Last week I started and completed my fifth juice cleanse. I obnoxiously whined about it on twitter and snapchat and since then have been asked a few questions about my experience.
First off, I decided to do it because I was feeling sluggish as hell and had realized my eating habits had just gotten really random and super lazy. I was eating out more and snacking a lot and just started to feel fucking gross. I’ve always eaten really healthy and have cooked my own meals and I drink a gallon (at least) of water a day but with work getting busier and my sleep schedule getting all fucked up, I had just started to get reeaaallyyyy lazy with what I was eating and I felt no matter how hard I worked in the gym, I still was holding onto this nasty sodium bloat like, all the time.
To take it even one step farther back, (I actually feel a little anxiety writing this as I feel like I’m about to get very personal and vulnerable right about now..) but I also decided to do it because I felt like my soul was screaming for it. I knew I hadn’t been treating myself well and I felt frustrated and moody and guilty more often than not. The past two years have been probably the hardest two years of my life. I entered and ended an extremely tumultuous romantic relationship and my best friend was killed. As for how the relationship went, I was deeply in love but neither of us were ready for what really came with that love. For me, a huge awakening that forced me to face my father who since recently, I have kept at arms length due to stubborn childhood pain I couldn’t face until mirrored relationship issues forced me to. So while the relationship did not work out, I now have a solid and beautiful open one with my Dad, and myself again so I do not regret a moment of that. I was in love and love is good. However, because I was not ready for that love, I had a lot of anxiety, and to calm that anxiety, I drank. When we fought AND when we wanted to have a good time. I also smoked a lot of cigarettes. A year and a half of that x working my ASS off and not sleeping took it’s toll and I felt it. Then my beautiful Stephanie was killed. Recently I was looking through some old photos from only a year ago and I noticed I was starting to wear my heart on my face. I just felt and looked like I had BEEN THROUGH IT. I didn’t look horrible, but I wasn’t glowing anymore and I felt it. I had also started getting anxiety/stress rashes on my face every week and I have never experienced this in my life. They would flare up for 2 days and then leave for 5 and then come back again. Tiny red bumps all down the sides of my face. Needless to say, my whole being was crying out for an overhaul. So, before I get into the actual details of the cleanse, I will say that I HAVE felt happy lately. I don’t really drink that often and I’ve quit smoking. I feel free, excited about work and life, etc etc.. but today, I feel VIBRANT! JUBILANT! I feel more like me than I have in years.
Okay, so as I mentioned this is my 5th juice cleanse. I got it from Pressed Juicery here in LA but I’ve also done the Erewhon cleanse which is a biiiit more intense and also more expensive. With Pressed Juicery, you have the option of picking it up or getting it delivered. I got mine delivered at 4:30am every day and I chose the 3 day (Cleanse 2) which is the “Popular/Balanced” cleanse, not the “Cleanse for Experienced Juicers” cleanse cuz I still wanted it to taste decent and I hadn’t done one for 2 years and I was fucking nervous. What the hell was I gonna do without chips every day????
Day 1. Pretty smooth, tbh. I went to the gym in the morning and had a pretty intense workout and drank the 6 juices (+2 waters, chlorophyll and aloe) every 2 hours starting at 10:30am. I also chugged lemon water all day but it was hard to stay on top of the water because you’re already drinking so much other shit all day. You’re constantly peeing. At night, I’d wake up literally every 2 hours to pee. I wouldn’t recommend going to the gym if this is your first cleanse and I didn’t go to the gym any other day following. You’re taking in very little calories and only in liquid form. It’s tough. If it’s your first time, I’d say try and make sure your days are pretty clear of any social activity or much activity at all. I’m a hard ass and I have deadlines so I really just pushed myself to the limit and passed out at like 8pm every night. I also took Bentonite clay every night which is a supplement that helps with digestion and detoxification. You can get it at Whole Foods or Erewhon and it really cleans you out. Drink a spoonful in an 8oz glass of water every night before bed to round off your night. If you’re cleansing, mind as well go IN and do it right.
