My Juice Cleanse Adventure (Part II)

In this second part of my blog, I wanted to give everyone some unbridled insight to some of the things (1) I knew would happen and (2) some of things I didn't realize out happen as a result of my 3-day juice cleanse.

Some are probably 'like, duh' moments and others will probably be 'hmmm, that's interesting...' moments. Others may just gross you out.

Lastly, I'll talk a bit more about where I'm mentally and physically now that it's been about a week after the detox.

What I Expected

Here's the short list of things I experienced during the 3 days I took the juice cleanse/detox:

1. Low energy levels (days 1 and 2)
2. Being grumpy (days 1 and 2)
3. Being hungry most of the time
4. Hard time concentrating
5. High water consumption
6. Peeing a LOT
7. Little to no activity/exercising
8. "How come you're not eating dinner daddy?"

Things I Did Not Expect

Some of these things surprised me given you're barely eating for 3 days. They may surprise you too!

1. Headaches
2. A good night's sleep
3. Actually enjoying the taste of the juices
4. The big pile of plastic bottles
5. 2 hours between juices passes quickly
6. No diarrhea (c'mon, everyone poops!)
7. I missed chewing
8. I brushed my teeth every 2-4 hours
9. Nice not worrying about meal prep each day

After The Detox

As I mentioned in the previous post, it took 2 full days post-detox to feel a normal sense of eating come back to my schedule. I was snacking on fruit, some bars, veggies and salad throughout these days but never really felt like pounding a cheeseburger or preparing a full meal. I tried to kick back some pizza and a beer but (1) I got indigestion really bad and (2) was drunk after a couple sips.

I stayed close to the toilet in the days following the detox too. It's almost like my stomach and colon forgot what they were supposed to do with real food. It has taken a good week to get back on my 'normal' schedule.

My lack-of-caffeine-and-sugar-headaches continued a bit into days 5 and 6 but dissipated early in the day. By the 7th day, I had no more headaches and no more cravings for my morning coffee.

I'm still allowing myself some sugar (e.g., candy) here and there but the funny part is that I'll take 2 pieces and yet only eat 1. It seems I'm more satiated with less (sugar) now after the cleanse.

The same goes for food. Having fewer calories for 3 days definitely tells the body that 'hey, you can survive on less'. The weird part is that it crosses over psychologically and I've honestly been able to eat less and still be satisfied after my meals. You might think my energy levels would be lower too both without caffeine and fewer calories but to the contrary, having lost 10 pounds it seems the tax on my body and mind is less than before I started.

Lunch today. 500 calories...and I was stuffed!

I definitely feel more obligated to eat well and more mindful of what I'm consuming these days. While I've stated before that my primary reason for doing this was simply to feel better, keeping the weight off is also a post-detox motivator...I mean, who wouldn't right?

Closing Thoughts

In general, I think the cleanse did exactly what I wanted - it made me realize that food is fuel and that your body will react according to what you put in it. Treat it poorly and it takes longer for the body to heal. Treat it well and your energy, self-image and weight will be rewarded.

Physically I feel great now that my schedule is back to normal. I had a great run yesterday and my cross-training has never been better.

My food yesterday. Not starving!

I know that some people might look at this as a quick and easy way to lose weight but in reality it requires a lifestyle change. Now, it wasn't a huge stretch for me to get back to this place but I don't want to give anyone the idea that a single detox will change your life. As I said, I had strayed for a while and just needed to get back on course.

There are 1, 2, 3-day and 7-day options if you're just beginning or a seasoned veteran. Whatever you do and where ever you get your juices from, make sure you feel comfortable with the program and sticking with it for the duration. I'd also recommend a program that incorporates nut milks for protein - especially if it's your first time.

I'm not sure a juice cleanse is for everyone either. You should consult your doctor if you're unsure...and don't do it just because I did. You may have a completely different experience and totally hate it. Have your own reasons and incorporate it into your lifestyle change, rather than just a quick fix.

Healthy Choices

I've come to the end of my nutritional experiment. This 30-day journey to test out products and potentially adjust my outlook towards food, portions and fueling for endurance events has come to a close. While I've decided not to continue using the products, I will say that these 30 days have shown me some things that I already knew, but had forgotten. In a way, I feel bad that I had to spend quite a bit of money to remind myself of these things but every once and a while, the mind (and body) needs to be reset.

The Basics
It was simple. Shake for breakfast. Shake for lunch. Sensible (400-600 calorie) meal for dinner. Oh, and lots of water. Every day. But then every 5th day, just don't eat for 24-hours (it's a cleanse day, they call it).

How's it Taste?
Are the shakes good? They're ok. You have to dress them up a little, but then that adds calories. This was fine for me given I was running every morning and easily calorie deficient even after a shake with banana, peanut butter and almond milk. Most mornings I would even have a small cup of yogurt, fruit or toast on top of the shake.

What Else?
There are vitamins and other supplements that have a gillion ingredients in them - who knows whether they're good for you. They have protein bars (as meal replacements), but let's be honest, I've never gotten filled up by a stinking bar regardless of how many grams of protein it has.

What Did I Learn?
Several things in fact...

1. Health is a lifestyle, not a diet or any number of pills. Many of us know how to make good choices but find reasons and justifications to 'just this once' eat poorly.
2. Food is fuel. But you're probably eating too much. I was overeating and justifying it with my running.
3. You don't need a product to lose weight or relieve yourself of weight-related ailments. If you follow the above lessons and consume fewer calories per day, you're bound to lose inches, pounds and eliminate weight-related medications.

Like I said, these aren't revelations for me and my family. Just things we've strayed from more often than we should. The program wasn't for me/us - we have taken away some valuable information and will incorporate them into our lifestyle.

If you'd like more information about the program we tried I'm happy to share more details via email. Contact me at rovert.d@gmail.com.

Be healthy my friends!

Time for Better Nutrition

Deep down every runner is really motivated by the food, drink or chocolate.

Runner's high? Bullshit.

Bucket list? Maybe.

Prerace carb-loading and post-race beers?! SIGN ME UP!

I freely admit I'm guilty of running for other reasons - particularly food. It justifies the additional piece of cake or the trip to Red Robin on the weekends. But throughout my running career, I've been satisfied with being 'fit enough' and not really concerned about a couple extra pounds (or belt loops).

Going into the next couple races however, I've committed to try a nutrition system that promotes whole body improvements. Weight loss is a benefit of course but the gist is that the body rids itself of all the toxins we might normally take in with our food, our environment and occasional over-indulgences. I'm excited and worried at the same time...what if this stuff doesn't work and I end up tanking at my race on 9/27?

It's a 30-day trial so what could go wrong right? Maybe lose a little weight? Maybe build more lean muscle? I can't imagine these are bad things by any stretch...

I'm on Day 2 and so far, I don't feel bad but I don't feel overly amped up like huge changes are happening to my body. I did feel like I slept better last night though. I feel like I've lost weight already too. I haven't weighed myself but the fit of my shorts tells me that either my ass is shrinking or somehow I swapped clothes with Fat Albert. Hey hey hey...

My overall concern is just being able to fuel my body enough to continue to put on the miles necessary for training. While it's still early, I hope I can find the right balance between staying healthy, eating enough and fueling myself for longer runs and more miles.

We'll find out soon enough I guess. I'll continue to capture how things are going on a weekly basis in case you're interested.

Happy running and be safe out there.