My 3 Day Juice Cleanse

I've been talking about doing a juice cleanse for basically the last three years so after my past few weeks of super unhealthy eating and minimal working out I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I went with the Cleanse 2 Program from Pressed Juicery.

I was kind of terrified because I'd never done a cleanse before, and I usually have zero self control. Thankfully my roommate and I went out for Mexican food, margaritas, and fro-yo the night before so I satisfied those cravings pre-cleanse. Although who am I kidding?!? I could probably eat Mexican food every day and never get sick of it. Honestly, I think one major factor in my dedication to stick to the program was the cost. The cleanse isn't cheap ($199 for three days of juices plus an additional $10 if you want chlorophyll water and aloe vera water each day) so I felt like I had to keep at it. No cheating.

My juice cleanse arrived Thursday morning, but I'd already left for work so I was stuck cleansing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (which probably worked out in my favor since I tend to eat horribly on the weekends anyways). The juice is 100% raw and unpasteurized so it only has a three day shelf life. Otherwise I would have been tempted to hold out until Monday to begin the cleanse.

The cleanse consisted of six juices (2 greens, 2 citrus, 1 root, and 1 almond milk). I had the first juice (a green) right after waking up, and then subsequent juices about 2 hours apart for the remainder of the day. With this cleanse there was also a chlorophyll water that I could drink at leisure throughout the day and an aloe vera water to drink an hour before bed. All of the juices were pretty good with the exception of Roots. It really did taste like, well, roots. Not a fan. Although to be fair, I went back and looked at the Pressed Juicery website, and I'm pretty sure I chose the worst of the root drinks. There are four different options, and I chose the one with beet, carrot, kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, and celery. As a kid I loved beets (weird I know) so I picked one that included them, but the next time I do a cleanse (yes there will be a next time) I think I will pick one of the other options that has some fruit in it. Let me tell you, the sixth drink, the one with almond milk, is like heaven in a bottle. So delish! After drinking juices all day I could not wait for this drink each night!

I'm not gonna lie. Day 1 was rough. It wasn't so much that I was hungry, but I had a horrible headache from the lack of caffeine. I always drink a cup of coffee in the morning (which is a travel mug so it is probably more like 2-3 cups), and I have a Diet Cherry Coke in the afternoon. I was running extremely low on energy the first day. By midday I was feeling a wee bit shaky, but I think that could have partially been a mental thing. I also volunteered to bake a cake and cake pops Friday night, and let me tell you, baking while doing a juice cleanse is torture. It tested my self control to the extreme, but I'm kind of proud of myself for making it through!

Day 2 was much easier. No headaches, no shakiness, and more energy. I was done with the baking thank goodness, and the only real temptation I had was a trip to Trader Joe's with my mom and sister. They did torture me on the way home by opening a bag of cinnamon sugar pita chips which are my absolute weakness, but I resisted. Day 3 was smooth sailing since the finish line was within sight.

Overall, I found this cleanse very rewarding. It was a great way to kick start my healthy eating, and to prove to myself that I do have some self control. Not to mention, losing a few lbs is always a pleasant side effect. At the end of Day 3 I really did feel energized, and hopefully my system is more "balanced" now. I would highly suggest this cleanse to anyone who has been contemplating one...just make sure you don't get Roots 1! Now if only I could get my butt in gear and get back to the gym on a regular basis! That will be my goal for this week! ;)

Linking up with Ashley over at The Domestic Wannabe for her Move it Monday post!