Everyone has been asking questions and commenting on my Instagram Stories posts about the three day cleanse I just completed. So I thought I would share how I got started with it and how I made it THREE ENTIRE DAYS without eating ANYTHING and why I decided a cleanse was right for me. :)
I’ve been feeling off for months - Like swollen, puffy eyes and a bloated belly, super tired all the time. Ugh! I wanted to do something somewhat extreme to kick start healthy habits and “restart” my body. I researched two different juice cleanses and started praying about it. While I was grocery shopping on Sunday I found the EXACT juice I was considering purchasing online! The kicker - it was HALF the cost at Kroger than on the website!!! What what!!! RyAnne and I counted out a three day supply of juices - 18 bottles. I also picked up some lemons.
This is how I did my cleanse!
I started off every morning by drinking an entire lemon squeezed in 8 ounces of warm water. About an hour later I would drink an organic, dairy free, plant based, protein coffee. Two hours later I started my juices. I drank one juice every two hours for a total of five juices a day. Surprisingly, I never felt hangry!!!
Here is the schedule that worked for me.
7:30 lemon and hot water, 8 ounces of water
8:00 yoga, 8 ounces of water
8:30 protein coffee (I chose the 1915 organic band), 8 ounces of water
10:30 Up Beet Juice, 8 ounces of water
12:30 Detox Greens Juice, 8 ounces of water
2:30 Pine-Apple Mint Juice, 8 ounces of water
4:30 Passion Fruit Juice, 8 ounces of water
6:30 Broth, 8 ounces of water
8:30 Sweet Greens Juice, 8 ounces of water
The amount of ENERGY I had the first day really surprised me! I thought for sure that I would feel like I was lagging and I really thought I was going to get a headache! While I was researching cleanses, I kept reading that one of the best parts about a cleanse is that by drinking the juices and not eating solid foods it gives your digestive system a break. Therefore you are not using energy digesting your food. That first night of my cleanse I had the hardest time going to sleep because I had SO much energy!
The next morning I noticed when I woke up that I felt lighter, NOT bloated AND ready to get my day started! I drank my lemon water and remember feeling SO energized! I never felt hungry because I was drinking the juices every two hours and water in between.
The second night was a little more of a challenge for me. I cooked my family dinner and I caught myself wanting to “sample” it! I literally put it up to my mouth and then remembered “NO food!” This also was a lightbulb moment for me. Throughout the day I kept wanting to “sample” everything. I would get it up to my mouth and remember I wasn’t supposed to eat it! I feel like, for me, that is a bad habit. Eating all those little samples really adds up at the end of the day.
I stayed strong! I never ate a single solid food item and stuck to the schedule! By day three, I still wasn’t feeling hungry but I really wanted to chew! My energy levels remained super high and I felt light and fabulous without all that bloat! That night as I was cooking my family dinner I ALMOST caved and made myself a plate! Eek! I made gluten free spaghetti and gluten free garlic biscuits. It smelled incredible! But the thing is I HATE spaghetti! I, again, stayed strong and drank my juice!
“Bam!!! I felt like a rock star! Not only did I do something I had never done before BUT I totally crushed it and felt amazing
because of it! ”
Get ready! If you can’t handle a little poop talk then scroll on down!!! Now here’s the weird part! The first day on the cleanse I had the most fab poop ever! If you’ve ever watched Dr. Oz you will know that he is all about a “S” shaped poop. It was all that and more! The next two days on the cleanse I didn’t poop at all. I guess because there wasn’t anything left?! The day after the cleanse I had a super mushy one. I suppose because my body wasn’t really digesting anything and it took a while to build up. Day two after the cleanse ALL is back to FABULOUS and normal!
Now that we got that outta the way! Let’s talk about what I did after completing the cleanse. After finishing the last juice on day three, I was having a hard time deciding what I should eat for the first time. Trey mentioned I should have a protein shake. That next morning I drank a cup of lemon water and then made myself a 9 oz protein shake. I drank about 3 ounces and felt so bloated. My stomach was bubbling out of control and I just felt horrible. I drove to Kroger and picked up a couple of juices and some of the protein coffees. While I was picking those out I saw the salads! I LOVE salad!!! It’s one of my fave meals! I made sure to pick out a pre-made salad that was dairy and gluten free. When I got back to the office I cracked open that salad, ate three bites and threw the salad away! It broke my heart to waste it but it wasn’t worth the way it was making my stomach feel AND sound!!! It was bubbling out of control yet again! You think I would have learned that if I couldn’t handle a simple protein shake, then why in the world did I think I could handle a salad?!
I chose to drink a juice instead and about two hours later ate a banana - MUCH BETTER choice!!! And no bubbly tummy! For dinner, I cooked up some pea soup. Again, no bubbles! Today, is day two after the cleanse and I woke up feeling incredible with lots of energy. I have started my day with a cup of warm lemon water, yoga and a 1915 organic protein coffee. I plan on eating a banana and then having a juice about two hours after that.
My conclusions: I feel incredible, I don’t look or feel bloated! I don’t have puffy eyes and my skin looks so fresh and hydrated! I have loved this cleanse and feel like I will most certainly do this again in a couple of months! I really wish I would have spent more time planning for after the cleanse! Lesson learned!!! If you have any questions for me please feel free to ask away! I will answer them as best as I can!
I hope y’all have a lovely FRIDAY!
