After trying out my very first juice cleanse last week and watching
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead I decided that I needed
a juicer. I want to be able to make my own juice cleanses at home, saving
myself the upwards of $200 for some branded cleanses. (like Blueprint, Cooler
Cleanse, Organic Avenue etc)
I haven’t quite decided my approach yet, but so
far I’m thinking juice for breakfast & the occasional dinner sounds doable.
Any recommendations?
Tonight I might try out a green juice tonight! Can you recommend any combos?
Initially, I had agreed to do a cleanse with a couple girls
from the office. I had a hard time believing that I could actually stick to it –
I was really scared that I would fall off the wagon half way through! By the
end of the cleanse, I felt like I could keep going because I wasn’t hungry and I
genuinely felt better overall.
My best advice to you if you’re considering doing a cleanse:
Easing off of a cleanse is important.
The night I finished the cleanse, I had a piece of pizza and a few drinks. I got
so sick, never ever do that! The day after the cleanse, I started the
day with a juice (I actually woke up craving one!), then later had some fruit,
veggies and soup. I found that I got full really quickly.
Even 3 days after I finished the cleanse, I notice my
appetite isn’t as out of control as it was after the holidays. I have lost a
few pounds and I hope they stay off. This week I am planning to stick to a
plant based diet with the occasional protein thrown in there. For example, this
morning I had 2 kiwis for breakfast, a
big salad for lunch with tofu and some cherry tomatoes & cucumber slices
for an afternoon snack. I’d also like to only have 1 cup of coffee today as I found
I didn’t need it like I thought I did
– I just missed the taste & experience of a good cup of coffee.
To find out more about Simplifast, check out their site http://www.simplifast.com/ I recommend
ordering on Amazon or waiting for a deal site to feature the products for a
lower price!
I am interested in
doing another cleanse the last week of January. Do you have any
recommendations?
Day 4 flew by & was much easier than the days prior. At lunch I broke and had an orange, but I was glad that I did. Surprisingly, food was the last thing I wanted.
I made a bad decision and ended up drinking after not eating anything for 4 days - great idea genius! At the end of the night I drunkingly ate a piece of pizza and got sick about 5 minutes after. Choices Caitlin, choices. One day I'll learn ;)
Energy Level – About a 8 out of 10.
Exercise – Only lifting the beer cup up to my mouth at the end of the day.
Sleep – Wonderful.
Feeling – Like "yay I did it" and "i really shouldn't have drank after". Now that I know that a cleanse is not impossible I think I will totally do another one perhaps at the end of the month before I go to Europe (woohoO!) Glad I still have a few bottles of Simplifast left over. I had one Saturday morning and actually enjoyed it.
Tomorrow I"ll write a bit about my struggles getting back to eating
solid food.
Day 3 was kind of roller coaster of emotions. At moments I
felt amazing, my whole body tingled and I felt a bit high. Other times, I was
cranky, hot, enraged, hungry and overall, a vile human being.
Last night I decided to try some cherry tomatoes and chopped
cucumber to cap off my successful day of only drinking 4 Simplifast shots and a
bit of no sodium, fat free vegetable broth. Boy oh boy, did I regret it. 20 minutes after eating I had stomach
pains and I felt dizzy. My body was not happy about the introduction of food! I’m
worried about the reintroduction of solid food after that. I might try again
tonight. In good news, I feel like I have lost a few pounds. My collar bone is
more pronounced and my jeans feel loose. Hopefully I can maintain this!
Energy Level – Back and forth between normal and exhausted.
Exercise – Please, I got winded just walking
from the 7 train to the 6 on the way home.
Sleep – Pretty good, I had a bit of trouble falling asleep. My
tummy was crazy!
Feeling – Accomplished. I didn’t think I could stick to a cleanse,
and today is the last day! Woohoo!
I also wanted to share some fabulous
SJP & Ferris Bueller pics from Vogue. Meeting SJP has been one of my
most memorable moments of living in NYC so far. I actually cried (note this was
during a boozy brunch in the West Village). She is just so cool.
I felt less hungry, less ' weird' and had fewer cravings. The only really annoying part of day 2 has been getting up to pee every 15 minutes at work. Very inconvenient!
I am getting tired of the taste of the drinks and I really am craving solids.So far my favorite flavor is strawberry mango.
As predicted, at about 3pm each day I hit a wall. Hard. Hopefully Day 3 is better!
Day 2:
Energy Level – About a 6 out of 10, 10 being normal.
Exercise – Heck no. Last night I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and was exhausted by the time I got home.
Sleep – Great, I slept like a (malnourished) baby.
Feeling – Happy. I made it half way! 2 more days of weird juice drinks :) I am already sick of the taste though. Boo! BUT in good news, I am feeling skinnier. I am going to weigh myself on Friday to see what I've lost.
I think I might watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead again to keep on track. I ordered a juicer off of Amazon yesterday and am planning to do a
reboot cleanse closer to my Europe trip. Have you watched this movie?
Yes, I did write a whole post about how I could never, ever,
ever do a cleanse and I thought they were stupid. (See here: To Cleanse, Or Not to Cleanse? )
Yes, I have been known to vow that I love food too much to
do a cleanse.
Yes, I have silently ridiculed others for doing cleanses.
Yes, I really do think
that some cleanses are stupid.
BUT, today I started the Simplifast Juice Cleanse.
I’m not going to lie – I am doing the cleanse to lose weight
and not to “rid my body of toxins” (a common fib). Over the holidays I was a garbage disposal
and ate everything I could get my hands on (think chocolate, coffee with Baileys,
pizza, Chinese food) . It was like every meal was my last. Shameful. To repent and get myself a little slimmer before my
Europe trip I thought this would be a cool thing to try.
I found a deal site voucher where I could get 24 juice shots
for $24.99 + $12 shipping. A couple girls from work jumped on the bandwagon so
I have some moral support. Basically, you mix 1 shot with 12oz of water and sip
4 servings throughout the day in place of meals, drink at least 48oz of water
and eat fresh fruits / vegetables if needed. I am planning on adding some
veggies and broth to this to keep me sane.
From their site, some
benefits:
Increased Energy
Increased Immunity –
right…
Enhanced Liver Function –
right…
Reduced Allergy Symptoms – right…
Increased Metabolism
Rapid Weight Loss
Improved Digestive Function
Reduced Joint Aches and Pains
Improved Sleep
Heightened Mental Clarity, Focus, and Memory
Improved Stability of Moods and Balance
Feeling of Calmness and Peace – right…
Reduced Appetite, Food, Alcohol, and Nicotine Cravings (I don’t know about this one – I could use
a drink)
Last night I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and it was
pretty motivating. You can watch this for free on Hulu or on Netflicks. I am
definitely considering buying a juicer and doing a 10 day green juice cleanse. Have you seen this movie? The total
transformation that the both Phil and Joe make was incredible. Watch it.
Each day I’ll update how I’m doing on the cleanse.
So far today:
Energy Level –
Normal considering it is my first day back to work after a long break for the
holidays. (2 ½ weeks!) I am a bit tired, but I think that is a combination of
not being used to waking up to an alarm for weeks and the fact that I haven’t had
a cup of coffee, only mint herbal tea.
Exercise – I might
go to the gym tonight, but the cleanse recommends only light exercise. Perhaps
yoga.
Sleep – We will
find out tonight.
Feeling – Tired.
I’d like a coffee and a sandwich, please. The weird thing is, I don’t really
feel hungry. I kind of just want something real because I am used to it.
Hopefully I can stick to this. Tonight I am planning on
having some vegetable broth and maybe a small salad depending on my hunger
levels. Wish me luck!
