Pregame
I gained 20 pounds in college. I don’t think I need to explain the unhealthy eating habits that easily became me. Something that I also noticed within my freshmen and sophomore years is the more and more I studied, the less I went to uhh “party”, and the less I felt the pressure to “look good”. Not to sound vain, but it’s true, less skimpy clothes and more sweat pants gave me a lot more room to uhh… inflate. I think it’s fine that my priorities had shifted from health to education, but now that that’s over with. I’m shifting back!
I used to be so into health and fitness in high school, there were days when I would run 6 miles and then play 4 hours of tennis. Cross country and Hot Yoga were so extreme that what I put into my body directly affected my performance the next day. I think anyone who has exercised daily, or partook in a sport can relate to that direct correlation of the quality of input to output.
So these past few weeks that I’ve had off from school has been pretty darn great! I got an unlimited Hot Yoga Groupon. My mom had 2 weeks of free gym passes, and she’s also a huge health nut. You know, all organic, free range, no added salt, oil, etc. So being around her and eating her food has definitely helped.
With this combination, I’ve already lost at most 7 pounds! I say at most because eating/drinking out with friends causes this to fluctuate. Also due to Hot Yoga, some of this weight loss may just be water weight. But, with every day that I go to the gym, or attend a Hot Yoga session, I find myself being able to run longer, push harder, and get stronger. And I have oh so missed those feelings.
The Juice Cleanse
So now, Jan 18 2015, I have decided to do a juice cleanse. It is more of a challenge, than for weight loss. After a bit of research, I chose to do the Evolution 3 day juice cleanse. They’re having a 20% off deal right now, so it ends up being about $26 a day, which for a person that eats out a lot (like I used to), isn’t too bad! You can sort of choose whatever packs you want for each day, they have an easy pack, which is sweeter and I guess better for beginners, a balanced pack which is supposed to be a better nutrient supplement, and a green pack which is exactly what it sounds like, lots of greens. You can also get organic packs, and customize your own packs. Each pack comes with 6 juices, and you’re supposed to drink those 6 juices per day of the cleanse. I decided to go with 2 green packs (because I always loved the green machine from Naked, and I thought it would have less sugar), and one balanced pack, just to mix it up, or balance it out.
Day One - Green Pack
10 AM
I started off with the Essential Greens w/ Lime. Pretty arbitrary choice. They had two non-green juices in this pack, and I thought that a green juice may have more substance. Be warned, this tastes nothing like Naked’s Green Machine. These are cold pressed juices, not smoothies, and there are no fruits in this drink. It’s literally got the viscosity of water. It’s only got 6g of sugar, and I can taste the kale quite well. Overall though, tolerable, and I feel healthy already :).
12:30 PM
A friend from SF was visiting and we went out to lunch at Lot 3… I got a half salad, that may have had way too much blue cheese for a cleanse! I also had a couple of fries (And I really only mean a couple). Over this weekend I also met a bunch of Australian friends that work for Shoes of Prey, and they told me to try an Australian snack, and because it’s the last chance I would be able to do so, I tried it. It was a tim tam cookie. lol. I also drank some green tea in between.
4:00 PM
Most likely due to my earlier feast, I felt hungry and drank a Sweet Greens and Lemon. Which tastes exactly like Sweet Greens with Lime, but perhaps a bit sweeter. It has an apple in it as well, so that would explain it. Refreshing, but not fulfilling.
5:25 PM
Got hungry again, Coconut Water and Greens. I am a big fan of this juice. Much sweeter, but actually with less sugar! (9g) om nom nom nom.
6:30 PM
Hot Yoga Session, prior to this I drank a big glass of water and brought in the Spicy Lemonade juice in with me. My mom partook in the session too! :) It was her first time. She didn’t really get any of the postures right but she never took any breaks. Definitely proud of her. I also thought it was an amazing session, never had such an easy one before! Not sure if it’s because of the juices, but definitely very energized!
8:30 PM
Drank an Essential Greens with Lime for “dinner”
11:30 PM
Planning Asia trip with Thomas… very very hungry right now. omg.
Day 2 - Balance Pack
9:30 AM
Gotta love not having to wake up early :) I started the day off with Organic V because I was kind of over green stuff. The Organic V has carrots, beets, spinach, celery, apple and ginger. The carrot and celery are very bold flavors, not too bad.
2:30 PM
Got my wisdom teeth taken out. But it was so fast! And I don’t think I have any swelling. Job well done Dr. Anderson. I sort of planned this juice cleanse around this, as I have to mainly consume liquids anyways! But as hunger stroke, I had a pesto kale salad and a Sweet Greens and Lemon Juice. I had to very slowly chew on the left side of my mouth, I basically swallowed half of these leaves and tomatoes whole.
For those who don’t know pesto can easily be deliciously made by blending some olive oil, parmesan, and basil together!
4:00 PM
Indulging in a Essential Greens with Lime Juice. meh.
7:30 PM
Had a Ruby Roots juice, very sweet! 25g of sugar and very yummy
8:45 PM
Spicy Lemonade! What a kick! Hiiyah!
11:00 PM
I was a lot more tired today… it might be because I got wisdom teeth taken out or my body needed more fuel.. So, I tried a bit of my brothers protein shake and had a couple slices of smoked salmon. Both of which are probably super bad. Also, to avoid erupting the clot building in my mouth, I am not allowed to do any real exercise… ahhh. So frustrating.
Day 3 - Green Pack
My friend who did the cleanse said that 3 days is the perfect amount. The first day you’re excited, the second day is harder and you just want it to be over with, but already Day 3 appears, and you’ve already made it this far, gotta keep going!
9:30 AM
Started with the Coconut Water with Greens, because I wanted some sugar. Because I can’t actually exercise, I did some 8 minute abs and blogilates. That lady is so darn peppy!
11:00 AM
I had the Essential Greens with Lime
1:00 PM
I had a pretty bad lunch of a small avocado, smoked salmon, and sprinkles of gouda cheese. Gahh I’m so bad at this. Sorry I didn’t take a picture! But I feel a lot better than yesterday! I supplemented lunch with Sweet Greens with Lemon :)
4:00 - 7:00 PM
I had 2 Essential Greens with Lime. I am feeling extremely lethargic. No energy at all. :/ Not sure if it’s the juicing, the wisdom teeth meds, or my lack of exercise, but I am just so tired. Blah. But also! Done! :)
Conclusions
It was cool to challenge myself, but overall I think just eating healthy and working out (duh), are enough. I’m sure my stomach has shrunk and maybe I’ll have better portion control from here on out… but I am going to Asia soon so probably not. lol. Anyways, this cleanse was a little hard to gage due to the whole wisdom tooth thing, but overall, I guess I feel healthier? But I don’t think I’ll be repeating this anytime soon.