Over the holidays, I was traveling, staying with family and friends and doing almost no grocery shopping. I basically ate whatever was put in front of me. So when I got back home I signed up for a juice cleanse from a local juice place using an online coupon. They delivered a heavy box with three days’ worth of a liquid diet along with some of their raw/organic snacks, which were meant to be eaten after you completed said cleanse. I tried to be good with my prepping and had no caffeine or meat the day before the cleanse.
Day 1 of the cleanse - I didn’t even last until lunch time. Please note I like to have big breakfasts. The first (out of a daily 6) juice tasted good, but I just did not like #2, and more important, my mouth and stomach REALLY missed solid food. So I cheated in a small way and had carrot sticks and some almonds. I didn’t even finish juice #2 and instead went on to #3, which tasted much better. I went out but kept a bag of carrot sticks on me to snack on when I felt hungry. Then evening came,and I was invited to meet some friends at a bar. You might think I just totally gave into temptation but I drank only water, and I ordered salad (it was really pickled vegetables, at a German place, but it was the healthiest thing I could find). I still had juice #5 but didn’t end up having juice #6, which was supposed to be a “dessert.”
Day 2 - Super Bowl Sunday! I pretty much set myself up for failure here, but maybe I just didn’t care. Again I skipped the juice I straight up disliked. I accepted an invite to brunch at a friend’s house and totally gave into eating solid, non-veggie food. I was planning on just having her sweet potato mash (even though she warned me it had a ton of butter in it) and salad, but I also ended up with quiche, bacon, and a chocolate croissant. I didn’t even feel sick afterward. And then I went to a Super Bowl party and grazed on the snacks, even having 2 chicken wings (I’m such a rebel). I started on the raw/organic snacks that came with the cleanse and shared them with my husband.
Day 3 - The last morning was pretty easy, sadly I guess you can get used to starving. I think I did have a bag of nuts or maybe more carrots, though. I had salad for lunch (along with juice), then more of my healthy snacks in the afternoon. But by the time I came home from work I was over it. I asked my husband what he was thinking for dinner and he said he’d taken pizza dough out of the freezer. Done. I probably could have ended on a higher note than pizza but, convenience.
The rest of the week, I kept having more salads (something I had not been doing enough of recently) and didn’t eat meat or have any alcohol for a couple more days. Don’t recall having much cheese, either. I realized when I signed up for the cleanse I was thinking I’d use it as a heavy duty detox, but realistically it just helped me jump-start the healthier eating again. Would I do it again? Probably not. I do like juices but I hate the thought of replacing every meal with them. Me and juice cleanses I guess were not meant to be.