Day 2. I was already craving the fatty vanilla almond milk that was supposed to be my 6th (last) juice of the day when I woke up. They number each one and I don’t know if it’s to keep count or if that’s the order you’re supposed to drink them in but I follow things better when I make little boundaries/rules for myself so I drank them in order. 1-6. There are green juice blends, root juice blends and a couple of citrus blends so you’re not drinking the same damn thing all day. Day 2 was a busy day for me. I had a LOT of work to do so I banged it all out super early because I did experience crazy energy in the morning and by about 4pm, I was toast. I should mention that I had coffee every day. Twice a day and that is NOT recommended to completely cleanse out your system but I had to work and fuck it. Day 2 was still pretty chill and I remember not being able to sleep because I got a second wind out of nowhere at like 10pm.
Day 3. Supposed to be my last day. From my experience, Day 1 and Day 3 have always been the hardest. By Day 3 your body is really feeling it. I was sooo tired. The only thing I had planned that day was to go get my hair done and I was still pooped. I was fucking starving and I finished all my juice by 7pm. I was in bed very early that night and I couldn’t even finish all my work. Toast.
I wake up the next morning and this is supposed to be my first “come off” day. 2-5 days of slowly introducing food back into my diet. However, I woke up and had coffee, water and coconut kefir yogurt and the sensations I felt from the yogurt were SO INTENSE I was actually afraid. It took me 40 minutes to finish it. I’m not even kidding. I felt short of breath, excited, nervous and to be honest, I felt toooo good after those 3 days, I was now on Day 4. I didn’t want to break my stride. I got in the car and drove to Pressed Juicery downtown and bought 8 more juices which I spaced out with almonds, apples, and home made vegetable soup for another 3 days. The juices I bought were more fruity and fatty as I needed to slowly add more calories into my diet and by Day 4, as amazing I felt inside, I was still very tired. I needed more.
So today is exactly a week, 7 days from my start date. I still start my morning with the apple, ginger, cayenne and lemon juice as it gives me so much energy and the ginger is sooo good for your immune system and the juice as a whole is great for digestion. As far as eating, I tried to make soup yesterday and the sodium was too much for me. I literally felt my fingers get fat within 2 hours of eating it and all I’ve been craving is juicy fruit so I went and bought more veggies and fruit today to keep it raw for the rest of the week. I’ve been eating pineapple, apples, raspberries, strawberries, corn, mushrooms, avocado with lemon, tomatoes and brown rice and I feel SO good. I have no cravings other than coffee and I’m still drinking a gallon of water a day and I’ve decided to cut out meat and dairy for a while. I barely have it anyway so for now I’m gonna be living that pescatarian life until I feel like I’d kill for a steak, I guess. I don’t feel like having a glass of wine or smoking any weed AT ALL. The mental clarity and focus I am experiencing is so beautiful I don’t want to cloud it. I feel absolutely spiritually connected with myself and with everything around me. I feel calm and filled with love and HAPPY. I am sleeping better and my body feels tight, bright and light. My skin is glowing and I can’t stop touching my arms and my cheekbones and even under my eyes feels different. I just feel amazing and CLEAN inside and out. Free of all negative energy and toxins.
At this point in my life, I want to live and feel the best I can. I want to put my energy into the right things and I want to treat myself the best so that everything I do is felt by me and people around me. It’s crazy how slow and lovely the days seem to go by now. I’m never feeling rushed or stressed, even when I have a million things to do. I absolutely recommend this to anyone trying to change certain eating habits, thought patterns or just to clear away negative energy that is clouding your focus. The power that comes from the will of staying with the cleanse is amazing and it is absolutely a spiritual experience. The clarity that comes with it is worth it all. If it’s your first time, I say go for it and do 5 days. Push yourself and feel the rewards that come from it. I did not do this in vain. I did it for my soul. I plan to do it again at the end of the year.
Here’s the link to the cleanse I did but if you are not in LA just google “pressed juice cleanse” and I’m positive there will be something similar in your area. It’s “all the rage” rn, rn. hahaha.
https://www.pressedjuicery.com/products/juice-cleanses
xx L