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| Juice shipment, juice for 3 days, and the first green juice |
Last week was an interesting week. I decided to do a 3 day BluePrint cleanse (which turned into a 5 day cleanse, but more on that later). Always the overachiever, I decided to go with the most intense cleanse - the Excavation cleanse. I'd never done a juice cleanse before so I wasn't sure what to expect. 3 days of all juice? Would I starve? Would I cheat? Would I be miserable?
It was actually pretty great.
My juice cleanse consisted of 6 juices a day. Green, Green, Green, Spicy Lemonade, Green, and then Cashew Milk. I ordered my 3 day supply directly from BluePrint Cleanse because I figured it would be easier. (sometimes I buy out all the juice at Whole Foods and I didn't want to risk not getting everything I needed.) My least favorite juice was the lemonade. I don't like spicy things, and the heat made the lemonade pretty icky tasting to me. I loved the green juice. (thank goodness, because I had to drink so much of it) And the cashew milk? Amazing! Tasted like a thick, gritty, 300 calorie milkshake. And that's a good thing. Really. I would consider buying these cashew milk drinks in the future to have them as a healthy dessert.
The box o-juice came with instructions on how to survive the juice cleanse. (and a nice cooler to cart my juice around in all day) They said to start the day off with hot water with lemon or tea. I don't like either of those things, so...I only did that the first day. The other days I did drink a big glass of warm water. Not sure if that helped or not?
The instructions also suggest that you space out your juices appropriately and drink water in between. I didn't do so well with that, so at some points I was starving. (and a little dehydrated when I tried to work out)
How the cleanse went - by the numbers
The first day was smooth sailing, really. I felt pretty good. I ran 5 miles. I went out to dinner with some friends and sipped my cashew milk while they ate greasy bar food. The second day was tougher. I felt more tired. Hungrier. But...I was also down 4 pounds. Probably all water weight, but still...I had issues regulating my body temperature. That was kind of annoying. (is this foreshadowing what hot flashes will be like someday?) I also had a weird, awful film on my teeth. This is a pretty common side effect, apparently. I have sealant on my teeth to prevent cavities (from 10 years ago) and I swear it felt like it was melting at times. That was a little strange. But the oddest thing was my heightened sense of smell. My poor boyfriend had two bites of garlicy pasta hours before he dropped by my house, and even though he brushed his teeth, the smell of garlic coming off of him was overwhelming. (As was the smell of the kitty litter in my basement, my vanilla scented air fresheners, and a million other things I never would have noticed)
Day 3 was kind of a turning point for me. I weighed myself and I was down 6-ish pounds. I felt great, so I decided to keep the cleanse going for two more days, so I went to Whole Foods and picked up some extra juice so I could continue on. I decided to step down a notch and do the Foundation cleanse, which meant I could save a little $ by making my own spicy lemonade (lemon juice, water, cayenne pepper, and agave) and I could swap out one green juice with a Pineapple Apple Mint juice. Because it's awesome and tastes like a tropical "boat" drink, or something you'd have while on vacation.
There was nothing really remarkable the next two days. Just more of the same. I lost another pound. My energy level was pretty flat. But overall, I felt pretty good. It was nice to be free from the tummy issues that had been plaguing me for months beforehand.
Overall Results
I lost 7 pounds total in 5 days. My weight fluctuated throughout each day. Up two, down two...up one...And it seems like all of the weight I lost came from my mid-section. My stomach is flatter than it's been in...months? I really did this cleanse to feel better, eat better, drink less, etc., but...losing weight was an added bonus!
I easily exercised on the first day but after that exercising was pretty tough. With the cleanse, you take in a little over 1000 calories a day, which kind of explains why exercising is hard. (the first day post cleanse I went on a 5 mile run and felt a-ok)
I really loved this whole juicing experience. My body seemed to be really happy with 5 days of clean living. At the end of the cleanse I craved foods like blueberries and kale chips...when a week earlier I wanted wine, pizza, and cheese curds. For the first 5 days after the cleanse you're supposed to slowly reintroduce food into your diet. I've been eating a lot of fruit, fresh veggies, and greens. And I've been drinking more juice. I really hope to be as close to vegan as possible going forward. I always feel much better when I have a limited amount of dairy in my diet. I also plan on limiting my caffeine intake. I haven't had coffee in over a week and I don't even miss it. Another thing I don't miss is booze. Sure, it's nice to have a glass of wine on my back patio...but a bottle water is just as nice.
The only downside to the cleanse in my opinion is the cost. 3 days of juice cost me $225 with shipping. Super pricey, obviously. But...compared to the medical bills I have from being tested for random ailments that I don't have, it's not all that bad. And if this makes me feel better, look better, and make some lifestyle changes, it's totally worth it. (and until I go buy myself a good blender, this seems to be my best option)
If you have any questions about cleansing, shoot me a message! This was really an amazing experience. If you're feeling run down, etc. and can't seem to find a way to perk up or get your eating habits back on track, I really think 3-5 days of juicing would be a way to quickly improve the way you feel.
****UPDATE*** It's been 10 days since my cleanse ended and I'm still down 7 pounds! And feeling great!
