I made it! I made it through 6 days (my event was in 6 days so I didn’t do the whole 7) of no bread, sugary drinks, processed foods, juice, pasta, cereal, and the list goes on. Read my original post here.
I did the cleanse to lose some of the weight that I have gained while at law school (that wasn’t in the brochure) and because it was Barrister’s this past Friday. I also wanted to jump into a healthier living style where I eat mostly fruits and vegetables and stop snacking on unhealthy foods. Here is a photo after the cleanse:
Overall: I lost about 5 pounds which is not bad for a week. I actually think it could have been more, but I don’t think I ate enough fruits and veggies, and I didn’t eat tomatoes on meat and tomatoes day because I don’t like tomatoes. Instead I substituted fruits and veggies. I did not eat a ton of meat either. I did not eat the soup except for one bowl. It sounded good when I made it, but I just couldn’t motivate myself to eat it.
The positives: Eating non-processed foods really does make you feel much better than eating processed foods, meat, and other non-natural foods. I had more energy throughout the week, it was easy to go to bed, and I just felt healthy. I also saved a lot of money. I wasn’t going to Starbucks, I had to remember my lunch because there aren’t healthy options at most lunch places, especially not just fruits and veggies.
The Cons: I didn’t get to eat a lot of the things I like and I don’t particularly like the taste of fruit. It almost seems like a tradeoff; if you enjoy eating it, it makes you feel worse afterwards, but if you don’t enjoy eating it, you feel better after. When I worked at the mall, almost every Sunday we would all go to McDonalds. I couldn’t resist, the Egg McMuffin is just so good. Afterwards though I would feel sluggish, sleepy, unmotivated, bloated, etc.
In the future: I’m hoping that I will continue to eat healthy and will not gain it back. This was a good starting point that showed me what I am able to accomplish if I have a little self-discipline. I want to eat at least a few servings of fruit as a snack, and maybe some yogurt in the evening. I also need to stop snacking at night. On this plan I didn’t eat anything besides green tea after 7pm. I was a little hungry, but it was not unbearable. I think it made me wake up feeling lighter and I slept better.
I also need to get in the habit of running more often. It seems like I always hit the roadway strong for a month and then I get just a little busier and I stop. I hate building back my endurance every time this happens. I have gotten into strength training a lot so I want to also get on a schedule to lift every night. Bikini season is almost here….
Let me know if you have any questions about the cleanse. I would probably do it again, but I want to eat like that every day so I won’t have to worry about gaining an extra 5 pounds.
Bringing Back the Sweater Vest 