It is no secret that I love food. However, have you ever hit one of those weeks where you just feel out of balance, kind of slow and icky? Not sick but not feeling great either. I'd been playing with the idea of doing some kind of cleanse for a month or so, but wasn't ready to commit to an extreme one for 30 days or more. I also didn't want to try one that relied on manufactured ingredients and powders to "cleanse" my system.
I did want to find a way to kind of get back on track nutritionally and give my self control the kick in the pants it needed. I've been working out consistently with DailyBurn (no, this is not a paid endorsement!) and I love it but lately I haven't been getting the results I want and I know its because I have relaxed my control over my eating. I'm not a fan of "dieting", mostly because I know its not something I can keep up with long-term, but over the past year I've been focusing on eating healthier, whole foods, less processed and sugary items and adding in more veggies, especially greens. I noticed a difference in my waistline as well as my overall health, so who doesn't love that?
Still, over the past month or so I've let my self-control lag. I've been lazy when it comes to planning lunches for myself and that has led to really stupid snacking habits. The biggest benefit of the cleanse I did this week was that I feel like I got my snacking under control. Hear hear for mind over matter!
I came across this cleanse and really liked the idea. Who can't stick to a cleanse for just 3 days? Plus it was full of veggies and fruits and I like smoothies, so why not?
Click Here For Info on the 3-Day Cleanse
I gave it a try starting on Sunday this week and made it just 2 days. Honestly, it wasn't any type of craving that made me stop, it was the pain in my stomach. That lunch smoothie took a toll on my insides and I just couldn't keep it up. By the 2nd day I could only drink 1/2 of the lunch and 1/2 of the dinner smoothie and I just felt too awful to continue. I decided to throw in the towel and start eating whole foods again this morning.
I did wake up feeling ok and decided to weigh in and see what 2 days on the cleanse did...I lost 4.5 pounds! Holy crap. Still, this morning I had wholegrain oatmeal, blueberries and some almondmilk for breakfast and am on my 3rd glass of water. Feeling good and re-energized!
The one thing on the cleanse I didn't do was take a probiotic. I'm wondering if taking it would have eased the stomach pain and nausea I had, but I've never tried taking one before and was concerned about starting to take one while on the cleanse. If I try this again I'll probably ask my doctor for a recommendation and start taking one regularly before starting the cleanse again, just to ease my system into it.
No lie, the lunch drink was the worst for me. It was a little better the second day, I decreased the amount of celery and chopped everything really fine before tossing it in the blender so it was smoother. Chilling the drinks is the best idea too, because I found that I could more easily drink the one I wasn't a huge fan of if it was icy cold.
The dinner drink was my favorite, I love the combination of the mango and blueberries and the avocado made it really creamy. I'll probably use it on its own as a breakfast or lunch on days when I want to amp up my nutrition.
I made a few subsitutions to the cleanse ingredients: I used spinach for everything instead of kale, which is harder for me to digest. I also used sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter, purely because it cost 1/2 the amount at my grocery store and has similar health benefits.
I'd definitely encourage just about anyone to give this smoothie-based cleanse a try. Even if you only make it a day or two it can really be a great boost to get you back on track nutritionally. The weight loss is a nice side benefit too! I honestly never felt hungry while doing the cleanse either, definitely because the drinks were packed with fiber and whole fruits and veggies, not to mention good fats like the coconut oil and flax seed.
Don't worry, I'll be back later this week to celebrate another Friday Pie Day with you. There's no way a smoothie is coming anywhere near me for at least a few weeks!
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