I've always been one of those people who strays away from fads and gimmicks regarding diet and health. Recently however, I had been feeling pretty crappy about myself. Between my busy. on-the-go food habits, and booze on the weekends, I could tell my body was suffering. I was tired all of the time, unable to focus on important things, fatigued, super low energy, and always hungry. I took to the internet to do some research on things I could do to help my situation. I know that a healthier lifestyle in general would suffice, which I do intend on maintaining now, but I wanted to do something somewhat drastic to give myself a reset, as well as test my willpower. I came to the conclusion that I should try a juice cleanse.
From several sources I gathered information that basically said a juice cleanse can have a lot of benefits. In short, a cleanse like the one I did claims to give your body a break. It's supposed to detox your liver, your gut (intestines), etc. It's also supposed to reduce your appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods such as bad carbohydrates and sugar, boots energy, and flood your body with and nutrients it needs.
I chose to do the Juice From the Raw 3-Day Whenever Cleanse. They ship you 18 juices overall, and you're supposed to drink six juices per day. No food, no alcohol is allowed.
My first tip for doing something like this is to do it at a time where you know you'll stay busy. Doing it on the weekend when all of your friends are around eating and drinking, will make it harder than it already is.
Day one for me was okay. I drank each juice about 2 or 3 hours apart from each other and didn't really feel hungry all. I stayed busy and noticed that after the first couple of juices I was definitely feeling more energetic.
Day two was crappy. Literally. Be prepared for several bathroom trips. This was by far the hardest day. I could tell my body had no idea what was going on and I felt sluggish and experienced some headaches. I felt hungry and almost gave up. But I tried my best and stayed away from people who were eating and drinking and made it through.
Day three I woke up feeling great. No headache, no hunger. I got up ready and wanting to drink my first juice of the day. I had energy, stamina and honestly felt like a brand new person. I sensed that my body was getting accustomed to the juices and it liked what was happening. It was thanking me.
As far as weight loss goes, I didn't really go into this just to lose weight, but it was a plus. I began the cleanse weighing in at 124 pounds and on the third day I weighed 115 pounds. This was something I've never done before. Granted a lot of this is water weight, but if you ease into healthy eating and maintain those nutrients, you're likely to keep the weight off for good!
Overall, I was extremely proud of myself. Some skeptics say juice cleanses are BS and they don't work, but I feel amazing. Just the fact that I had the willpower to stick to something this drastic for three days made me feel like a rockstar. I learned that I had a very unhealthy relationship with food. I learned that beauty, energy, and feeling great about yourself comes from within. I'm in no way suggesting everyone does this, because cleansing isn't something that is for everyone, but if you're looking for something to give your body and mind and rest, a juice cleanse was a great option for me.
Remember to always consult your doctor before going into anything regarding your health and diet.
