(This post was originally published in 2013 and has been updated for use here)
Last week, the awesome people at Garden of Flavor sent me a test run of their 3-day juice cleanse. Having done a 3-day cleanse once previously, I knew what to expect, but I decided to maintain a diary so you could experience it too.
Day 1
I’ve been feeling a little worried and busy lately and so I’m stress eating. Yesterday I stress-ate a bag of hot Cheetos and a whole bar of cookies and creme chocolate. Whoops. Today I’m glad I’m on this juice cleanse because at least I won’t stress-eat!!!
Juice 1: 8 am. Goji Pineapple.
Whoa ginger! This has a really nice kick to it!! Ginger is widely used in India for colds…hmmm, maybe these sniffles will go away?
Juice 2: 12 pm. Cucumber Fresh.
Tastes like cucumber soup without the pulp. Hmmmm, maybe I should try and make this in my new Vitamix as a smoothie once this cleanse is done? Juice 2 is almost 2 hours later than it should be because I was at the vet for a fur-kid emergency. But because its late, I’m STARVING!! I keep fantasizing about cheese….mmmmm a good, sharp cheddar…. Pro tip: make sure the lid is securely on the bottle before you shake. Not that I know from experience or anything…
Juice 3: 2 pm. Mean Green.
Maybe my tastebuds are still active from the prior juice but I taste nothing. This is the mildest green juice I have ever tasted. Mostly I taste parsley? I am still hungry though…people keep posting pictures of spaghetti and meatballs… I have never wanted spaghetti and meatballs so bad in my life!!! I’m hoping this fills me up some more so I can stop fantasizing about food.
3:30 pm. 30 minutes until my next juice and I am OBSESSING about cheese. What?! Why is this happening?!
Juice 4: 4:30 pm. Twisted Roots.
I was dreading this juice. I hate beets. I really do. I’ve tried them baked, roasted, in a salad, in juice… they taste like mud. I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It is a beet, carrot and lemon juice, and honestly I tasted mostly carrot. It was actually quite good!
Juice 5: 7:00 pm. White Knight. This is the one I was most looking forward to- the cashew mylk. I love cashew mylk and this one is good, although I wish it had more cinnamon in it. I put in some generous sprinkles of pumpkin spice, and it was delicious. And very, very filling. I’m so full I don’t think I’m going to get to the 6th juice tonight. Which is totally fine, because then I will just have an extra for tomorrow!!!
Sidebar: I did have a bite of Nick’s awesome Spaniard sub from Crust. It was delicious. And I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it.
Day 2
Stepped on the scale this morning. Down 2 lbs since Monday!! WHOA!! Although, I have done these cleanses before and the last time, I lost 5 lbs, but put 2 of them back on as soon as I started eating solid food, so I’m cautiously optimistic
Juice 1: 8:30 am.
Very distracted by work today, which is good. Maybe I will finally stop thinking about cheese?
9:00 am: someone brought in donuts. WHY? WHY? WHY? I’m just going to stay in my cube all day.
Juice 2: 10:00 am.
Heading into a meeting with my juice. I feel a little weird toting these around, but I am not about to go into hangry mode!!
Juice 3: (subbed in the Lemon Pepp leftover from last night) 1:00 pm.
Uh-oh. I have the beginnings of a headache because I waited too long for Juice 3!
Juice 4: 4:00 pm.
Work is consuming all my thoughts today. Plus side: I have not had any time to check instagram at lunch, so I’m not craving yumminess. Down side: I really shouldn’t wait 3 hours between drinks!!!
Juice 5 and 6: 7:00 pm.
STARVING. RAGING HEADACHE. Chugged the Twisted Roots. Added cinnamon and cardamom to the White Knight and sipped it while Nick ate dinner. I cooked dinner for him tonight- cajun chicken alfredo… it smelled really good.
Day 2 is always the hardest. Its when I start to question what the hell I was thinking when I signed up for 3 days of this. I haven’t worked out in 3 days. And while I hate not having worked out, I’m using this cleanse as justification. At least I’m not putting junk food into my body!
Day 3
Weight loss maintained at 2 lbs.
Juice 1: 8:30 am.
I’m really going to miss this juice. I’m feeling good. Exhausted (not cleanse related), but good.
Juice 2: 10:30 am.
Drank this while I was at a meeting, so I don’t really remember what it tasted like. I saw Arianna Huffington speak last night, and she was talking about being in the moment and focussing on what you are doing (rather than multi-tasking) and it totally applies here. I really need to stop eating lunch and dinner while I’m doing other things!
11:30 am.
I really miss chewing. Really. Miss. It.
Juice 3: noon.
There are multiple boxes of pizza in the cube behind me and the delicious smell of melty cheesiness continues to waft ever so gently into my cube. CHEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSEE. FML.
3:00 pm.
Green tea
4:00 pm: Juice 4
Am now fantasizing about pizza. And thanksgiving dinner. And pretty much food in general.
6:00 pm:
Am on the phone with Nick and he suggests cheese pizza for dinner. Cleanse over. I only have SO much self control.
Overall, I really liked this cleanse, even if I quit early. I enjoyed the juices, even the beet juice, although I do wish the cashew milk had more cinnamon in it. Would I do it again? Sure!! But probably only for 2 days. In fact, I’m probably going to do it right before the holiday season! Any one want to join me?
Disclosure: Garden of Flavor sent me 3 days worth of juice for me to try out. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. You can buy Garden of Flavor juices at these locations.
