Why I Decided to Try a Juice Cleanse:
My husband, Drew, and I were offered the chance to try a 3 Day Juice Cleanse from Just Organic Juice in Salt Lake City a little over a week ago. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I did anticipate a challenge. I’m far from a health nut, but I do care about taking better care of myself. I’m a mom of two who never struggled with weight issues until after my boys were born. They were totally worth it, but I would like to find my way back to a better shape. I would also like to be healthier in general not only for myself and just to feel good, but to keep up with my boys who are ALWAYS on the go! When my husband mentioned the opportunity to me, he was basically ready to start at any day. Because Just Organic Juice is prepared fresh daily, they required 24 hour notice before we picked up our juice. I decided to just jump in with both feet and go before I could change my mind. This was both an adventure and a risk (which I will explain shortly). So I basically had 1 day to get on board with a juice cleanse before we began. After I began my juice I did some research and discovered that first timers are often recommended to ease into it with a pre-cleanse. This would have probably made my experience a bit easier. For some unknown reason, well likely lack of sleep and poor eating, I had gained 16 pounds in 2 months. The only time I’d ever done that before in my life was when I was pregnant with the boys. I knew I needed to make a change, and fast, and so I said yes to the juice cleanse and that was that. I don’t typically eat a lot of sweets but I do eat more carbs than I know I should and I struggle with portion control. I also forget to eat during the day while things are busy and I eat too much at night when I shouldn’t.
Getting Started: Day 1
I must say that this was challenging for me because I really enjoy eating. Doing it alongside my husband made all the difference because we were able to help keep each other going during moments of weakness. I think if you are used to this kind of thing it’s great, but for two first-timers, it was a big change! We did Just Organic Juice’s signature cleanse called Hard Boot which includes 6 different bottles of juice a day for 3 days. Each juice is to be consumed every 2-3 hours during the day along with water and you can also have herbal tea but nothing else. We picked up the juice from their location and brought them home to begin the following morning. The first juice of the day is called Green Envy and is made from red apples, spinach, celery, parsley, ginger, dandelion, cucumber, and pear. To be honest, I’m a strawberry-banana kinda girl and not much of a fan of anything green. I found this one to be a bit challenging but only because I am so picky and don’t care for most of the ingredients. I also never imagined I’d ever consumed dandelions but I have oddly enough heard they are quite beneficial for health. While I didn’t care for the taste or the smell of this one, I definitely could tell that it was made of very high-quality ingredients and it did taste very fresh! Drew did well with this one. The second juice of the day is called Greatfruit-n-mint and is made from grapefruit and mint. I definitely do not care for grapefruit at all so this was also a challenge for me. It was very bitter. However, like the previous juice, it did taste very fresh and high quality. Drew liked this one. The third juice of the day is called Roots and it is made from lemon, celery, dandelion, beets, and carrots. I don’t know if it was the red color or the flavor of carrots but I actually liked this one. I was able to drink it quickly and while I likely wouldn’t drink it daily, it didn’t bother me. Drew had a really hard time with this one. He said it was his least favorite. The fourth juice of the day was another green one called ChloroFEELgood. It’s made of spinach, parsley, romaine, kale, and green apples. Despite me hating kale, this one wasn’t too bad and also tasted very fresh. It was sweeter than the first green one. Drew liked his as well. You definitely feel healthy while you drink them and you can taste the nutrients and lack of bad stuff. The fifth juice of the day is called Just Beet It and is made from carrots, beets, lemon, and ginger. Similar to the green juices, I found the second red one to be much sweeter and I didn’t mind this one. The carrots were a very welcome change from two doses of dandelions. Drew did not care for this one either. It’s funny how I preferred the red juices and he preferred the green ones! The sixth and final and MOST DELICIOUS juice of the day is called AlmonDelight and is made from vanilla bean, dates, filtered water, and raw almonds. Not only did I like it, but I LOVED it! This one was delicious and was such a lovely and welcome treat after a long day of juicing veggies. In fact I could totally drink this one daily as a treat. It was amazing! This was also Drew’s favorite!
