It started when a passionate juicer coworker of mine was
working on my computer. We got to
talking about juicing because talking about computers would be boring. He has done a couple of 60 day juice
fasts. The first fast was due to a bet
on who could lose the most weight in the IT department here at work. Funny how that works--like my vegan friend
who became vegan on a bet and chose it as his lifestyle. Good for them. My coworker did his research and was filling
me in on details. I got really interested
in giving it a try. I said, “Why not?
Sounds like fun…” Okay, I didn’t say
“sounds like fun,” but I wanted to challenge myself to try it.
Before the Cleanse
 |
I've never seen the show,
but these BPA 32 oz bottles were
on clearance for $7 each! |
I choose to call it a cleanse versus a fast or a diet. I wanted to focus on cleaning my system out
and starting fresh for the holidays of gorging and feasting. My goal was not to lose weight or choose to
do this longer than 7 (ish) days. Heck
no was I going to do this for 60 days. I
love food too much. I love mac n cheese,
garlic bread, broccoli, tacos, chicken.
Oh, sorry, getting off track.
Moving along, I read more of my coworker’s blog (which can be found here) and glanced over Joe Cross’s Fat, Sick, and Nearly
Dead website. I printed recipes and made
a grocery list and borrowed my mom’s Magic Bullet with her juicer attachment
(not the regular magic bullet). I talked
to the husband about it and let him know I was interested in giving this a try. He must have been taking the crazy pills that
night because he said he would accompany me in this juice cleanse
adventure. Nevertheless, we were in it
together and I appreciated that support.
Plus it was nice I didn’t have to juice while making dinner for
him. Not that I always have to make
dinner for him. He’s a big boy and this
is modern times. He can make his own
food. Sorry, off topic again.
The week before, I went to Salt Lake City, Utah for a conference (I’ll work
on that blog post next!) and gorged on yummy meals. Mostly vegan ones, but again more on that in
another post. I also drank a lot of
bourbon. Don’t tell my acupuncturist
that though. When I got home, the next
day I ate Indian food for lunch (naan, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer and
some rice… oh so yummy!!) since I didn’t have anything to bring and knowing the
husband was probably not going grocery shopping while I was gone. I wonder what he ate all week? Then after the gym, I visited our local
Costco (one of three within a 10 mile radius of where we live) on my way home
to check on my grocery list for juicing!
·
Apples
·
Carrots
·
Spinach
·
Kale
·
Strawberries
·
Blueberries too expensive
·
Raspberries
·
Celery
·
Cucumbers
·
Grapefruit
·
Oranges
·
Lemons
·
Bell peppers
·
Watermelon
·
Pineapple
·
Jalapenos, habaneros
We got home, went through my print
of recipes and got to juicing for the next day!
During the Cleanse
I felt like the first few days
were maybe the 2nd toughest.
Just getting over the fact that juice is all I get throughout the day
and thinking “how is this going to keep me full all day?” I don’t know if I just psyched myself out or
what, but even after working out on my lunch those days I didn’t feel so
bad. Day 4 I felt great. I even got complimented on looking good that
day. I felt my skin was less oily, I
wasn’t as bloated, I didn’t have as much gas (TMI? We’re all friends here now), and I wasn’t
falling asleep at my computer in the afternoons. I thought, “Ok, not bad. I can do this!” Then Day 5 came…
It was a Saturday and we had
decided to go to the beach to get some exercise and walk from Balboa Pier to
the Newport Beach Pier. Something we
have done numerous times before.
However, since we took Friday night off juicing for the following day,
we didn’t have anything in our stomachs except water. BAD MOVE.
I couldn’t even make it all the way to the pier just knowing we had to
walk back. I was starving and getting
lightheaded and my head started to hurt (enter sad face here). We stopped by Mother’s to get a small 12 oz
juice to share and I took one sip and almost threw up. It was disgusting! It was called Beet Me Up which has a carrot
base, beets, parsley, and garlic. I
usually love beets roasted… and when I am chewing them. But in juice form with garlic? It was too weird for me. Of course, the flavor grew on Tim and he had
the rest. We got home, my stomach still
growling and my head still spinning.
Unfortunately since we took Friday night off from juicing, we still had
to juice for the day. It felt like
eternity before getting something in my stomach. Sharp pains started poking in me. Ok, that’s a little dramatic, but you get the
idea. I got cranky and angry and light
headed even more. Finally I got the
breakfast juice in me and I bottled up my lunch juice for later. I felt fine after getting something in me and
I learned I will never do that again.
Day 6 was a challenge as
well. We had San Diego Wild Animal Park
tickets and they expired soon so we packed our breakfast and lunch juices along
with a juice snack bottle. My husband is
the best because he carried the 2 lunch and snack bottles along with a bottle
of water in his backpack all throughout the park. There were definitely a large number of
temptations all around the park: donuts, popcorn, sodas, ice cream, cotton candy and
more. However we stayed strong and didn’t
get anything. We drank our juices for
lunch at this Elephant Talk Session thing and all was good. However by around 3 pm I was definitely
getting tired and weak. It is
interesting to recognize the difference when your body feels it’s weak and
hungry from the lack of nutrients while juicing versus feeling weak and hungry from
not having food to eat throughout the day.
