waiting on me in the car. I stopped by the grocery store to stock up on some things, and what I realized is that I don’t have physical cravings, but I have habitual ones. We’ve established I love coffee, so while I haven’t craved it, I did see an iced coffee and feel a twinge. What I am missing is the habit of it. Anyhoo, once home and showered, I sipped my smoothie and even looked up to find that I had yet to finish it. I’m so pleased: today was by far the best!

Food Intake
Apple
2 Handfuls of trail mix (walnuts, almond, black currants, raisins)
Blackberry Basil Smoothie
Hibiscus Tea
Riced Cauliflower
Sauteed Tilapia and Shrimp
Grapes and Strawberries
Sweet Potato Cumin Soup
Hibiscus Tea
Water - 5 x 16oz bottles

Day 6 - Shock(ed) and (in) Awe __________________________

Today was my first day back at work so I was really anxious to see how this whole thing would work. I cannot lie - I was lowkey dreading “Reset” day. I thought, “I’m already slashing calories. A day of sippables and consommes? I’m not gonna make it.” Nevertheless, I forged ahead - bag lady official, loaded down with sips and ‘sommes, veggies, fruit and trail mix - ready to see what the day had in store. At my job, we have two points of service that our staff cover in rotations. I was instantly thrown for a loop because whereas normally my rotation doesn’t come until the afternoon, I was switched to the first shift, which is three hours long. I thought I’d have more time to ease into my day, but surprise! So, I grabbed my first sippable and my water and was on my way. Shockingly, I was satiated for the entire three hours. I just knew I’d have to step away and grab something from my office, but I was totally fine. Even more amazingly, I had to actually contemplate the third sippable. I couldn’t believe it….I was that good. I then made the decision to save my soup and my last sippable for tomorrow because my deliveries tend to be in the afternoon and I wanted to be prepared. By this point, the old me would’ve had a full-on dinner and working on dessert, on top of a complete lunch, a couple of coffees and some caloric-heavy “snacks” that would probably rival meals. I just am really amazed at this week. I mean...knew I could make it through, but I didn’t think I would be this good, this satisfied with ZERO cheats. Super proud of myself right now.

Food Intake
Parsnip Apple Sippable
1 handful of Trail Mix
Cauliflower Coconut Sippable
1 Grapefruit
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Butternut Turmeric Sippable
Steamed Broccoli, Carrots and Cauliflower
Hibiscus Tea
Grapes
Water - 4 x 16oz bottles

Day 7 - Sustained _________________________________________

Another great day. I realized a bit too late that I should’ve reserved one of the “Start” sippables for today, but that aside, I remain amazed that I was fully alert, functioning and, most importantly, not obsessing over the foods I’ve eliminated. I came home with some work I needed to finish before tomorrow, and for a split second, contemplated not going for my planned walk. The thing was, I felt so good and so proud of my commitment this week, I didn’t want to let myself down. I forged ahead, even encountering some light drizzle, but I did it! I ran an errand afterward and got home much later than I anticipated. I could’ve gone either way on dinner, but decided to go ahead and eat. Glad I’m did because it was delish! Looking forward to my week one progress report!

Food Intake
1 Apple
Homemade Strawberry Cucumber Smoothie
Fennel Consomme
1 Handful of Trail Mix
Masala Khichri
2 Small Tilapia Fillets
Steamed Broccoli
Riced Cauliflower
Water - 4 x 16oz bottles

WEEK ONE IN REVIEW ____________________________________

Week 1 Starting Weight: 300
Week 1 Ending Weight: 295.7**
Starting Waist Measurement: 54”
Ending Waist Measurement: 51”

**I was weighing daily, really just out of curiosity! Tuesday morning, I weighed in at 293, but by the afternoon, my period was starting and I quickly became noticeably bloated. I am not sure if this weigh-in is wholly accurate, but either way, it will be interesting to see what next week looks like.

Smoothies: I was pleasantly surprised by each and every smoothie. I am a smoothie girl already, which was what in part drew me to Splendid Spoon. So, I didn’t think I’d have any problem in this area. That said, I’d never seen combinations like these before, which gave me pause with just about each smoothie! I’d literally read the bottle, shrug and say, “Ok, let’s see!” I was blown away each time. The sleeper hit for me was the Carrot Ginger Chia. I am not a huge carrot fan, but that was absolutely delicious. The biggest surprise for me was the Blackberry Basil. I thought this would be my hands-down favorite, and it was the smoothie I liked least. For a berry-based smoothie, it wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be and it was seemingly much thicker than the others.

Soups: Wow, wow, WOW! The soups were all phenomenal. I enjoy soup already but for as diverse as I believe my palate to be, I realize my soup game has always been fairly safe. A chicken tortilla here, a veggie there. If I was really doing it big, maybe gumbo, Italian wedding or loaded baked potato soup, but by and large, I’ve been eating your fairly traditional, standard soups. Each day of this week, I would read the label and feel like I was headed for an adventure. No question, the sleeper hit was the Sweet Potato Cumin! I do not like sweet potatoes, never have. I have had every friend and family member insist that I just hadn’t had theirs or had them cooked the “right way”. Everytime, it was a hard NO for me. The consistency turns me off, but I actually like the flavor, which is why I could tear up some sweet potato cakes and cookies, but gag when offered sweet potato pie. YUCK! With all this in mind, I had actually saved the Sweet Potato Cumin soup for last, anticipating that I’d need to find a backup meal. I was stunned. It was absolutely delicious. I can honestly say that there was no soup that I didn’t thoroughly and completely enjoy.

Exercise: This week, I walked every other day at a local park. The trail is just over three miles. With the exception of Wednesday’s walk which was interrupted by rain, every entry of walking equals 3 ¼ mile.

Next week, the goal is to continue the every other day, but add yoga into the mix on the alternate days. I think for this first 30 days, I just want to see what a low impact workout regimen looks like.

Want to read more about Erin's 90 day journey? Read Volume 1 and Volume 2 and stay tuned for Volume 4 soon.

Interested in committing to a diet change yourself? Get started with a weekly delivery and see for yourself what a difference it makes. Questions? Email us at hello@splendidspoon.com.