We believe that the body is a temple and we are tasked with taking care of it. Plus, we want to be around to embarrass our grandkids someday and that starts now. So I suppose it should be no surprise that I tried a juice cleanse. Before you decide if this is the right dietary choice for you, here is what I want you to know about a juice cleanse.
My goals for this were multi-tiered, but all completely related to body performance. I couldn’t figure out why I can’t lose my middle-aged stomach “pooch.” I was also sold a story that my intestines need special care that I wasn’t giving them. I had images of things rotting inside me. (Side lesson: stay off health and fitness websites.) So for those very important reasons I picked up from the Internet, I wanted to love this.
I also wanted to love this because I go to Clean Juice and love their products. I was hopeful for a gift card when they saw a post from me bragging about the supreme state of body performance after a juice cleanse.
I am sorry to say I did not love my juice cleanse. But I did learn some surprising lessons and the act of pushing my body to the limit yielded unanticipated results.
Here is what to know about a juice cleanse:
1 I felt sick almost immediately. While everything I read stated that people started digestive issues on the morning of Day Two, my issues started within three hours. After my first two juices and skipped breakfast, my stomach was torn up in an extremely unhappy way, not in an “it feels so good to get rid of this rot” way.
2 I gained weight at the end of the days. I stepped onto the scale each night, expecting to see amazing things, down to my dream weight, maybe even able to be called skinny! But I had gained over three pounds. My body was bloated.
3 Days of a juice fast are not days to do physical activity. This should be self-evident, but my thought was to allow the juice cleanse to accompany my daily routine, not alter it. So I did hot yoga one morning. I drank plenty of water, followed the Clean Juice instructions, and am not new to hot yoga. Yet I felt wretched and thought I would pass out.
4 Not all juices taste good. While most of the juices I had were quite tasty, there were two I had to hold my nose and chug down. (This is painful if you are having digestive issues and feel like passing out.)
I have a lot of self-discipline. And I was prepared to power through the tough times and find a state of complete peace with my body on the other side. But the nirvana or zen that many share about their juice cleanse didn’t happen for me.
I am glad I opted for a developed juice program, instead of trying to do this on my own. I didn’t have to plan or implement or prepare to ensure a well-rounded juice diet (which was good because my brain was no good while on the juice cleanse anyway).
But I couldn’t parent, which was the most distressing part. I was so foggy and cranky, all I wanted to do was to tackle my second grader and eat his PopChips. I wasn’t listening to him speak or share his day, I was obsessing about when I could drink my next juice. I was cranky and short-tempered. Everything my children did irritated me and I had no patience. I was a miserable parent.
Which leads me to what I learned from a juice cleanse:
1 No one should have to parent under starvation. I want to be really clear: I paid a lot of money (WAY too much money) to basically starve myself. Why? I am so privileged that I can treat starvation like a game? This realization hit hard.
In my cushy world, I really don’t understand the struggle of far too many mothers who can barely get one meal a day. Seeing such a stark contrast between my parenting abilities on a full belly versus starving, I can’t imagine how mothers who face starvation as a daily reality, without a choice, do it.
Ultimately, I decided to give a donation to Feeding America. After all, if I can pay money to starve myself as a hobby, I can pay money to help a family that shouldn’t be starving due to want. Feeding America shares:
42 million people face hunger in the U.S. today — including nearly 13 million children and more than five million seniors. Hunger knows no boundaries — it touches every community in the U.S., including your own.
My one brush with the overwhelming and crushing numbness true hunger brings was self-implemented. I felt inspired to help those out there who DON’T have a choice instead of pouring money into fasts and cleanses because I want to lose belly fat.
2 This should be done for spiritual and philosophical reasons. A juice cleanse is a fast. As Clean Juice says in their material:
Use this time for self-reflection. God sometimes talks to us deepest when we are the most still and focused. Those who are tested deeply He uses greatly!
I went into this for the wrong reasons, and with an incredible amount of ill-founded confidence. In retrospect, Lent seems like a great time to do this as an opportunity to still the mind, focus on the spiritual, and remove preoccupation with bodily needs.
I am glad I tried this, I suppose, even though I do have regret at how much money went down the drain (or toilet) when there is such a great need in our country and world.
I still love Clean Juice and I appreciate all the good benefits that are found in the juices. After I decided to quit the cleanse a day early, I used the rest of the juices as part of my overall diet. I integrated the healthy, organic juices into my day and I felt GREAT.
And when it comes to unwanted belly fat, as a woman approaching 40 quickly, I think it is something I just need to learn to love.
For more information on a juice cleanse, visit
Clean Juice – https://www.cleanjuice.com/cleanse/
The Safe Way to Do a 3-Day Juice Cleanse
The Juice Cleanse: A Strange and Green Journey
For more information on Feeding America and how you can help, visit www.feedingamerica.org.