That One Time the Reeds Decided to Do a Juice Cleanse

Key word: the ONE time. There won't be another.

Last week, Thomas and I completed a 3-day juice cleanse. Well... a 2.83-day juice cleanse. More on that later.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we only drank our meals, six juices every day. It was a challenge, I tell ya!!

We've been on Weight Watchers and experienced great results since starting back in early 2012. But post-wedding, I gained a little more weight back than I would have hoped. What can I say? We're foodies.

When I heard a radio commercial for the Skinny Limits juice cleanse, I thought it would be a great way to kick start a healthy way of life, rather than yo-yo dieting. And if I lost a few L-bees in the process, that would be cool too. I looked into it and they had amazing reviews on their website/Yelp, so I was pretty excited about giving it a try.

I thought convincing Thomas to do it with me would be a challenge...

"Babe, what would you think about maaaaaybe doing a juice cleanse?" *holding breath, because heaven knows I'm not doing it alone*

*smiles* "I think it could be kinda cool. I've actually been wanting to do one!"

Well, that was easy!

We ordered the juices straight from their website and Thomas picked them up on Monday afternoon {they also ship nationwide}. They took up half of our fridge! That was one huge plus to paying for this juice program. We don't own a juicer {those can be pricey} and I imagine that making six juices a day could get messy and time consuming.


Here's the breakdown of what we ingested last week:
  1. Juice #1, 3 and 5 - kale, spinach, parsley, cucumber, apple, and lemon {only wish I could have tasted more of the apple, tasted like drinking a salad}
  2. Juice #2, "Balance" - same as above, with ginger added {blechhh, our least favorite}
  3. Juice #4, "Scorpion Lemonade" - lemons, agave nectar, cayenne and filtered water {refreshing lemonade, a nice break from your greens, can't really taste the cayenne pepper, it just makes your tongue tingle a bit}
  4. Juice #6, "Crescent Moon" - raw cashews, vanilla bean, coconut oil, cinnamon, agave nectar, Himalayan sea salt and filtered water {the bombdotcom!}
  5. Lots and LOTS of H20. Gotta get those toxins out of your body, or else you're going to feel pretty sick. I also had several mugs of hot decaf tea every day.
Day One was reaaaaally hard. By the time we got off work, Thomas and I were very grumpy, had headaches, and just wanted to eat REAL FOOD. We each took detox baths that night {lots of epsom salt and hot water} which helped us to feel better from the symptoms of detoxing. And we may have broke down a little and had two carrot sticks each, just to feel like we were chewing something. They recommend not eating solid food because it slows down the detox process, but to eat raw fruits and veggies if you absolutely have to eat. I will say, the "dessert" juice makes everything worth it! It's HEAVENLY.

Day Two was a lot easier. That morning, we just kept thinking, "we're almost halfway done." By the end of the day: "just one more day!" Though it was an easier day overall, the green juices became more and more difficult to drink - heck, you drink FOUR of them a day! I never really enjoyed drinking them even on day one, but on day two, they kind of made me gag. Definitely had to hold my breath so I couldn't really taste it as I sipped it quickly through a straw. We lived for that yummy cashew milk before bed, that's for sure!

Day Three was probably the easiest, at least for the first three-fourths of the day. It felt so good to have two days behind us! We were looking forward to the weekend even more than usual because we knew what tasty food awaited us. But y'all, those "greens," the thought of them, the smell of them, everything about them made me want to yak. And that's exactly why when I started to feel nauseous and shaky after work, Thomas and I looked at each other and said "let's eaaaaaat!" Instead of our final green juice, we made a quick trip to the grocery store and made lean baked chicken with steamed green beans for dinner. There was much rejoicing. But yes, we did have our last "Crescent Moon," which is how we calculated our 2.83-day accomplishment, by completing five sixths of day three.

When I posted the above photo to Instagram last Monday night, many of you commented, "let me know how it is, I've been wanting to try one!"

My advice?

Do it.

I know that may seem silly after reading of our cleansing woes. But it was something we're definitely glad we did!

We feel like accomplished, healthier people. We challenged ourselves to do something really, really difficult and succeeded. We're more aware of when we're truly hungry, and when we just feel the need to eat {boredom, habit, social settings, etc}. I think our stomachs even shrank a bit! And, drumroll please... we both lost FOUR POUNDS! 

Thomas and I love to eat, to try new recipes and visit new restaurants, but after this juice cleanse I think we view food a bit differently. Next time we decide to "cleanse," however, we may just stick to a raw diet for several days, but still allow ourselves the luxury of solid food.

I'd maybe suggest stopping by Skinny Limits before you start a program so you can taste the green juices and see what you think. If you love a challenge, maybe you want to try the six- or nine-day juice cleanse. I think it's something everyone should try, even if just once in your life {hey, we're in that club. Always open to new members!}. We couldn't have done it any longer than three days!

Skinny Limits, thanks for the experience! We'll probably be back just for the Crescent Moon drink as a treat on a hot summer day, and hope to come try some of your other menu {read: FOOD} options soon.

If you have general questions about juice cleansing, check out Skinny Limit's FAQ page. They're the experts. As for our personal juicing experience - ask away!

Comments

  1. gag! I don't think I could do it. Poor Scott tried doing it and only lasted one day(juicing on his own). I definitely think it would be easier to do it with each other... I'll have to check out the skinny limits. I don't think I could get over not having solid food though.

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  2. Stopping by from Kelly's Korner!
    -Priscilla
    www.gracefullyrefreshed.com

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