HOW TO PREP FOR A JUICE CLEANSE

If any of you all are like me you might have cheated a little on your diets by now.  At least twice a year I decide to do a 2-day juice cleanse.  A cleanse where I don't eat any solid foods.  After a couple years of partaking in juice fast I now have a system in place to prep, and today I am going to share with you just incase you are thinking of partaking in a juice fast regardless of the length of the fast.  So sit back enjoy these gems and happy fasting!

Okay, a couple days before I begin my fast I change my eating habits and I increase my water intake drastically, as well as cutting out caffeinated teas, coffee and alcohol.  I consume even more veggies than normal salads and soups.  I also eliminate processed, and rich foods (steaks, potato's, fried foods, etc).

I have had friends reach out to me about juice cleansing and I have provided my honest opinion. I love them, but they are not easy. If it is something you think you want to try just go for it! Start small if you have to. Opt for a 1/2 day cleanse, a 1-day cleanse, or if you are anything like me jump right into a 3-day cleanse and experience every possible emotion and wonder why you did this to yourself. Regardless, of where you are if it is something you are considering try it! Ive had friends ask me about cheat meals while fasting and I told them eating cheat meals defeats the purpose however, if you are interested in fasting but you fear you will cave it is ok to eat raw fruits and veggies. The reason I am saying this is okay is due to the fact that a juice cleanse is only cold pressed fruits and vegetables, BUT consume the raw fruits and veggies ONLY if your stomach is in kungfu panda mode and you are on the brink of cheating. Steam veggies, no seasoning, eat an apple, orange, crunch on some celery (no almond butter or peanut butter) you catch my drift will be okay, and also not every meal only when you are on the brink.  While I have never caved I have had friends that have and they still saw results!

During the fast:

I like to wake up early and get my day started.  Since there are typically 6 juices that you need to consume in a day I like to have my first juice around 10am and about every two hours until finished for the day and I will typically finish around 8pm.  Now by no means is this going to be easy especially when we are all in the house due to stay at home orders however, when you get that stomach pain in between drinking one of your juices it is okay to drink distilled water.  If you don't have distilled water normal water is fine as well. 

I will admit that you will relieve yourself a lot during the fast as you are consuming a lot of liquid. Also, feel free to exercise during your fast, light exercise is okay.  Me personally I choose not to anymore.  I decided to go to a HITT class the morning after completing a juice fast in the past and lets just say I fainted and didn’t finish the workout. 

After a fast you need to slowly reintroduce solid foods and intense exercise into your diet and not all at once.  Just trust me, every way to mess up after a fast I have done it.  I typically go back to solid meals however, just smaller portions so instead of a large or normal size I will opt for kids size portions and this works just fine with me.  We are all different and we need to all listen to our bodies.  If jumping back into solid foods with a steak is your prerogative then go for it, but if you are like me start with smaller portions and less dense options. I opt for boneless skinless chicken thighs or salmon.

If you can last the entire fast and complete it right you will lose water weight naturally.  The last time I completed a fast I lost 6lbs in 2 days and I kept it off so there are some great perks but you don't want to finish a juice fast and then eat bad it defeats the purpose of fasting. Also a juice cleanse is expensive, so if this isn’t something you are serious about I wouldn’t advice it.

Outcome: 

My overall outcome is to detox my body of the not so healthy food choices I have recently consumed, I am also using this fast to de-bloat, and increase my energy.  Like previously stated this is not my first juice fast however, this is my first fast in which I will be in the house the entire time so this will be heavy on my mental. I have completed fast during a busy week, and I have also completed fast over the weekend. I prefer completing fast over the weekend as I am typically out and about and not thinking about food, so completing a fast on the move is easier for me. Due to the stay at home orders however, this is going to be a tad bit challenging not going to lie. To ease some of the temptation I purposely didn’t go grocery shopping this week that way I won’t be tempted when hunger strikes. I will update you all with a post once I start to keep you in the loop with the ups and downs of this 2 day fast. 

I am nervous excited, this is my first fast in which I will be completing with a friend.  So this is my first social distance juice fast, but knowing that I am not alone is comforting.  This is also a new fast with a different brand, so I will also provide an honest review of the company and quality of the juice, so be on the lookout for that.  Now I love love love Arden’s Garden however, I told you all I was eating pretty bad and a cleanse was needed ASAP. I was open to trying a different brand as this is a brand that is easily assessable I can go pick this up from my local Whole Foods if I want. Where as Ardens Garden is located in Atlanta or they do ship nationwide but, since this fast is outside of my normal twice a year fast it wasn’t planned, and I didn’t have time to order my normal cleanse. This is also a brand my friend recommended so I said why not. In the meantime I am gearing up to modify my eating habits until my juices arrive in a few days.

Update:

Juices have arrived, andI have decided to do a 1/2 day citrus cleanse as well bringing my cleanse to 2 1/2 days and I am starting today. Wish me Luck!

XoXo,

Amber