That doesn't make sense... I’m not quite sure how to explain it.
Perhaps as my coworker mentioned, “think of the juice as fuel for your
body” and not as something to enjoy or experience. So during the juicing, I could feel my body
needing the fuel to energize myself versus feeling like I need french fries
because they sound good.
Our juices to-go for a day at the Safari Park
Day 7 we made another little
mistake. We juiced a watermelon for
breakfast (with basil and lime) and while delicious, I felt like it didn’t have
any nutrient substance to keep me going that morning. I was sluggish and hungry and all I could
think about was fooooooood. I drank my
lunch which was mistake #2 that day because it wasn’t a “green juice.” Instead of the usual greens we used for lunch
such as kale and spinach, we used some small sweet bell peppers. I continued to feel whacked all day with even
some light headedness again. However it
could have just been all in my head and I was going crazy knowing 7 days was
the minimum I was going to do. Speaking
of, as just mentioned, I knew I wanted to do at least 7 days with the
possibility of 8 or 9 total just to get through all the rest of our vegetables
and fruits we had purchased. But by the
end of the work day on Day 7, I had had ENOUGH.
I was tired of juicing and so hungry.
I texted my husband and said let’s eat tonight!!!
After the Cleanse
I won’t go into too much detail
about the aftermath of not easing into eating solids after 7 days of
juicing. But let’s just say, please don’t
do what I did and eat half a burrito after 7 days of cleansing. You will NOT feel good I promise you
that. For the record though it was not
my idea to get a burrito for dinner that night.
Anyway, let’s look at the positive side of things:
·
Ended up losing 8 pounds (let’s remember though
weight loss was not the goal)
·
My skin felt smoother and brighter and
definitely less oily
·
Didn’t have as bad as breath (or gas for that
matter!) as normal
·
Didn’t feel as bloated
·
Had more energy on the days I made the right combination
of juices for myself
·
Didn’t have to cook anything for 7 days
Here's a snack I bought from nekter, a trendy juice bar around the corner from my work. If I could afford buying my juices from here every day, I would a happy camper!
Here are my cons:
·
We went through the fruit and veggies quickly
especially not having a high quality juicer (it did the trick though for 7
days). We went to the grocery store
probably around 4 or five times in the 7 days (8 days including the night
before for the initial purchases).
·
Some of the juices were gross.
·
The cleaning of fruits and veggies, the
prepping, the actual juicing and the cleaning were the worst parts of this
whole thing.
Would I do it again?
Yes. Definitely. Anytime soon?
No. Maybe at the beginning of the
year to cleanse myself from all the holiday gorges. Here are a couple of my favorite recipes from
the week:
Morning Fruit Juice via http://blog.theproofisinthejuice.org/:
·
1 large grapefruit
·
6 oranges
·
4 apples
·
1 pound of berries (I preferred strawberries
while the husband preferred the raspberries
Juice these ingredients, strain and bam! Scrumptious!
·
1 green apple
·
2 cups spinach
·
2 cups kale leaves
·
½ cucumber
·
4 celery stalks
·
½ lemon
Juice these ingredients, strain and bam! Slurp, slurp, slurp!!!
Random Thoughts
·
Yes, juice is all I had for 7 days. No food, no anything else (except
supplements)
·
Speaking of supplements, invest in a good
trustworthy brand or your big sister will give you sh*t about it (my parents
can agree with me there).
·
Don’t tell me you had a smoothie for breakfast
and think that’s the same thing.
·
Yes, I did get full off the right combinations
of juices (fruit blend for breakfast, green juices for lunch and dinner)
·
Yes, I peed every 25 minutes, but not throughout
the night which was nice. I slept very
well too.
·
Day 3 I experienced two very awful and painful “Charley
Horses” in the morning. This was due to
not consuming enough water. I made sure
to drink so much water I was peeing every 15 minutes instead. (I’m exaggerating)
·
The idea of mixing your lunch and dinner juice
recipes with spicy peppers to change up the flavor is a great concept. Executed… not really for me.
·
Double straining the green juices makes it for a
much better experience. No one wants to
be slurping up bits and pieces of kale.
A photo of some baseball cookies I made
for a 12 year old birthday boy.
Random, I know.
·
Because I love food so much (the experience of
flavors and the act of eating itself along with the social aspects of getting
together with friends and family for a meal), I really had to remember whatever
I consume is to fuel my body. My
coworker friend told me on the first day—don’t smell the juice just drink it. You’re not drinking it for enjoyment; you’re
drinking it for nourishment and fuel. So
then that got me to think…French fries can be good fuel too right? J
Disclaimer: If you want to try juicing, please don't use my blog post as real medical advice or anything like that. I know nothing. Consult your doctor and all that jazz.
P.S. I saw this today from a buzzfeed.com post and thought it would be fun to share:
Image Taken From:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kristinchirico/things-youre-only-afraid-of-if-you-live-in-los-angeles
