Cleanses

Cleanses have always intrigued me.  The idea of giving your body a break from processed foods is very attractive to me.  This past weekend was my bachelorette party, which consisted of a great deal of indulging.  I knew that after the bachelorette I wanted to do some sort of cleanse, so this morning I started the Women's Health Look Better Naked Two Day Cleanse.

Basically, the cleanse consists of a smoothie for breakfast, two meals of lean protein and veggies and two snacks of veggies.  The smoothie this morning was yummy, and I love fresh vegetables and steamed spinach, so this is a very doable cleanse for me.  For my proteins, I'm going to be having baked chicken breast and baked salmon (although, yes, I know salmon is fairly fatty).

This past December, I was at the heaviest I had ever been in my entire life.  I felt disgusting after an overindulgent holiday season, and I wanted to try a cleanse simply to jump start my eating habits.  I did a green smoothie/juice cleanse in which I made all the green smoothies.  After one day of the smoothies, I felt physically ill.  I also was eating raw nuts and chicken, but my body was not happy.  Many advocates of cleanses say that these feelings are normal and that it is your body 'detoxing,' which I disagree with.   

The next day, I felt even worse.  I had a horrible headache and extreme nausea.  I attempted to drink a smoothie in the morning, but the nausea mixed with hunger pangs were killer.  I finally had to eat a toasted whole wheat waffle (which is what I always eat when I have an upset stomach), and it helped some.  Even the smell of the smoothie made me feel sick.

By the third day, I felt a little better, but it took a good 5 days for me to feel back to normal.  I'm not opposed to doing another three day juice cleanse, but I would definitely order it from a company such as blue print  or cooler cleanse.  I would also eat the 'cheat' foods that they allow.   

I ended up losing about 5 pounds (mostly water weight I'm sure) that first week and have since lost 15.  Although torturous, the cleanse was a perfect way to jump healthy eating habits for me, which is why I would do it again.  

I will update everyone on the progress of the Women's Health Cleanse this week!  So far, so good!