Three Day Juice Cleanse

A few weeks ago to kick start this journey of being fit (as everyone's New Years Resolution seems to be), two girlfriends and I decided to do a three day juice cleanse to get rid of all of the toxins and bad eating over the holiday season. It was a scary thought, as I love food in a serious way, but after researching and knowing that this will be a great way to get my mind right and start eating healthier, I decided to go for it.

We felt the best time to do this was over the weekend with a lapse on Monday, so Sat/Sun/Mon. This would allow for activities to keep focus off of eating. We went to HEB bright and early Saturday morning and hit up the produce section. Pretty sure people thought we were insane with two grocery baskets filled with produce. The costs of a juice cleanse like this is about $50/person. Now, this also included the fish and frozen green beans, the three big pitchers that could hold 64oz. juice, the water bottles (with lines for measure!), and a pack of waters. We split all the costs three ways. I have to say, it really helps doing this with a friend - someone to hold you accountable, and someone to share your "hanger" in those hard moments.

We got back to the house and started juicing it up. It was so tedious but fun making juice. You have to peel, chop, take out cores from apples, prep prep prep! It was a lot of work, thank goodness there were three people so it went by quick.

So, here is the breakdown. 

72 Hour Detox

(These daily recipes are based on 64oz. juice per person)

Day 1: Liver & Kidney Detox 

6 apples (remove core and seeds)

10 small cut pieces of beets

1 bunch of celery

1 cucumber (peeled)

1 lemon (peeled)

2 tomatoes

around 15 carrots (juice last)

Day 2: Mean Green

4 apples (remove core and seeds)

2-3 cucumbers (peeled)

1 bunch kale (takes a lot to make juice, chop up a little)

2 large handfuls spinach

1 bunch celery

1 tsp ginger

Day 3: Super Digestive Detox

10 small cut pieces of beets

1 bunch celery

1 cucumber

1 tsp ginger

2 lemons

3 oranges

large handful spinach

around 15 carrots (juice last)

Tips: 

1) Clean up after beets - they stain QUICKLY. Also, wash all fruit/veggies before juicing and clean juicer right after finishing (you may have to dump pulp a few times during).

2) Carrots definitely produce so much pulp so empty juicer pulp out frequently.

3) Use three pitchers that hold 64 oz. Stick to one juice for all day. Buy water bottles with OZ. on the bottle. Makes it so much easier. 64oz = .5 gallon. You drink 8 oz. per hour for 8 hours.

4) DRINK WATER ALL DAY LONG. Also, hot herbal (detox) tea is recommended at night. No coffee, soda, milk, etc. No drinking, smoking, diet pills, etc. ONLY water, herbal tea, and juice.

5) Eat a small dinner after your 8 hours of 64 oz. is done. Example: We ate tilapia with green beans all three nights. If you get too hungry during the day, make a few hard boiled eggs and allow 1 for those "hangry" times.

This juice cleanse is not meant for losing weight, but you will usually drop anywhere from 3-6lbs during. Most of this is water weight, so when you begin eating again you will see some of that weight come back. This is really meant for detoxing your body and feeling healthier. It also really changed my way of thinking about foods and what I put in my body. It is much easier now to choose a salad or clean eats over fast food or junk food. 

Being Active

During juicing, you don't want to do any strenuous workouts or activities since your food intake is lowered. We stayed lightly active by walking the Barton Greenbelt the first day, walking around Town Lake the next day, and using the third day as a rest/stretching day. It felt really good to stay active and keep our minds off eating. By day 3 when we had to go to work, it really was not hard to keep up with the juicing at all. But boy let me tell you, we dreamed about dinner all three days. By the time dinner came, I ate so slowly savoring every last bite. 

I am so glad I tried this juicing cleanse. I made it all the way through and it has seriously jump started this healthy living thing. I have been working out at the gym 4-5 times a week, eating clean, feeling better, and it is an added bonus that I've lost a few pounds. More than losing weight, I really want this year to be about being healthier. Traveling, working out, being able to feel GOOD in a swimsuit, eating better. I even chopped a good six inches off my hair recently. Feels good!! I encourage you friends to try juicing sometime. Even if its one juice for breakfast or something. If you have any questions of course feel free to ask. I am not a juicing master or nutritionist by any means, but it was a fun thing to try and I'm glad I did it. 

Happy Monday friends! Make it a great week!!!