Puffer Coat: Aritizia (on sale size down at least one size) | Legging: LuluLemon ( no longer available but found the exact ones here on eBay NWT| Sneakers: Addidas | Hoodie: Aerie (not available, but similar here) | Purse: Louis Vuitton
So over the weekend I finished my second of two Juice Cleanses. I have done lots of detox cleanses in the past, but never a juice one. I have to say, it wasn’t too bad in comparison. I didn’t feel super hungry on it. There was definitely a lot of temptation (espcially this time around, as I did it going into a weekend, which I wouldn’t advise). However, overall, it definitely felt easier than some others I had completed. One thing I do love about it as a busy mom on the go, I can reach for a juice and go when I’m hungry. I don’t have to cook, at least for me! So it is a timesaver.
During the cleanse, I definitely felt some flu-like symtoms, but nothing I couldn’t combat with lots of water (water flushes the toxins out, so it is very important you are drinking often). My symptoms were some chills on day one, followed by a headache and some nausea on day two, followed by more chills on day three along with feeling really tired. Then, on day two, post cleanse, I felt so much energy. It was like I drank a bunch of caffiene without all the side effects (I don’t drink caffeine, only decaf for me, please).
So here I am day, three post cleanse and still slowly introducing things back into my diet and feeling great. Some other notable benefits have been; better mental clarity (feeling more focused and less ADD haha), less bloat, less cravings and my skin looks like it’s glowing. Also, just the feeling of accomplishment when completing a goal is wonderful in itself – right?
Moving forward, I will continue to go dairy-free in most cases (this is something I continued to incorporate after my last cleanse). After figuring out what I like and what works for me, I’ve landed on oat milk for my coffee and almond milk for my cereal, smoothies, etc. If I have dairy, I would choose goat, not cow (it’s better for you for various reasons – check out this blog post by Wake the Wolves for more info or just google yourself).
I will also conitnue to cut back on gluten, but when I do eat it will be in the form of whole grains (which is what I have always done for the most part, until I became addicted to homemade bread, now I am back to only eating Ezekiel bread for the most part). I will say no to processed meats, which is an easy one for me, as I never really liked or ate them, since they are bad, bad, bad (although I did have the odd craving for a hotdog back in the day – I’m okay with letting that go). Also, a big one is cutting back on sugar in the form of sweets (currently doing a 21 day sweet fast that I began during my juice cleanse).
Basically, I am going to try stick to whole foods and eat at restaurants less. I realize he latter is a big one for me, being a foodie who enjoys dining out. Also, considering we own a restaurant. However, I am realizing I feel much better when I cook my own food. ( Also, to those wondering, we haven’t sold our restaurant and not 100% sure we will, yet).
But back to the juice cleanse…I lost about 4 pounds this time. Last time it was closer to 6. I don’t do it for the weight loss though. I just know you will all wonder! I wont lie tho, it is a bit of a bonus. However, I do it for the longterm effects. I do it to reset my body and my eating habits. I love cleanses becaue they help me get back on track after I wander or have an over-indulgent few weeks or months (like christams or vacations).
The juice cleanse I went with both times was by Pulp & Press. They do a great job selecting juices for a cleanse that made me feel satisfied, however, after having a quite serious incident with them and receiving terrible customer service, I would unfortuantely not reccomend them to anyone. I pride myself on being authentic and organic in my experiences and that is unfortuantly sharing the bad (which I hate to do, as I really dislike negativity).
There are a lot of other juice cleanses you can check out, however, if you don’t have a juicer in your own home (or if you’re just like me and have a juicer, but too busy to configure a cleanse). Many cities have local businesses that offer cold pressed juices. We do not, where I live, as far as I know. So if you’re like me and need to order, there is another brand that ships in Canada and it’s called Total Cleanse. They let you choose how many days you would like to purcahse and lots of different specified options. The three day cleanse is basically the same price as the one I did by Pulp & Press (right down to the shipping rates). So next time, I will try that one and let you know (or if you tried it, you tell me).
Have you done a juice cleanse before? If so, what did you love or hate about it? Would you do one again? If you have any specific questions, comment below or send me an email. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful rest of your week!