Side Effects:
Naturally, I was concerned about the side effects that could happen from doing something like this since it was my first time. I’m happy to report nothing uncomfortable happened as far as bathroom situations! At the end of Day 1, I felt really hungry and also tired throughout the day. I had a bit of a headache at the end of the night but it wasn’t terrible. My husband was also very tired and he had a worse headache starting in the afternoon and lasting into the night
Day 2: How We Felt:
I was proud to have accomplished the first day. It felt SO good to have 1/3 of the challenge behind me and to know what to expect, what to power through, and what to look forward to at the end of the night. For most of the day, I felt like I NEEDED to eat a Thanksgiving dinner. I was drinking more water and even made some herbal tea to help chase the unpleasant flavor of the juices I didn’t care for, but I just felt so HANGRY. My husband also felt starving. We are used to eating a lot so while we were filling our body with amazing vitamins and important nutrients, the lack of food was a huge change for both of us. It’s one thing to feel hungry and shaky but to have to carry on with raising two high-energy kids and get work done makes it even harder. It was very difficult. I knew we were doing a great job, but I also couldn’t stop thinking about all things food-related and that was really difficult. We both had a bit of a headache on Day 2 also and felt tired as the day before.
Day 3: How It Worked:
By the end of Day 3, I was so ready for food. However, I noticed that the results were quite impressive! For the first time since I was pregnant with my oldest, my stomach felt flat and empty (probably because it was). I was not bloated at all and could fit into my clothes the way I wanted to. I lost 7 pounds in 3 days. I felt lighter as a person and that made me really happy. While I was certainly glad for the juicing to be over with, I am happy that I did it and I think now that I know what to expect, I could see myself doing this as sort of a “reset” a couple of times a year. Drew also lost 7 pounds which was interesting since we’re not the same size. Following my juice cleanse I eased into a lower-carb diet and was able to do well. I had a family emergency and had to fly out of state unexpectedly so I wasn’t able to keep up with the low carb 100% but I’m back home now and I’m starting back up tomorrow. I’ve managed to keep most of the weight off and I am more excited than ever about eating smaller portions and filling my body with food that makes me feel lighter and doesn’t cause bloating. The quality of the juices from Just Organic Juice was very impressive and I definitely recommend it to others. From what I’ve read, they aren’t intended to always taste good, but doing a juice cleanse gives your body more of what you need instead of the things you want that aren’t good for you. It was challenging, but it was worth it and I’m very pleased with my results. I think if I can do it, anyone can! And that brings me to some great news…..for YOU!
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
WIN a FREE ONE DAY JUST ORGANIC JUICE CLEANSE:
Just Organic Juice, Drew, and I and partnering to offer you a GIVEAWAY! That’s right! One of my lucky readers will WIN a complimentary 1-Day Juice cleanse just in time for the beginning of summer! They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah and while they do not currently ship out of the area, they have agreed to extend this opportunity throughout the US and are kind enough to OVERNIGHT the prize to my lucky winner anywhere in the US.
Eligibility Requirements:
You must be 18 or older and live within the US to qualify. For health reasons, we request that you are not currently pregnant or breastfeeding or have any reason that would cause a one day juice cleanse to not be good for you at this time. As always, please consult your doctor with any health-related questions and for recommendations. Due to the nature of the shipment, you must be able to provide us with a physical address NOT a PO Box in order to accept your package as it will be time-sensitive.
Enter on Instagram:
In order to enter this giveaway, you MUST follow @JustOrganicJuice, @Paperclipsandpacis, and @Drewsatmary on Instagram. LIKE the contest giveaway photo on each account and TAG a friend in the comments! You may earn additional entries for each friend that you tag. One tag per comment only. Instagram is in no way affiliated with this contest and will not be held responsible. The contest will run until Wednesday, June 22nd at 9 PM EST. Once all entries are verified for eligibility, a winner will be randomly selected and announced no later than Thursday, June 23rd. The winner MUST DM @paperclipsandpacis and @justorganicjuice to claim his or her prize. After 24 hours, an alternate winner will be selected if the prize is not claimed.
UPDATE: A WINNER HAS BEEN VERIFIED!!!
Congratulations to Stephanie Thigpen @lovedbyhandp, YOU WON!
Please DM @justorganicjuice to claim your prize!
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Erika Ravnsborg
June 22, 2016Those look good especially the grapefruit and mint one.
Lindsay Satmary
June 23, 2016Hi Erika! My husband really liked that one too! π
Susannah
June 24, 2016I don’t think I’d want to do a juice cleanse… I’d get so grumpy. π
Lindsay
July 26, 2016Hi Susannah! I thought about that too but then I thought I can do (almost) anything for just three days! If you prepare for it I am sure it’s much easier thank going cold turkey like I did! π