Thinking about a juice cleanse?

With summer just around the corner, I've started ramping up my exercise regimen and decided to try something new. I cancelled my gym membership (seems counterproductive, right?). The gym that was closest to me didn't offer classes at good times for my schedule, and I operate much better with a morning workout. The last big success I had with weight loss came from workouts I could do at home. It was clear I needed to head in that direction again, so I'm giving 80 Day Obsession from our friends at Beachbody a try. (More on that in a later post.)

The gist of 80 Day Obsession is that it's broken into three phases, and this week I just so happen to be wrapping up Phase 1. I haven't been as regimented on my diet as I probably should've been, so I haven't seen the results I want. I've always been intrigued by juice cleanses, but never had the guts to try. (get it?) I'm also leaving for a road trip to Colorado on Saturday, so I thought this week would be the perfect opportunity to try it out. The week before workouts get harder and no meal prepping or dishes before I travel... win, win.

So onto the cleanse! I got my 5-day cleanse from squeezedonline.com. If you want to try it out, just put my email in the referral box: britnilamb@yahoo.com. You could save even more if you don't have it delivered and pick up your order. It's 5 bottles each day for 5 days. I thought this would be manageable for me, but you can choose anything from 1 to 7 days. I ordered my cleanse on Saturday and a big insulted bag was on my doorstep Sunday afternoon. I started doubting if I could do it as I unloaded bottle after bottle into the fridge, but where did doubt get anyone?! Without further ado-

Here's my day-by-day breakdown:

Day 1: Breakfast was a pineapple/orange/carrot/beet concoction that at first sip I was worried... It tasted like fruit with an aftertaste of dirt. It was not the easiest thing to take down, but about half way through I was used to it. It killed my tinge of hunger pains after my morning workout pretty quickly, which was very welcomed. The directions said to drink it slowly, so that I did... About an hour and a half later, it was already time from my second bottle. This one was pineapple/carrot/grape/apple. It was so good, I think I probably drank it a little too quickly.

The directions also tell you to drink 128oz. of water along with your juices. As you can imagine, that's hard on a normal day eating solid foods. I'll admit, I don't think I got that much. I was already in the bathroom 12 times total Day 1, so I'm not sure how much more I could've handled.

Lunch was a pineapple/spinach/orange/celery/kale/chard combo which wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It has a distinct smell which I think was the most off-putting part. I drank my mid-afternoon bottle (coconut/pineapple/apple/beet/lime) by around 3:30-4:00ish and was worried about how long I needed to wait before my dinner juice. I took that one with me to the Pod Save America show at the Majestic Theater. This one was activated charcoal/lemon/agave.... yes, it's black. I did not think about this and I'm in a public setting with my lips, teeth and tongue turning black. Fair warning: don't drink the activated charcoal one in public! I drank it much faster than I should have to I could run to the bathroom and swish out my mouth. Good news: it tastes like lemonade! I thought I would be starving by the time the show ended, but it wasn't unmanageable. I went to bed a little hungry, but drank a little water to get by.

Day 2: I woke up expecting to be ravenous, but surprisingly I wasn't. I hopped on the scale expecting 1-2 pounds difference only to be stunned seeing myself 4 pounds lighter than the morning before. I don't anticipate maintaining that, as I assume that is all water weight, but how crazy. I could also see a noticeable difference in my stomach... were those abs I'm seeing just under the surface? I went into my workout thinking my hunger would rev up at any moment, but it never did. I felt pretty energized through the whole thing. Breakfast was orange/celery/carrot/apple/beet/kale and it was not the easiest to drink. I think it may be the beets - not my favorite. The snack was a watermelon/cucumber/pineapple/apple juice, which was not ideal considering I don't like cucumbers or watermelons. I saved my lunch for a little later, drinking it around 1:30 so I wouldn't get too hungry before dinner.

