With the start of the new year, we’re all looking for ways to detox and press reset. Whether it’s to drop some holiday weight or break unhealthy habits, a juice cleanse is a great place to start. In the spirit of healthy resolutions, the Fabletics social media team traded solid food for a three-day juice cleanse courtesy of our friends at Suja Juice. Here’s what we experienced:
We chose the 3-day juice cleanse, but 1-, 3-, or 5-day programs are also available. They all include six 16-ounce bottles per day, as well as frozen gel packs for easy portability. We even received preparation guidelines.
THE EASE-IN
To make your transition smoother, we recommended easing in to the juice cleanse by phasing out meat, dairy, wheat and sugar a few days before the cleanse. A few of us skipped this part and paid for it (more on that later).
Abby: I had a hard time scheduling the juices. I brought 4 juices to work (9:00 AM-6:00 PM) and after returning home from my workout at 8:30 PM, I felt it was too late to drink the remaining juices to give myself time to fully digest. I only drank a little bit of the final juice. I also found it difficult to do the 12 Essentials juices twice in a row because of the filling nature of the juice. It was also a somewhat cold day, which made it harder to keep drinking them when all I wanted was something warm. I signed up for an evening workout class and completing the class was not as hard as I thought it would be without eating during the day. When the workout ended, I felt more exhausted than I normally do after a class (this could also be mental/blaming the juice for being tired). Hunger level: I ate a ¼ of an avocado around 5:00 PM to have some added energy for my workout. I also ate a bag of baby carrots once I got home.
Aimee: It’s Day 1 and I’m thinking I CAN do this for 3 days: it’s only a small amount of time in the grand scheme things. Just like I CAN stay in a hot yoga class for an hour and a half or force myself to run rather than walk for a few extra minutes. It feels like a fun little game of competition with myself, and proof that I’m able to achieve what I put my mind to.
Fallon: I started on a Sunday, which in hindsight may have not been the best day. With not much else (other than a little holiday shopping) to occupy my mind, all I could think about all day was that I was depriving myself of food… and coffee! Although I had been skeptical/dreading starting the cleanse, I was pleasantly surprised how good the juices tasted and that they actually did make me feel full. It was also nice that I didn’t have to worry about cooking or going to the grocery store (win)! I felt a bit weak in the evening hours, so I went to bed early to save some energy for work the next day. Day one wasn’t so bad after all, despite a constant case of hiccups!
Melina: I didn’t ease into this cleanse. I don’t eat wheat, meat and limit dairy and sugar, so I thought this would be easy. Not really. Day 1 was rough, but it was all mental. I missed chewing. I snacked on raw cauliflower in between juices. I enjoyed the juices, a few were too sweet for my liking. I started to feel week and lightheaded the last half of the day and decided to skip my PM workout. I was full of liquids and didn’t make it to juice #5 or #6.
Abby: I woke up really hungry, which made me regret not finishing the final juice. However, the juices during the day were very filling, so I was not hungry, but just craving real food. My muscles felt relatively sore despite a normal workout the night before. I found it really hard to concentrate and became somewhat impatient with tedious work. I tried to schedule the juices in a more organized way after learning from the previous day, but I still felt like I was rushing to finish them by the end of the day. By the end of the day, I was very tired and had a headache all day/night. I loved that I didn’t have to worry about planning meals though!
Aimee: While I feel like my food intake is usually in moderation (perhaps with some exceptions for cocktails on the weekends), I started to become hyper aware of what I actually wanted and needed. Is that plate of fudge sitting on my co-worker’s desk really necessary to eat? What’s the point in pouring a glass of wine when I get home from work? Is it just a habit? There were so many temptations, but luckily I had friends who acted as the Juice Cleanse Police and stopped me from cheating.
