Made it Through (the Juice Cleanse)

It's over!  Which means, no more of this:

Personal Pic

... at least till the end of April because I've decided to do another cleanse.

I'm not going to say it was easy because it wasn't.  But, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected.  After the first day, things were pretty straight forward.  No real surprises.

So, what can you expect during a BluePrintCleanse?  I'll try to answer some of the questions I would have asked someone who'd done the cleanse before I had.

Were you hungry?

Eh.  A bit, sometimes.  But, it wasn't that bad.  Plus, the schedule for drinking juices isn't set in stone; it's flexible.  So, when I was hungry, I drank my juices a little earlier than I had planned.  The only time I was really craving food was on the last day, was when my co-workers all got fish sammies for lunch.  They (the sammies, not my co-workers) smelled SO GOOD!  I don't even really like fried fish, but the smell was amazing.  But, I got through it.

Did you have to go to the bathroom a lot?

Yes.  Drinking over a gallon of fluid a day will do that.  So, there were lots more trips.  But, the bathroom part that people tend to worry about (shall we say "number two") wasn't a problem.  The only stomach rumbles I got were after the last drink each night.  I have to assume that the fat in that drink, since it's the only fat I was getting, had something to do with it.

Did you feel enlightened?

No.  I felt happy, much happier than I (and my fiance/co-workers/everyone I know) expected.  I didn't feel like I reached any sort of new level of universal understanding; maybe I should have been doing more meditating?

Did you cheat?

No

Seriously, not at all?

Nope.  I am happy to say that I did not ingest anything I wasn't supposed to throughout the three day cleanse.  Juices, water and one lone mug of herbal tea (I found that the idea of more liquid was just not very appetizing), that's all I had.  I didn't even need to resort to the "cheat sheet" items, like cucumbers or vegetable broth.

Did you like the juices?

Yes, for the most part.  They definitely took some getting used to.  My favorites were the Pineapple, Apple Mint juice and the Cashew Nut Milk.  My least favorite was the Carrot, Apple, Beet juice.  I'm thinking that I may go up a level next time, to the Foundation level, which would eliminate the CAB.  (The weird thing is that I like beets.  So, if you don't, there is probably even less chance of you liking this juice.)

Would you do it again?

Yep.  In April.

Any recommendations for someone doing this for the first time?

1. Try to follow the pre-cleanse instructions.  Cut out dairy, sugar, meat and caffeine starting three days before the juicing starts.  I definitely think that this is what made the actual days of juicing easier.

2. Don't take it too seriously.  It's juice.  It's only a couple days of your life.  It will be over before you know it.

3. Stay busy.  I only really thought about the fact that I wasn't eating when I was bored, which is when I'm usually snacking.

Did you lose weight?

Yes, six pounds.  I'm not sure if it will all stay off, but I'm going to try my best. Plus, in the days since ending, I haven't been very hungry.  *fingers crossed*

If you're thinking about trying a juice cleanse, BluePrint or another company's, what other questions do you have?

Day One of the Cleanse

Over the weekend, I wrote about my upcoming juice cleanse.  And, I am now in the thick of it.

I haven't had coffee since Sunday morning (it's Wednesday!), I haven't chewed anything all day and I feel surprisingly good.  Sure, I may have almost passed out in the shower, but that's getting ahead of myself...

I woke up late this morning because I had a dentist appointment.  I was hungry!  Seriously hungry.  Which is very odd for me.  I have a routine of coffee on the way to work and breakfast at the office.  I chalk my hunger up to running later than normal.  I drank the suggested hot water with lemon juice and felt much better.  I made it through the dentist appointment and to the office without too many stomach grumbles.

And, once I got to the office, the juicing began.

10:00 a.m. - Juice #1.  Ah, the famous Green Juice.  The first sip was awful but I got used to it after a few more.  Not bad, not great.

12:30 p.m. - Juice #2 - Pineapple, Apple, Mint.  I wasn't really hungry yet; I just felt like I needed to drink it when the co-workers started eating lunch and I wanted to stay on track time-wise.  Amazing!  This juice is delicious.  It's refreshing and has the perfect level of sweetness.  Yum.

3:00 p.m. - Juice #3 - More Green Juice.  I was feeling a bit hungry.  This tasted a bit better than the first on but it's still a bit weird. It's not bad, just strange.  It definitely tastes green.

4:30 p.m. - Juice #4 - Spicy Lemonade.  This was a bit spicier than I expected.  Like the green juice, it got better as I kept drinking, but the first sip was a bit overwhelming.

5:20 p.m. - Exercise: 20 minutes on the treadmill (doing intervals) and 20 minutes on the elliptical.  About 30 minutes in, exhaustion hits.  I feel sweatier than normal; even my hands are slick.  I finish my workout and head to the shower.  I decide to do two things that will hopefully substitute for suggestions on the BPC site: leave the exhaust fan off in order to create a very steamy room and use a body scrub to exfoliate.  Just as I was getting ready to rinse off the scrub, I had to turn off the water and sit down.  I felt extremely light headed and needed a few minutes to catch my breath.  Eventually, I was able to finish my shower.  Afterwards, I laid down for a few minutes and felt better.  Weird.

6:30 p.m. - Juice #5 - Carrot, Apple, Beet.  Ick!  Tastes like dirt.  Those are my first thoughts.  It does get better...  Are we noticing a trend?

8:00 p.m. - Juice #6 - Cashew Nut Milk.  I needed to get this one down so that I could have two hours before bed.  And, I was super excited to finally get to try the one juice that is universally loved.  Everyone is right about this.  It is sweet and satisfying.  A perfect end to a day of juice.

10:00 p.m. - Bed!  I'm also super excited for this part.  I'm exhausted!

Anyone out there done the BPC before?  How did it go?  Any advice for making it through?

Preparing for a Cleanse (of the Juice Variety)

I'm going to start a juice cleanse on Wednesday, a BluePrintCleanse to be more specific.  (Their Renovation cleanse to be even more specific.)

Renovation Cleanse from BluePrintCleanse

This is their "gateway" cleanse and I'm super excited to start.  I've been reading a lot of online reviews and it seems like a great way to get a jump start on healthy eating.  It'll give my body a reset of sorts.

Everyone I've told thinks I'm nuts; and, the guys at work are planning to plot my mood over the week (they're very supportive/helpful of any odd endeavor - that's a slight dose of sarcasm for you).  But, honestly, I don't think this will be super difficult.  I've done a number of fasts over the years, they kind where I'd eat nothing and drink only water and herbal tea.  Now, that was a difficult way to detox, IMO.

So, today, after my waffle breakfast (it was the FI's last morning in town before his first of three work travel weeks), I've been trying to cut out some of the items they suggest: caffeine, meat, dairy, sugar.  I made fish with a bit of brown rice for lunch and am planning on a vegetable and fruit filled dinner.

Tomorrow may be a bit more difficult, as I'm going to attempt to go without my morning coffee.  This will probably lead to a withdrawal headache, as I have a serious caffeine addiction.  But, I figure that I can get through with a bit of tea if it becomes super necessary.  As long as I am ready to go without by Wednesday, I think I'll be okay. 

It seems like just preparing for the cleanse will get me a head start on the healthy life path (and, hopefully, a little bit of weight loss).

I'll add more thoughts and my review once I get underway with the drinking of all the juices.

Have you tried the BluePrintCleanse?  Any of the other ones out there?  Or, maybe made your own juices?  If so, was it awful?  Or, was it an ok experience that you'd recommend to others?