To the 500+ friends I have on Facebook, this will not come
as a surprise: I successfully completed a 10-day juice fast (juice cleanse).
What’s even more surprising? I would do it again! Some of you know that I can
be a bit long-winded, so I will offer two versions of my story—the short
version, and the long version. It’s your choice.
Short: I began seeing a chiropractor
in late January who recommended a 10-day juice fast as a means of quickly
eliminating some of the inflammation stored in my body. At first, I laughed and
said, “You mean I can only drink fruit and vegetable juices? I will not be able
to eat FOOD? Are you kidding? Is this a joke?”
I really liked this guy, and, for reasons I hadn’t quite pinpointed yet,
I also trusted his opinion. After nearly
a month of adjustments and acupuncture twice a week, I finally committed to the
juice fast.
I did a decent amount of Internet research before I began my
fast, and there are some really cool companies
that are cropping up that provide the right kinds of products for people who
want to juice fast. My chiropractor said that store bought juices, preferably organic
and preservative free, were a fine choice for someone in my shoes who did not
own a juicer and couldn’t really afford to invest in a good one with my family’s
budget.
The weekend before I had decided to begin my fast, I went to
Whole Foods (for the first time—don’t hate me/discredit me please!) and bought
a shitload of juices. Yes, a shitload is the official terminology on this page—deal
with it. Since I was new to this concept, I bought many different kinds—some
were refrigerated, some were not. Some were smoothies (non-dairy), some were
not. Like I said, this was all new to me, and I had no FRIGGIN’ idea there
would be so many FRIGGIN’ options! It
was one part overwhelming, one part relieving, and one part refreshing to see
such a busy grocery store with so many options I never knew existed.
I began trying to replace meals, one per day, with juices and
smoothies. I found smoothies kept me fuller, but I wasn’t sure that my doctor
would approve since they weren’t technically juices. Luckily, he did approve of
non-dairy smoothies, so I felt more confident that I could at least attempt
this fast. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to make it to day 10. But 3
days was better than 0 days, 5 days better
than 3 days, and so on. Why not give it a try?
I began my juice fast on Tuesday, February 25 and ended it
on Thursday, March 6. I chose to begin my fast while my husband was out of town
on business on purpose for a number of reasons. (He travels a lot, so this wasn’t
a big inconvenience for me.) The biggest test I knew I would face was on Friday,
February 28 (Juice Fast Day 4) when we
would attend a Trivia Night fundraiser for my daughter’s elementary school.
While I did ingest 4 or 5 Jell-O shots (no, these were not officially
sanctioned by my chiropractor), I did not eat food. I drank juice the entire
night—except for the Jell-O shots. There was table full of goodies—2 White Castle
Crave cases, brownies, pretzels, dips, fruit with cream cheese dip, wine
cheese, crackers, etc.—and I didn’t eat a single bite. I lost 10 pounds over those ten days, but, again, that wasn't my main focus. I gauged my inflammation levels on how my ankles felt going up and down the stairs. By day 3, I had no pain or stiffness. I drank lots and lots of water in between all the juices too. Sometimes, I would drink a glass of water when I felt hungry and that would solve my issues. If it didn't, then I would have a juice or smoothie.
Facebook status updates (without comments) from the Juice Fast
Day 1 of my juice
fast is in the books. Let's hope day 2 (tomorrow) is as uneventful (in a good
way) as today was. By the way, carrot juice isn't horrible. Inflammation be
gone!
(Juice Fast Day 2:)
I know that it is WAY too early in this juice fast thing I'm doin' to be saying
this...but...I am already impressed with myself. "They" say that day
3 and 7 are the hardest. Tomorrow is day 3, any and all positive thoughts,
words, and mojo are appreciated.
Juice Fast Day 3:
Woke up feeling better than I can ever remember. Worked out like a boss. Got
more juices, started to get weak and cranky. Went to Tae Kwon Do. Sat at dinner
table with family as they ate and I had a large juice. I survived. Good night.
Juice Fast Day 4:
Today kinda sucked. But...I made it. I'm really surprised at myself.
Juice Fast Day 5:
High highs, low lows. Surprised that I am still awake...not for long. Just keep
swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
Juice Fast Day 6:
Shout out to my hubby (John Hare) who hand squeezed Cuties for me today AND
bought me an Orange Julius smoothie while out and about. He also let me
hibernate in my room because today really sucked as far as fasting goes. I made
it through today because of the support of my husband.
Juice Fast Day 7:
Despite a restless night of children coughing and husbands snoring, I woke up
feeling better than I could have expected. Yes, I'll keep going. Now I need to
figure out how to break this fast in a healthy way...(I want/crave eggs
bad!!!!)
Juice Fast Day 8:
Headaches and lethargy today (after working out). But...the day is over and I
did it. My bed is calling. Nighty night.
(Juice Fast Day 9 Unofficial Status Update): If there is one thing I've learned from this juice fast
(there are many but THIS is the most important)--all those years of tolerating
Jägermeister shots has come in very, very handy when confronted with a
vegetable juice that I know I need to consume but don't want to taste. —
feeling accomplished.
Juice Fast Day 9:
One more day. Just one more day. I wonder if eating actual food will seem
tedious...
Juice Fast Day 10:
Finished! I am equally shocked and proud of myself for being successful. It was
totally worth it! — feeling accomplished.
Juices and smoothies I drank. (Happy face recommendations are similar to stars.)
Odwalla Red
Rhapsody JJJJJ On the sweet side, so drink infrequently. I
often used it as a reward for a good workout.
Odwalla
Original Superfood JJJJJ Good for everyday drinking. I switched it
with other similar juices so I didn’t get sick of it.
Odwalla
Blueberry B JJ
I have never been a fan of blueberries,
so it is pretty amazing that I even tried this smoothie. What’s even more amazing? I finished it AND
gave it more than one smile face.
Naked Green
Machine JJJJJ Good for everyday drinking. I alternated
between this and Odwalla Original Superfood.
Bolthouse
Farms Green Goodness JJJJJ Good for everyday drinking. I alternated this
juice with Odwalla Original Superfood and Naked Green Machine.
Bolthouse
Farms 100% Carrot JJJ It certainly
tastes like carrots. Not really my thing, but if you like carrot juice…then you’ll
love this.
R.W.
Knudsen Simply Nutritious Mega Green J I hate peaches, and this tasted like peaches.
Definitely not my thing. My husband liked it though.
R.W.
Knudsen Simply Nutritious Morning Blend JJJJJ
Awesome. Replace your current, everyday orange juice with this one (or the
Orange Carrot juice below)! Yum!
R.W.
Knudsen Apple--Organic
JJJJ Not the best apple juice I’ve ever had, but
better than many of the alternatives.
R.W.
Knudsen Orange Carrot—Organic JJJJJ Awesome. Replace your current, everyday
orange juice with this one. I could drink this every day! Even my son loves it!
There are more juices, but my strep throat is telling me to stop for now. I will add more when I get a chance.
Long: Still under construction. Will post when
finished. Thanks for your patience.
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