Fallon: Day 2 was the toughest. I woke up a bit nauseous, however after my first juice, everything seemed to be OK. Later on, I started getting a not-so-pleasant headache that lasted throughout the evening. I wasn’t drinking as much water since I was filling up on juice (which may have been the culprit). Despite my best efforts, I gave in and ate a sweet potato for dinner. BEST SWEET POTATO EVER! I was feeling a little slimmer already, so decided to weight myself (which I hardly ever do). 3lbs down in just two days! This gave me the willpower to go on for one more day.
Melina: I felt rested first thing in the morning and strangely woke up way before my alarm. I was determined to make it through my “bewitching hour” without major cravings. I relied on raw veggies to distract me from my cravings. I too found it difficult to have back-to-back green juices. This was a slower day at work and I spent an unnecessary amount of time wishing this cleanse was over. I actually had energy to work out that evening, I went to yoga and felt great.
Abby: I woke up feeling rested from being so tired the day before; I didn’t feel groggy in the morning and my headache went away. I tried yoga in the morning and felt fine during the class. I don’t usually do yoga, but I felt like I needed to do something active without being too hard on my body. I found it hard to complete the final day on a weekend because I had a lot of social plans which were geared towards food/drinks. It was also hard not having a structured day to keep me distracted.
Aimee: I miss chewing! I want wine! But, I made it to Day 3. The Juice Cleanse Police stopped me from eating the delicious-looking quesadillas, champagne and cake during the myriad office celebrations.
Fallon: With my co-workers’ encouragement “You are glowing!”, I mustered up the strength to get through the morning. I felt much better today, my headache was gone and the countdown was on. With my mind focused on work, the day passed quickly. I did choose to eat an avocado in place of my last juice… because who can resist an avocado, right? I was encouraged by my weight loss the day prior, so I figured I’d weigh myself one more time. YOU GUYS, I lost 5lbs over the three days!
Melina: I felt great on day 3. I was full most of the day, again, so I didn’t make it to the final juice. I was proud that I wasn’t tempted to cheat at a team celebration with yummy quesadillas and champagne! I felt energized and empowered.
Final Thoughts
Abby: I wish I had planned ahead and prepared myself for the cleanse by slowly cutting out things like caffeine as well as finding a better time of the week to do the cleanse. Don’t do the cleanse on a weekend or when you will be socializing. I liked the idea of eating just raw ingredients, it was nice to be mindful of everything I was putting in my body and helped me remember the importance of healthy food. In general, I did not feel drastically different. I noticed I felt fuller than usual, but that did not stop me from craving any type of solid meal.
The difficulties I had: Concentration (shorter attention span), feeling slightly sluggish and feeling really cold/muscle tightness. I enjoyed knowing all of the ingredients I was consuming; the bottles clearly listed the benefits/components of each juice.
Aimee: Overall, I just felt full of liquid and hungry, but I did come to the realization that the juice cleanse made me more mindful. I couldn’t believe how much I think about food and the pleasure of chewing! While I didn’t experience any moments of euphoria, blissful sleep or extra trips to the ladies’ room, my ultimate conclusion of the juice cleanse was that it taught me about willpower and short-term goal setting. I’m going to use this as motivation to approach 2017 – and bigger goals in life!
Fallon: Overall, despite my complaining (sorry co-workers!), it was a good experience and have found it really did help me form healthier habits. I’ve broken my two-cups-a-day coffee addiction, started going to bed a little earlier, and began to be more mindful about what and how much I’m eating. It really puts your willpower to the test and I learned that it’s not the end of the world if I get a little “hangry” once in a while.
Melina: Overall, I loved the cleanse and the timing—just before the holidays. The juices were great; I enjoyed the green juices the most, the others were too sweet for my liking. Completing the cleanse before the holidays allowed me to go into the season with a mindful approach to holiday party eating. It also helped me identify bad habits and my “bewitching hour.” I’m not a breakfast or dinner person, lunch is when I thrive. I could eat nonstop from noon-3:00 PM, so now I have a plan to keep me from mindless eating during that time frame: lean protein, healthy fats and fiber! I encourage you to try Suja’s cleanse, but be sure to have plenty going on in your life to distract you from your desire for solid foods.
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