During my easter holidays, I felt really tired and stressed with the upcoming exams... and really wanted something to rejuvenate my body so I can feel more healthy and motivated. I've researched various methods, tried to eat healthier and did some home work outs. They worked pretty well and I know I will feel better in the long term, but that's when I saw something called Juice Cleanse. If you don't already know what Juice Cleanse is, companies make these juices for you to drink instead of having meals. You do not eat any solid food but only drink such juices (fruit or vegetable made) and water for a few days (depending on your programme; mine was 3 days). People do it for different reasons, some mainly for health reasons and some to lose weight at the same time. Not eating anything for 3 days seems really scary at first, but I still decided to give this cleanse a try, since well... I was too bored from revision. I am also going to weigh the pros and cons of the cleanse and my thoughts and suggestions for anyone who is interested but is skeptical about it :) I hope this will help!!
Before
There is not a lot to do at the preparation stage for the cleanse. This is not a compulsory stage and is up to you! I've always hated vegetables and fruits in my life, while loving meat and junk food, and I was worried that my body could not adapt to not eating anything for 3 days. If you're someone like me, I would recommend preparing for the cleanse. My cleanse started on a Monday, and so I started preparing on the Thursday before. During those few days, I tried to drink a lot more water and ate more fruits (because I still hated vegetables), as well as cutting down carbs and meat so my body won't feel so bad during the cleanse.
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| One day of Juice |
During
Juice Cleanses are often really expensive, and so I've looked at various companies and decided to try Soulmate Foods' 3 Day Fruit Juice Cleanse. They always have discounts on groupons, so it's good to wait for it. For me, the only cleanse that was available on groupon at that time was a vegetable juice; and because I hated vegetables and didn't want to give up mid-way, I paid full price for the fruit juice cleanse. The cleanse arrived early in the morning in a box with some dried ice. I opened a box and saw 18 juices! You are supposed to drink 6 juices a day and 1 every 2 hours.
The first day was really easy, because you get excited about the different flavoured juices. They all tasted really good, but were very sweet. I had to drink water every few sips and so I end up drinking 2L of water every day. I suggest using a big water bottle instead of glasses so you can actually know how much water you've drank and feel a little more proud of yourself :)
I woke up the second day much earlier than I normally do, feeling really energised and ready for the second day! It was a bit harder than the first day, with myself looking at the clock and setting alarms on my phone hoping for the next juice to come. I was really unproductive that day because all I was thinking about was when's my next juice. I also became really tired that night, feeling that I don't have much strength and went to bed really early.
The last day was the hardest!!! I still woke up feeling energised, and I think the juices makes you sleep really well. However, the day felt ever so long and I just kept staring at the clock for the whole day. When my boyfriend eats next to me, I even begged him for a bite of the food, which didn't happen in the previous days. I don't think I was hungry, the juices were actually really good of keeping you full. But I just couldn't resist this inner feeling of wanting to bite something, savoury especially because the juices were so sweet. Despite the crave, I still managed to resist the temptation and finished all my juices that night!
Results and Thoughts
The Juice Cleanse gave me a really good feeling afterwards, I feel so so so much cleaner and healthier, and always wanted to drink more water. I've lost a total of 4 pounds (near 2kg) after the three days, and was really happy about the result. However, many have suggested that the Juice Cleanse mainly takes off the water from your body, and not actually weight- a point which I strongly agree!!! I think that we can all probably achieve a similar result from eating really little or just drinking a lot of water for 3 days, instead of paying £150 for the cleanse. Yet, I do not believe that I could have achieved the same results by myself, because I would have given up really quickly after the first day. The main reason why I didn't give up was thinking that these juices were so expensive, and I really had no choice but to stick to it. The process was tough, and much harder than I thought it would be, so the fact that I finished it made me feel so much better about myself, realising that I do have the determination to accomplish something so difficult!
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| Seeing these empty bottles felt AMAZING! |
I think the Juice Cleanse is worth a try if there's a discount on groupon (because the delivery and process was really convenient for lazy people like me), but I wouldn't recommend getting it if paying the full price for it. I know a lot of people make their own juices and that is definitely an alternative way to the cleanse your body! You can definitely get similar results and feel the determination by making your own juices (probably much cheaper as well)! Simply changing up your lifestyle by drinking more water and sleeping early will already improve your body and help weight loss! Also, as I have said, the Cleanse mainly takes the water off your body, so you can easily add the weight back on if you are not careful with what you eat after the cleanse. You are not supposed to eat too much solid food in the first few days after the Cleanse. The Cleanse, although only three days long; requires a long-term commitment for the results to last and maintain!
Here are some of my personal suggestions of what I ate after my cleanse. You can eat these as breakfast or dinner, but I would recommend having a slightly heavier lunch to keep you moving through the day! You also don't have to be in after a juice cleanse to try these! They can be made easily, keeps you full and are delicious!
1.Fresh Fruits mix: Just a mix of chopped strawberries and apples or any fruits you like. A box of strawberries costs around £2 from Marks & Spencer, and the Pink Lady Apples about £1.50 for 4 (you only need one or half!)
2. Home Made Fruit Parfait: A mix of strawberries or blueberries with Jordan's Granola (£3 for one big box) and some Rachel's Vanilla Yoghurt.
3. Omelette: If you feel like eating a bit more; try an omelette made by 2 eggs, a few slices of smoked salmon and some corn!
Also remember to drink a lot of water! I hope this post lets you know a little bit more about the Juice Cleanse! Feel free to ask me any questions about it!
Lots of Love,
Nat
