Suja Juice Cleanse Round 2!

If you read my last blog post about my first experience with juice cleansing, you knew this would be coming! (If you didn't read it, catch it HERE.) I was so happy with the changes in my appetite after my first 3-day Suja Juice cleanse back in June, that I just had to have another round. I timed it perfectly for the week before our family vacation to Cabo. I figured I'd look a little better in the bikinis I'd be sporting nearly all day and perhaps I would binge a bit less than I normally do at all-inclusive resorts. The results are in!

First off, I'll address the question everyone asks me first when I tell them I just finished a cleanse, "How much weight did you lose?" I had lost about 5 pounds on the initial cleanse, and when I started this one I had gained back maybe a pound or so. I ended this second cleanse 2 pounds below where I ended the last one, so I lost about 3 total this time. For me it isn't all about the weight loss though, my cravings that had been wiped out by my first cleanse were starting to rear their ugly heads again, so it was time to put them to rest! Did it work? Mostly!

Again, I left for Cabo a mere 3 days after finishing this second cleanse, and we stayed at an all-inclusive resort, so healthy eating wasn't really in the cards. But, I know for a fact I made much better choices than I would have had I not cleansed right before! I think I only had 4 margaritas the entire week, and instead opted for wine and other less sugary drinks when the bartenders were throwing drinks at me. I ate salads for lunch whenever I could get my hands on one (believe it or not it wasn't easy, room service became my only lunch option!) I only gave in to the late night room service dessert binge once, and it was mostly because my son deserved the experience (I would normally do that every night when it's free!) All in all I would say the cleanse definitely set me up for better eating habits on vacation and beyond. Now that I'm home, it's back to greek yogurt, salads, protein and veggies on the daily menu...oh and a Suja Juice here and there for a snack of course! And I'm loving it! I missed eating healthy!

As for the experience of the cleanse itself, I'd have to say it was a bit tougher for me this time around. Note to self (and other women), do not allow your cleanse to overlap with PMS. I didn't do a very good job of eating clean leading into the cleanse like I did last time. I had a piece of chocolate or 2 the day before and my husband offered up a glass of wine that I couldn't refuse that same night. I had a headache from hell for the last 2 days of the cleanse, I finally had to give in and take Advil which I really didn't want to do! But it helped! Next time I'm definitely doing a better job of clean eating for a couple of days prior as it really seemed to help the first time around. I had a slight headache that time, but it was brief and manageable. Other than the headache all went well and once again I didn't cheat at all during the 3 days of the cleanse. My husband survived without any issues at all...and he had to work every day, he cleanses like a champ! So are we going to do it yet again? Of course! I think we'll be quarterly cleansers for life, we're hooked.

What a Juice Cleanse Did for Me

It's been a little over 2 months now since I embarked on my first-ever juice cleanse. I chose the 3-day option from a Suja Juice after doing tons of research on taste and cost. And yes, I'll admit, I spent a lot of time googling "juice cleanse weight loss" during my research process too! Who doesn't?! I think a lot of us go into juice cleanses hoping to lose a few pounds and hoping we're disciplined enough to keep it off. I tried to live a somewhat healthy life prior to my cleanse, doing yoga every day and eating a lot of chia seeds and making mostly good choices. But, I still had frozen pizzas for lunch on lazy days and taco shop fare once a week, and I was definitely a sugar fiend. I read a lot of blogs from people saying their sugar cravings had been wiped away by a juice cleanse, but that seemed a bit too good to be true for me. Nonetheless, I ordered my juices and set off on my cleansing journey.

My first juice on morning one (Glow) was a pleasant surprise. It was very green in color and filled with veggies so I expected the worst, but the fruit it contained luckily won me over. "Yay, I can do this!" I thought as I sipped away. The juices only got better throughout the day with the exception of Purify, which contained beets, I'm not a beet fan in any way shape or form! I got it down though, it was still easy to drink despite my dislike for beets. Fuel was my absolute favorite right away and still is, so much so that I'll be substituting it for Purify when I do this cleanse again. I managed to fit in a brief 20-minute yoga session on day 1 and was amazed at how good I felt at the end of the day. My energy level was good, despite my sudden lack of caffeine, and I just felt clean and healthy. I woke up feeling great on day 2 and wasn't even hungry in the morning (one of many surprises during this cleanse!) I did yoga again and felt even more energy than I did the first day, even despite the fact that my baby was up crying half the night. The only downfalls I had noticed at this point were that I had to pee every 5 minutes (thanks in part to the bottle of water I drank after every single juice), and my skin and hair were mega oily! Eew!

Day 3 began with me feeling a bit more sluggish, I couldn't even manage to get in a 20-minute yoga session like I try to do most days. I just felt blah. But, there was a light at the end of the tunnel! One more day and I could eat food again! It was a bit harder to drink some of the juices today, but I got them all down eventually and looked forward to my final weigh-in and being able to chew on something again. I went shopping for eggs to boil for breakfast, more juices to have as meal replacements, hummus and carrots and salad ingredients for lunch and fish and veggies for dinner. The strange thing was, this all looked really amazingly delicious to me as I shopped. I never once was tempted to throw chocolate ice cream or frozen pizza into my cart. I wanted to buy lettuce and veggies and fruit and all of this healthy awesomeness in the produce section. Who am I? Where did the former me go?

When it was all said and done, I had lost 5 pounds. I was a little bummed, I had hoped I would lose more, but it was a start! The more important loss was my cravings! Those bloggers were telling the truth! I figured cravings for all things unhealthy would return after a few days, but I'm here to tell you that it has literally taken months for me to really start craving "bad" things again. Just the other night I had my first greasy Mexican taco shop craving, and living in San Diego, that's an amazing feat. That's not to say I haven't eaten bad things, I just really haven't felt the need to, and I haven't even enjoyed them as much as I used to. I'm still not craving sugar much and have pretty much cut out dessert entirely. I think now that the cravings are peeking their heads out, it's time for another cleanse! I want to add though, that I have in fact kept the weight off, this morning I weighed 0.4 pounds over where I was on the morning after my cleanse ended. I don't feel like I've had to work at keeping it off, I still drink wine every night and am not by any means a perfectly healthy eater, but I just haven't wanted to eat the same way I used to eat. I gladly eat salads with local avocado, olive oil and balsamic every day for lunch, I enjoy having juices or Mamma Chia drinks for breakfast, and I look forward to the most basic protein and veggie dinners. My 3-day juice cleanse made me a healthier person, and for that, it was entirely worth it. 

If you struggle with cravings and have the desire to live a healthier lifestyle, I would highly recommend giving a juice cleanse a try. I don't think it matters entirely what brand you chose, or whether you make them yourself at home with a good juicer, just stick with it and know that it will change the way you eat. Sure, the cravings may come back after a couple months like mine are starting to, but I'm able to recognize it and am going to put a stop to it by cleansing again! I think I might even try a 5-day cleanse this time around! I'm thinking about trying a new cleanse every quarter, so if any juice companies have a great product and want a detailed review and potentially a lot of referrals, let me know! :)