On Thursday I started a three day juice cleanse. This was TOUGH for me. In my normal life, I tend to follow the 80/20 rule – and eat as well as I can during the week and indulge on the weekends. I enjoy my wine, my pizza or whatever else I really am craving. The picture above was my wild and crazy Friday night with my green juice! 😉
So, to start a juice cleanse on a Thursday – and know that Friday and Saturday I would be having nothing but juice was tough for me. But here I am and it is done, and I feel GREAT!!!!
First let me tell you that I have never been able to actually finish a 3 day cleanse. Normally by day 2, I just HAVE to eat! But the thing about this experience was that for the first time, I was never hungry. The juices were filling enough and spread out through the day in such a way that I was able to have something every few hours, so my blood sugar never seemed to spike.
Second, because these juices were more the consistency of smoothies and actually had the fiber in the juices, they were much more filling than a typical juice cleanse. Sometimes they were so much that I couldn’t finish a whole bottle in one sitting and I had to sip it for another half hour to an hour after my designated “lunch” time.
Third, let me tell you that this was by far the best tasting juice cleanse I have ever had. The one that I struggled most with was the carrot. But for me, that’s likely because I HATE carrots. And for someone that hates carrots – this one wasn’t bad! But I also have never been a real fan of the green juices on most cleanses. And these were the best green juices I’ve ever had – and actually were enjoyable! 😉 The greens were masked by apples and actually were tasty!
But the biggest thing is this. It’s day 4 and I’m still not really hungry. I walked by the cake section of the grocery store yesterday (on my Saturday) and didn’t pick up a piece. I am less bloated. I feel less lethargic. And I am less puffy in my face and under my eyes. I am not craving sweets or carbs. And I haven’t had coffee in four days. This morning my husband offered to go get donuts and coffee for breakfast, and I wasn’t even interested!
And oh, by the way – I’m down about 5 pounds over 3 days.
I can definitely say that this has been a cleansing experience for me. I have a slightly unhealthy relationship with food. I am a complete stress eater – someone who eats (carbs and sugar) when I’m depressed or need comfort from anything not going right. On these three days, I actually felt like I was eating (or drinking) for nourishment and for a real purpose.
Today I am officially off the cleanse, and I am not craving so many of my normal weekend indulgences. And that’s huge. I am investigating the options to see if I can do these juices throughout the day during the week and add in a healthy dinner for a while longer. Rather than this being a cleanse, this may become a new week day habit – juice for breakfast and lunch – with a healthy dinner.
If you have wanted to try a juice cleanse, stay tuned. I’ll be telling you more about my transition experience and sharing a link to order. You’re going to love it!!