My First 3 Day Juice Cleanse

Rudie J Jimenez
Jul 20, 2017 · 7 min read

Hellooooo friends!

So, I recently decided to do a 3-day juice cleanse and obviously kept all of my Instagram followers along for the ride (you’re welcome.) I was actually afraid that I was being a tad annoying with all of my juice spam, BUT to my surprise, so many people ended up messaging me, commenting, and asking about it! It is quite time-consuming to explain all of the info with every person individually, (we all know how much of a health nut I am, so obviously I was thrilled and fully prepared for someone to hand me a microphone in order for me to share every single detail) INSTEAD, I decided to write a fun little post and share it with you here! If I’ve missed anything, (not likely) feel free to reach out and I will be happy to answer!! https://www.instagram.com/rudiejay/

Why a 3 Day Juice Cleanse?

I personally decided to do a cleanse because I had been thinking about it for awhile. When someone would bring it up or say that they were doing one, my immediate response was: “Omg I could NEVER do that! I love food too much!” Sound familiar? I decided to put this one to the test (which, in conclusion, turns out I CAN do, I just experience a lot of peanut butter withdrawal, but that’s quite normal for me.)

Another reason I wanted to do a cleanse is because I have struggled with digestion for quite some time. As a result, I am a bit of a health-nut, and clean-eater; I cook all of my own meals, I am super conscious about what I consume, I purchase good-quality produce, I am plant-based, GF, etc. I was frustrated the last few weeks because no matter what I ate, I seemed to be feeling very YUCK (this is the correct scientific term, right?) So I figured this would be a perfect opportunity for a cleanse. It is a great way to reset your system, give digestion a wee little break, and to flush out all the bad stuff! 1 day did not seem like it would be enough, and 3 days seemed bearable. Summer is also a good time to do a cleanse because we tend to need less “heavy” fuel!

Day 1

Day 1 was a-okay. I felt completely fine (probably because I still had leftover “fuel” in my system from the day before. I did not experience any real “hunger” and quite enjoyed all of the juices! My day was consistent: I maintained my usual yoga practice, I taught my usual yoga class, I went to work (which requires a lot of running around and being smiley and friendly.) I slept early and long!

Day 2

Day 2 was a bit trickier (I am told this is the hardest day.) It was weird waking up and NOT going downstairs to make my usual breakfast, and instead grabbing a juice. Felt a bit “emptier” but still no actual hunger. It was more a feeling of missing solid food. (Keep in mind you are still consuming a nutrient-dense diet, with lots of beneficial/yummy things, it’s just not in the form you’re accustomed to!) I usually take a more vigorous yoga class at the end of my Tuesday shift (which happened to be day 2 of my cleanse,) and started to feel a BIT weak (also very possible I was overthinking it, and a bit nervous about sweating in the hot room, working, and doing yoga after only two days of juice) so I had a handful of nuts, and then surprisingly felt totally satiated and good to go for the rest of my evening, even after my yoga practice. Again, I went to bed earlier than usual, and slept long and hard. It was lovely. Woke up feeling rested and totally revived.

Day 3

Hallelujah last day! I definitely started to miss food. But again, I am someone who cooks a lot, and likes to sit and enjoy a good meal with my friends/partner etc. So I missed the entire ritual of preparing and consuming food but I did still feel okay! I managed to get a lot of administrative work done, I felt focused, energized, and no major hunger issues. I maintained my usual work load, lessened my exercise a BIT, but overall did not alter much. I got a little tired of the juices, and less excited to drink them, but I did feel pretty ‘normal.’ I had a hard time falling asleep, probably because I was literally soo excited to wake up and make breakfast…

I DID IT!
I am writing to you on Day 4! Feeling a little tired, definitely hungry for solid food (which I consumed SUPER slowly, mindfully, and made sure to chew, and chew and chew (which helps with digestion!) I drank lots of water, I feel completely good in my body, moved through a regular workout and I am happy to be reunited with my jar of peanut butter.

Overall

I did not have any discomfort or hunger pains. It was more challenging when I was exposed to food or the smell of it. But I maintained my regular days, focused on my usual tasks, and I felt good. I did notice less “brain fog” when doing administrative work and focusing on tasks, but that may also be because a natural side effect of a cleanse is fatigue, and I slept longer and earlier than usual. I was also surprised to discover I did not experience any of my usual “cravings” as I generally do when eating my regular meals. My stomach was happily not bloated or “full-feeling” (which happens when I consume a lot of foods) so that was a great feeling. I craved solid food and eating, but not junk food (so cool.) I would definitely do this again, though I don’t think I’ve quite worked up to anything beyond a 3 day cleanse, though I would still choose a 3 day instead of a 1 day. Lastly, I found I had to remind myself more frequently to drink water! Since I was consuming so much liquid I forgot about water, BUT it’s important to stay super hydrated during a cleanse! Ps- every body is different. My partner did the cleanse with me, and he said he felt pretty much the same except he felt really tired! So just keep in mind your experience may be totally different from mine!

FAQ’S

Q: Did you have to be near the toilet all the time?
A: I did pee about seventeen times a minute, but if you’re asking whether I was pooping uncontrollably, the answer is no.

Q: How much was the cleanse? Where did you purchase it?
A: Pure Kitchen Ottawa is where I purchased my juices. Full information on cleansing and the actual juices/pricing, can be found here: http://www.purekitchenottawa.com/pure-juice-cleanse-brochure.pdf

Q: How did you know when to have your first juice, and the subsequent juices? What if you run out?
A: You start to develop a super simple pace as you go along. It’s kind of neat actually, since you know you only have a set amount per day, you really tune in to how you’re feeling. Are you hungry? Do you feel like your energy is starting to stagger? You have to pay attention, and be mindful, but I found that came fairly naturally. It was not challenging to space them out throughout my day, and by day 3 I realized when my “peak hunger” was, and adjusted the timing between each juice. Very unlikely to “run out of juice” in your day.

Q: Was it hard?
A: I would say it was more a mental challenge than anything. It wasn’t necessarily hard, just not what I’m accustomed to!

Q: Did you lose weight?
A: Weight loss was not an incentive for me to cleanse! I also make it a habit not to actually weigh myself, so I have absolutely no idea.

Final Thoughts:

The most important thing I will say to conclude is that you still have to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. While I am confident anyone can do a cleanse, it is totally at your own discretion. It depends how much you are doing in a day, how active you are, what your diet regularly consists of, your own digestive sensitivities etc. I was in my head a lot at the end of day two when I told myself that if I had a handful of nuts, it would mean that I failed. The reality is that I did not fail because I listened to my body. I did what I thought was best, and didn’t let the obsessive, competitive, mindset risk my overall health. This cleanse is not about “proving a point” or telling everyone you did it perfectly, it’s about your HEALTH. And that will mean something different for everyone. Please please, if you decide to do a cleanse and end up experiencing anything that does not seem right in your body, STOP. It doesn’t make you a quitter or incapable. This was a lesson I learned while doing my cleanse. I am an extremist by nature, so taking a step back and doing what I felt necessary was the most important thing, even though I may have been a bit disappointed and hard on myself about it!

I hope this was helpful and informative! If you’re inspired to do a juice cleanse, I salute you and you can do it! If you’re not, I still salute you and thanks for tagging along!

Till next time friends!

:)

  • RudieJay

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Rudie J Jimenez

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