I feel rather lithe and long-limbed, like a....gazelle.
I am happy to say I am FINISHED with this juice cleanse. DONE. No more.
Before I give you my feedback I have to make one admission.........
I only did 3 days of just juice, instead of the 4 I had planned. I really just didn't want to do it anymore. Three days was enough for me. I don't feel bad about it, because it's not as though I started to eat junk today (Day 4), but I mixed in some fruits and veggies, quinoa and almonds along WITH the rest of my juice.
The weird thing is, once I started eating real food, I found that I WANTED juice. Or a salad. I can literally feel a change in my taste buds and the foods I'm craving.
For a recap I decided to do this Q & A style.
Why did I want to do a juice cleanse?
I am telling you RIGHT now, I did not do this for weight loss. I am educated and smart enough to know that the weight I'd lose as a result wouldn't be in the form I wanted to lose (water vs. fat). Do NOT let weight loss be a driving factor for you in doing a 3-4 day juice cleanse. It's not that you won't see the scale move (I weighed out of curiosity and I've dropped 6 pounds) but more than likely some of that will come right back when you eat regular, solid foods. Now, if you're doing a juice cleanse for longer than a week, maybe...just MAYBE you could keep some of that weight off, but damn....that's dedication.
I decided to try this for my health, to see if it would make me feel more alert and more awake as people claimed it did for them. I felt like I needed a jump start again- I had been in a workout slump and needed to feel better.
How do I feel?
I really feel GREAT. Besides having a small craving for a hamburger, I feel more energetic than I have in a long time (and I've felt this way since day 2 mind you), my skin is super soft, I feel like I can go workout for hours on end and I'm ready and wanting to eat big salads and healthy even more than I did a week ago. No headaches, no aches anywhere. No stomach grumbles.
How much coffee do I usually drink? How much alcohol?
The cleanse said to stay off of caffeine/coffee a week before the juice cleanse. I usually drink about 2-3 cups every morning. Sometimes less. The past week I hardly drank any to easily transition into the "no-caffeine" zone that the Juice Cleanse asked of me. Alcohol? Usually it's a few drinks on the weekend: wine or whiskey with one ice cube.
Was it tough to give up alcohol/caffeine?
Nope. I only had one small hankering for a glass of wine while watching TV last night. This morning I really wanted a cup of coffee, but tomorrow will come and that cup of coffee will taste like the best thing in life.
Did I miss anything/have cravings/get actually hungry?
There were times at work when I'd get small cravings for things. Not really cravings...more like just a desire to EAT them. lol. I just wanted to bite into them.
What did I like most about this particular cleanse?
SUPER impressed that the drinks are quite low-glycemic and have a very low sugar content. The green juices have only about 7 grams of sugar per bottle, and 18-20 grams on the higher end. A few other cleanses I looked into contained about 40-60 grams of sugar per bottle! No. Just no, thank you.
Urban Remedy's cashew milk and cleansing lemonade drinks are sweetened with stevia (other cleanses tend to use agave), so they’re even lower in sugar than the juices.
I also really love their use of super-nutritious veggies like dandelion greens, burdock root, fresh turmeric, etc. I'm all for trying new and interesting veggies and....weeds/roots. haha?
Would I do it again?
Ehhhh, I'd definitely drink juices again, but I think I'd only do a juice cleanse for 3 days and it would be MAYBE twice a year during season change. I could see myself doing it after the holidays. Other than that, a long-term juice cleanse isn't for this girl, but never say never.
What did I learn the past four days?
First and foremost, my long-time suspicions were true... I love food. I just do. I love the way food tastes, I love the "experience" of eating and dining with others, and trying new foods. I will never NOT love food and that's OK. But, I also love the way I feel when eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet...
90% of the time I'm careful with what goes into my body because I want to take care of it- I want it to last a good while. I want to set a good example for other women on what a healthy body image is and how to have a HEALTHY relationship with food.
That's just how it's going to be for me, but that being said a juice cleanse is a nice way to break things up, try new things. ESPECIALLY if you don't get enough fruits and veggies, I think this would be outstanding for you.
I also learned that tastes and habits can be changed and redirected toward something better.
Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse Info:
Cost: Urban Remedy cleanses cost $60 a day plus shipping (which costs $45 per 3-day cleanse).Support: Urban Remedy sends you a pre-cleanse email containing tips for how to prepare for your cleanse. I liked that little something extra.
How to Order: Their website, urbanremedy.com
Thanks for following along! If you have questions on my experience, let me know I'd be glad to answer! Now on to bigger challenges...what shall I attempt next? Hmmm.........
