detox

So I was on a 3 day juice fast and I did so well, I finished early!

Hahaha. Kidding!

Actually, I stopped the cleans on the third day because the thought of putting that red or green juice to my lips literally made me want to vomit.

I could not even swallow it at the end of day two.

In fact, during day two, every time I had drink the juice I was unable to finish the bottle and my final bottle of red juice on day 2, I actually ended up throwing out.

I did actually enjoy the cashew milk and I’ve been sipping on that the past few days, using it on cereal and in my oatmeal. Yummy!

So honestly, I don’t consider my self a quitter because I feel like quitting results from being too hungry or not being able to stand the effects of the cleanse where as I finished early due to the repulsive nature of the juices.

Anyways, here’s my opinion of the cleanse

1) I was never hungry.  In fact, I felt like I was just constantly drinking and actually had to force my self to drink the liquids towards the end of the days.

2) I temporarily lost 4 pounds in 2 days and have gained 2 pounds back so far.

3) My stomach definitely shrunk – I can’t eat as much as I used to before the cleanse but I’m sure that will change in time.

4) It taught me that I can control my sugar cravings and to just say no. As a result, I plan to limit the amount of added sugar in my diet.

5) I felt no caffeine withdrawal symptoms, but I do plan to cut back two 1 cup a day.

6) I used to eat large amounts of roughage or dairy and would have digestive issues – so far I’ve had two vegetable heavy meals with no stomach aches.

7) On the day after the cleanse my head felt “clearer.”  I was able to concentrate better at work and felt more productive. I also had a bit of an energy boost – surprising because the 2nd night of the cleanse I was awoke at 3am and fiddled around ‘til morning – my waking was not a result of hunger pains or any of the likings, I just plain couldn’t sleep.

8) On the day before the cleanse I felt a cold coming on, and it was a bit stronger on the 2nd day, but on the day after I “finished” my cleanse, all cold symptoms were gone and I can officially say I did not get a cold. I truly believe this was because of all the micronutrients I had pumping through my blood thanks to the juices.

So overall, I can’t find anything negative to say about the cleanse and it will probably be something I do again at some point, though I might search out a different version.

Now my only issue is…what to do with that leftover juice, it’s good through the 10th!

Yesterday was the first day on the cleanse…

This was how my morning went …

6:30am Wake Up and think to my self “You’re not hungry, you’re not hungry….damnit I’m HUNGRY! Well, I can’t eat at 6:30 because that’s just way too early for breakfast and I haven’t even picked up the juice yet! Gotta wait til at least 8am.”

8:00am Pick up Juice and think “Got my juice! This is gonna be fun, man I hope the green juice tastes like the Wegmans Green Glory because that’s my favoirte!”

8:30am: First green juice down the hatch… “That does NOT taste like Wegmans…a bit too grassy but I know it’s good for me, I’ll drink it”

Then around 9:30am I had some hot water with lemon in it…

11:00am Red Juice Time! “Man I love beets but I hate beet-carrot juice…just drink it, drink your vitamins”

11:30am: This is where the effects of NOT eating kick in..or maybe it’s the overload of micronutrients because my head feels a little foggy and tight and my eye sights a bit patchy when I first standup…But it eventually passes

1:30pm Another green juice!  Chug chug chug!

3:30pm Cayenne Pepper Lemonade “Whoa! This stuff is good, I don’t mind it at all!”  It tastes like a kicked-up lemonade and not that spicy at all.

4:15pm: Revise my last statement, that Cayenne Lemonade is good til I get to to the end where all the cayenne fell.

After work, I hit the gym for some light walking on the treadmill, since I’m not supposed to be exercising on the cleanse.

6:30pm: Another red juice! “God I really hate red juice”

8:30pm : Cashew milk time! “OMG. This tastes like a melted smoothie, a bit cinnamony, sweet, creamy” LOVE IT!

– Does anyone know how to milk a cashew?  Whenever I think of any kind of nut milk I picture someone literally milking a nut……(Don’t worry, I know you don’t actually milk a nut)

So day one evaluation: I didn’t mind it, wasn’t really that hungry at all but boy was I moody and the rage struck right around 5pm.  It was the, don’t get in my way, don’t even look at me the wrong way type of rage.  I was also a bit emotional all day but other that that I didn’t feel all that different and it wasn’t all that bad.  Hopefully things will continue looking up for me!  Other than that, my body isn’t feeling any different yet.

And no, I don’t mean hittin’ the ‘roids.

I mean THIS kind of juicing…

Fresh veggie and fruit juice kind of juicing. Beet juice. Carrot juice. Kale juice. Pear juice….Kind of juicing. Juice for 3 days straight kind of juicing.

BUT WHY?!  You may ask? Well because I’m hoping to clean out my system and give it a good ol’ reboot and hopefully curb some of my cravings.

So here’s the plan: 6 drinks a day, 1 every 2 hours,  for 3 days – no solid food – just water in between. If you want more details check this out – it’s where I got my juice and details the drinks a bit more.  There’s also a detox blend thrown it (a take on the Master Cleanse) which has lemon, water, cayenne pepper, and cane syrup.  At night there’s a cashew milk to drink  which helps with satiety in order to sleep without hunger pangs.

Now what do I expect to get out of this?  Well, I hope to cleanse by body of all the toxins that I put in.  Yes, we all know, I’m a healthy eater but I’ve diverged a tad the past few months with sugar, (cookies, ice cream, and chocolate became a nightly dessert requirement) caffeine (1-2 cups a day somehow became enough coffee to equal 2 or 3 Starbucks Trentas – the café SUPERSIZE), and alcohol (a true lush, a wine-o, margarita lovin’, craft beer sippin’ regular).

On top of all that, I’ve been having horrible digestion issues that I can’t seem to find a trigger for.  It’s a hot burning sensation in my stomach with striking pains that come and go, lasting for 2-3 days at a time.

After researching the detox/cleanse I found that it has the potential  (keyword!)

1) To cure my cravings: be gone caffeine and sugar demons!

2) Clean out my toxins: buh-bye Splenda stockpile and unwashed veggie pesticides

3) Reset my body: fingers-crossed the abundance of nutrients will help get my stomach on the digestive fast track!

I know these aren’t guaranteed results but I have high hopes!

So check back over the next three days for my take on the 3 Day Cleanse and to see if I actually had the willpower to make it through it.