Remember that time I went nuts for a month and did a raw diet? Remember that time I punned outta control by saying "I went nuts", because my raw diet was comprised of 80% nuts? Okay, now that we're all on board, this week I went...juice...or something, and I did a sort of juice cleanse!
I first got the idea from watching a Dr.Oz special with Joe Cross, who went on a super long juice cleanse and lost 9 million pounds or something, and they were both discussing the results with such excitement that I thought I could give it a whirl, as well. Joe Cross' 3 Day Cleanse seemed simple, the ingredients are all basic (cucumbers, tomatoes, ginger, kale etc. nothing wonky), and it claims to make you glow, re-energize you, detox your system, and make you feel lighter. Sounds awesome! What makes it a 'Sort of' juice cleanse is that you get to eat fruits and vegetables for dinner, so it's not 100% juice for three days. Among the things I learned, below, is that it really, really helps to eat a salad for dinner because by evening, you start to lose apetite not only for juice, but for life, in general.
Here, a little breakdown of the days, and how I ended up feeling:
Day One:
I had to force myself to finish the breakfast and mid-morning juices, and was full until mid-afternoon by which time I realized I was two juices behind...and then I realized Joe Cross' juice cleanse amounts are probably meant for dudes. I bypassed the pre-dinner drink on account of not wanting to drink a beet and sweet potato combo. Not bad for a first day, but most of all, I missed my breakfast muffins and hot coffee.
General feeling towards muffins summarized as follows:
Day Two:
I had a really bad headache all day and had a hard time concentrating at work. I was really cold all day, feeling really weak, and got woozy a few times. Still, it wasn't that bad, all in all. I had my baked sweet potato dinner to look forward to, so that made the day less painful. Oh, and had mangoes and cherries for dessert! Had to say no to cake at lunch, and to going out for dinner in the evening with friends. I don't even mind the hunger part of it as much as I mind foregoing social events....
Day Three:
Though I felt weak all day, I wanted to get some exercise to help push the toxins out, so I did a Zenergy Cycle class at The Athletic Club. To my surprise, I didn't faint, and made it through the class without stopping for breaks! I did tone down the intensity of my workout, but I felt great after! I wasn't planning on stopping the diet strictly at Day Three so I wasn't really feeling relieved or anything as the day ended.
So, I did continue the diet partly on Days Four and Five (today), because I don't think stopping abruptly is a good idea. On Day Four I had all salads and some quinoa and popcorn because I went to a movie so whatever...and on Day Five I had a juice for breakfast and lunch, and will be making pizza tonight for dinner! I do plan on having a juice here and there to balance out future meals, because I do think it's a great break for your digestive system, but would I do this diet again, for longer than three days? No thanks. I prefer solids and not feeling like this on a daily basis:
All in all, here are some things I can share to anyone thinking about doing a juicing cleanse:
-To anyone trying specifically the Joe Cross diet, if you're a woman, I suggest half-ing the amounts in the recipe. I made the original recipes, and the caloric value ended up being double my regular daily value and I literally could not finish all the juices- a waste of vegetables and calories, for those trying to lose weight.
-Make sure to drink lots of water between juices, to help keep hunger at bay
-Always, always, always start your day with a glass of hot lemon ginger water. Your body requires it to help start-up the cleanse.
-Ease yourself into the diet with no processed foods or caffeine for two days prior to the diet, and three days post.
And that's that!
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