JUICE CLEANSE ON YOUR MIND? Great, then this post is for you! I have done four cleanses so far, so let me just first reiterate I am not claiming to be an expert in the subject matter. Nevertheless, my experiences will still be able to offer you some insightful tips, tricks, and advice for all those first time or beginner cleansers out there.
WHAT IS IT? A juice cleanse is not a quick trick for permanent weight loss— although you will more than likely lose weight while doing one. The true purpose of a juice cleanse is to effectively provide your body with a way to hit the reset button and rid your body of toxins from unhealthy habits.
WHICH CLEANSE? There are SO many different brands out there these days that offer juice cleanses, so doing your research is important. I will share with you two brands that I have personally used and explain my experience with them.
JUS BY JULIE (NON GMO, VEGAN, DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE, KOSHER)
— Jus By Julie offers 1-5 day cleanses. I personally have done both the 3 & 5 day cleanses. I think Jus By Julie is a GREAT option for first time cleansers. It's easy, keeps you full, and offers 6 full sized juices per day.
Each smoothie is made with whole vegetables and fruits which means you are still receiving all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.
An example of what your line up will be on a given day is:
Sweet Spin (green juice)
Spicy Lemonade / Spicy Pomegranate
Green Radiance
Chia Berry
Choco-nana/Watermelon Wizard/Acai Blend (choco-nana is my favorite!!)
X-treme Greens (green juice)
What I personally like best about Jus by Julie cleanses are that several of them are more similar to the consistency of a smoothie, to me it just seems more filling/satisfying. I can also say that compared to other cleanses the flavors in this one are SOO good. They also do a really good job at switching up the variety each day. For example, the second and fifth juice of the day rotate so you don't feel like you are drinking the same thing for days on end. Trust me, it makes a huge difference especially if you're doing a 3-5 day cleanse.
Overall, I lost 4lbs on this cleanse. As mentioned above this is not permanent, as it's mostly water weight (I think that's what they call it anyway).
BLUEPRINT CLEANSE (NON GMO, VEGAN, DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE, KOSHER)
— BluePrint offers 1-6 day cleanses. I personally have only done the 3 day "Beach Ready" detox cleanse. BluePrints cleanses are labeled as first-time or intermediate, but to be fair the cleanse I did I would personally classify as more intermediate as you are only receiving 5 full sized juices (as opposed to 6) during this cleanse and one 2oz booster shot.
The lineup I received for the "Beach Ready" detox was as follows:
2oz SuperBooster
Kale it Up
Pineapple Power
Vinegar Tonic of choice (this was the only juice that swapped out each day)
Kale it up
Nut & Bolt
However, to be a fair comparison to the 3 & 5 day cleanses described above by Jus by Julie I am going to show you what a similar BluePrint cleanse looks like. I will put a * down below to signify whether this juice was included with my cleanse above.
An example of what your lineup will be on a given day is
Kale It Up*
Pineapple Power*
Kale It Up*
Lemon Reset
Beet Blast
Nut & Bolt*
My favorite of the bunch was the Nut & Bolt! However, my biggest issue with BluePrint was that every single juice was well more of a juice consistency rather than a thicker smoothie like consistency. I know that sounds dumb because this is called a "juice" cleanse, but I am telling you it makes a huge difference. To be honest, I was worried I was going to feel starved after I drank the first one in my cleanse pack because I was so used to having the thicker juices from Jus by Julie. To my surprise I truly was not any more or less hungry, but mentally I did find it more difficult.
I lost 6lbs doing the Beach Ready Detox. I cannot speak to the traditional 3-5 day cleanses, as I have not tried one from this company yet.
SO, WHICH ONE?
Overall, if I had to choose between the two of them as a recommendation for a first time cleanser I would have to pick Jus by Julie. I think their juices are tastier and a lot more satisfying making it a much easier cleanse for a first timer.
If I had to recommend a cleanse for somebody looking for that quick fix for a bikini filled weekend, I would recommend the Beach Ready Detox. It is very effective, but I am telling you it's not easy.
HOW DO I TIME & SCHEDULE MY CLEANSE? This is truly dependent on what your own personal schedule is. For me, I wake up early (between 5-6am) so my schedule looks like this:
6AM: JUICE 1
8AM: JUICE 2
12PM: JUICE 3
3PM: JUICE 4
5PM: JUICE 5
7PM: JUICE 6
I try to space them out by 2-3 hours, adjusting when my body feels like it needs fuel. So, if I am scheduled for a juice at 3PM, but I am hungry at 2PM I drink one (give your body what it needs). The biggest key is to make sure the schedule you set aligns with your own personal habits— if you wake up later you would obviously start later and finish later in the evening. You also want to make sure you schedule a juice closer to bed time, so it keeps you full through the night. I go to bed around 10PM, so 7PM works perfect for me.
TIPS AND TRICKS?
Plan your cleanse according to upcoming events. For example, do NOT plan a cleanse that accidentally will take place partly through vacation or a holiday. I made that mistake once and it was awful!! I also try and plan my cleanses during the week, rather than on the weekend. Again, really try to avoid your cleanse overlapping with any fun activities.
You are not supposed to technically eat anything on these cleanses, like at all. However, if you absolutely need to eat something they say you can eat some raw veggies. I personally do not eat anything when I do my cleanses. Besides that one time (mentioned above) poor planning got the best of me and the final day of my cleanse fell on vacation time. Let's just say my cheat meal was a veggie burger and margarita and was definitely was not an acceptable substitution for raw veggies.
You are also not supposed to drink anything besides water. So no caffeine and no alcohol. They say if you absolutely need caffeine you can have 1 cup of black coffee.
Try and find a buddy to do your first cleanse with, it helps with moral support! My fiancé, Shaun, did my first juice cleanse with me and it definitely made it easier going through the motions together.
Stay positive and don't give up! It's not easy— you will likely have tummy rumbles and headaches, especially if it's your first one, but that's totally normal. You got this!
I hope this was helpful and as always if you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
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