Lunch was cucumber/spinach/ginger/celery/grape/kale/apple/chard/parsley. That's a mouthful! I actually didn't mind this as much as I had feared. I drank my afternoon snack of pineapple/grapefruit/orange/carrot/grape/apple closer to 4:30 because I had a family dinner to attend and I needed to be strong! I can attest, I drank a green juice around people eating steak and it wasn't horrible! I went in with the mindset of doing something good for myself and not letting anything ruin it. I stood there as the food was cooked, smelling it all, and I grabbed a big glass of water. My stomach was starting to growl so I had to put something it in. I drank my pineapple/turmeric/romaine/spinach/orange/parsley/ginger/lime juice at the table with everyone and didn't feel bad. I know, I'm surprised too!

Day 3: My alarm didn't go off, but I still woke up feeling refreshed and energized on my own at 7am. Too late for my workout, but didn't let that bother me. I didn't feel hungry again, which continually surprised. As I got ready I started into my breakfast of carrot/apple/beet (beets again...). I tried to make the Super Squeezed main meals drag out for at least an hour to help curb hunger between juices. By this day I was starting to really get the hang of it. Oh, and I was down another pound! My mid morning snack was a simple ginger/apple/lime with an emphasis on the ginger. It reminded me of a Moscow mule, which gets no complaints from me!

Lunch was a little more difficult as it was cucumber/spinach/celery/apple/kale. I opened this up in a meeting and my co-worker said it smelled like someone just mowed a lawn. It kind of tasted like that too... I saved my snack for later again, so I wouldn't be hungry at the movies later. It was watermelon/turmeric/orange/grape which was not my favorite, but palatable. I took my dinner juice to the theater with me and drank it slowly throughout the movie. It was pineapple/romaine/spinach/cilantro/orange/fennel which sounded bizarre to me, but I think it may have been my favorite main meal juice. I did my workout when I got home and had plenty energy left to get through it.

Day 4: Woke up before my alarm again and got my workout done. I'm feeling stronger and getting through each day better than the one before. Breakfast was another beet concoction, but it's possible I may have acquired a taste for it. This one was spinach/parsley/lemon/carrot/apple/beet. My energy level was high, I wasn't craving anything bad, and not really hungry throughout the day anymore at this point in the cleanse. Unfortunate news comes with the mid-morning snack (blue majik (aka blue algae)/aloe vera/pineapple/lime)... it tastes like vomit after you've drank too much alcohol. I just choked it down as best I could. :(

Lunch was another green juice (cucumber/pineapple/romaine/spinach/lemon/celery/apple/kale), which was palatable. It took me a long time to finish it, which led me to start on my mid afternoon snack (pineapple/celery/carrot/apple) not long after. I had a very difficult time drinking the dinner juice. This was by far the hardest day of the week for me. The flavors of the juices were not my favorites, and I was really craving food.

Day 5: The final day of the cleanse, I woke up feeling pretty tired and attempted to do my leg day work out from 80 Day Obsession. I had to stop half way through because I felt so nauseated. I broke into my breakfast juice immediately to try to refuel and drank a lot of water for fear of dehydration. I decided to bail out of the workout and try again later. The juices today were a repeat of Day 1, so I'll spare you the details! I got to feeling better as I re-hydrated and progressed through the day. By dinner and the last bottle, I was definitely over it. I think my body and brain knew it was the end, I felt so full and I didn't end up drinking the whole last bottle. I couldn't stomach any more.

So what were my final results after 5 days? I lost just under 8 pounds and outside of Day 4 and the morning of Day 5, I felt really great and alert. Keep in mind, I was working out as well. It motivated to keep eating healthy and jump into Phase 2 of 80 Day Obsession! I would recommend doing this if you need a boost into healthy eating or something to break through a plateau. The next morning, I could tell my appetite was different and I couldn't finish my breakfast. I snacked on baby carrots and clementines during my 12 hour drive. Instead of getting a burger for dinner (which I was craving!) I opted for a grilled chicken with vegetables and brown rice. *pats self on back for healthy choices*

Again, if you want to try it out, just use my email address in the referral box (britnilamb@yahoo.com). As always, feel free to send any questions my way.

Signing off from Colorado... until next time!