I have a goal this year to drop from 198 to 188. At 188, I feel better, my clothes fit a bit better, and I’m generally overall happier. To kick-start the year right, I ordered a 3-day juice cleanse from Catalyst Cleanse – a juicing company on the east coast. Honestly, I can’t remember how I found them, but during the process of getting the juices for the cleanse, I had a chance to converse with one of the owners – and they were really pleasant.
The juices arrived via Fed Ex and the fridge was stacked with wholesome goodness.
Being the curious guy that I am, I wish the bottles displayed the calorie intake of each juice. I couldn’t find it on the site or in the pamphlets included. I ordered one set of juices for myself and one for Michelle, but as I got to thinking about it, it didn’t make sense that we drank the same amount. Shouldn’t I have more calories just due to the fact that I weigh a lot more than her?
Anyway, the ingredients are all raw, organic, and in it’s purest form. I was looking forward to eating/drinking that way for a few days.
Juice Cleanse: Day 1
I grab an espresso and I’m in the gym at 6:00 am like normal. Do 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. (Note, the cleanse says no caffeine… um, no – that’s not an option).
Drink the first of six daily cleanse juices at 7:50 AM
9:30 – definite hunger pangs. Not intense, but my belly knows it’s time to eat again. I drink the second juice. This one’s lemon flavored with a cayenne pepper kick. No lie – I somehow feel the cayenne burn in my eyelid. Weird.
By 11:00 am – my body is buzzing. Kind of like a big-ass caffeine jolt. I tingle in my hands and cheeks. I feel like I want to eat, but I can’t tell whether I’m actually hungry, or if it’s more that I’m in the habit of eating at this time. I want to grab something to munch on, but I don’t.
By 2:00 pm, I feel like I’ve gotten into a rhythm. My anxiousness to eat food has subsided. I pop open my next drink and drink it over the course of an hour, instead of 10 minutes (which is what I did last time).
4:00 – Grrrr – My company has their all hands meeting – complete with MEXICAN FOOD. I avoided it.
6:30 – I’m still at work and now finding it hard to concentrate – part hunger, part weirdness – body adapting, I guess. I left my last juice at home, so I’m going to shut down and go home.
Juice Cleanse: Day 2
6:00 AM – Back in the gym. I don’t have as much energy as I’m used to. About half way through, I’m outta gas. That being said, however, my workouts have been switched up and are pretty intense. Ready for some calories.
11:00 AM – I feel weaker today. My body is buzzing again, like yesterday. Concentration is good. Just feel weak.
3:00 PM – I am grumpy, disturbed, nauseous, and feel nervous. Certainly can tell there is a reaction in my body. I really want solid food right now.
4:30 PM – The grumpiness has subsided. I’m back at full speed.
Later tonight, we went to the movies and saw Life of Pi (good movie, by the way). It’s interesting and insightful for me to be aware of my habit cues that lead me to eat. For instance,as I’m walking to my seat, my habit ritual kicked in: “of course, you’re supposed to get something to much on – and a diet coke”. By becoming aware of the habit, I was able to then decide not to follow it. The habits we form – from eating, to how we treat family, to what we do after work each night – are all part of a neural network that we get into. It’s really valuable to be aware of these habits and to question whether they are doing us good.
(Side Note: I just finished a great book on the topic of breaking your routine called The Power of Habit. I recommend it highly.)
Jucie Cleanse: Day 3
Since I haven’t drank alcohol for a while, I was in bed early last night and got up – on a Saturday – at 6:30 AM ready for the gym. This was my grueling long-ass workout I’ve been doing since the beginning of the year, so I knew I needed a bit extra.
Before the gym, I had my first juice, coupled with a “Protein to Go” – which is a small shot of 28g of liquid protein – that way my body is still just digesting liquids. It certainly helped.
8:00 AM – I made it almost through the entire workout. At the end, I was certainly spent. After the last set of box jumps, I got light-headed and my body got cold. I could feel every little drop of sweat on my body like a cold shower. Yep – that was enough for today.
Noon – Hungry. I want to punch someone.
6:00 PM – Finished my last juice of my 3-day juice cleanse. I can smell VICTORY! Going to weigh myself in the morning.
Results
When I started, I weighed 198. On the morning after my cleanse, I weighed in at 194.4 lbs – a difference of 3.6 pounds in 3 days. More importantly, I became aware of all the snacking I normally do during the day and understood why I had been struggling to drop the weight I wanted to. All of those extra calories here and there added up.
So, I’m going to commit to a few things:
- Finish eating by 7:00 pm
- Never finish my plate (as I was taught to do).
- Substitute a couple meals for shakes or juices.
- Refuse to develop the snacking habit.
How About You?
Have you done a juice cleanse? What did you think? Leave your comments below.