My 3 day cleanse...
So, just like everyone else I indulged a bit to much over the holidays and even for someone like me who is in the health and fitness field I decided that I needed a jump start to get back on track and feel like myself again.
One of my girlfriends, told me about this 3 day fruit cleanse/detox and I thought to myself if there is fruit involved I could give it a try. I am not big on anything that requires starving myself and I don't think anyone close to me would be either.
The day before the cleanse I researched all the ingredients I would need and was pleasantly surprised to find out I had almost everything. The cleanse calls for a whey protein powder preferably Jay Robb's. (I use this every morning already in chocolate flavor), water , fruit and some actual protein, I would recommend skinless boneless chicken or salmon.
Day 1
Wake up and mix 1 1/4 of protein powder with 1 quart of water and blend (or mix). You will need all of this so if you are on the go, find a big plastic container to carry around with you. You are then allowed to have 6 ounces every 2 hours. In between be sure to drink lots of water or lemon water it will help you consume more. I think because I was so ready to start this cleanse that I wasn't feeling terribly hungry and I was drinking so much water it was keeping my belly full. I also didn't work out that morning so my appetite wasn't as big as usual. I made it all day with out any headaches and at the end of the day you are allowed to have 3-4 ounces of protein with a raw salad consisting of lettuce and veggies and you may only use extra virgin olive oil or flax seed oil. They suggest you eat at 6 pm but I never get home before 8 so I ate my salmon and raw salad at 815pm.. That salmon never tasted SO good.. I guess I was more hungry than I realized. I thought to myself wow I can totally do this and the next two days I was able to eat fruit so how hard could it be.
Day 2
I woke up at 540am to go to my usual Muay Thai boot camp class and was feeling hungry and definitely not as strong as I normally am however, I made it through the class and couldn't wait to get back to my first piece of fruit! For the next two days I was able to eat 1 serving of fruit every 2 hours until dinner and then my protein and raw salad. I ate my banana and was on my way to work with my bag of fruit. Be sure to look up what is considered 1 serving to make sure you have the right amounts. I proceeded with my work day and started to feel under the weather and thought maybe I was just losing energy from the change in my diet but as my nose started to get stuffy and my head was feeling very full I realised I was probably catching a cold that had finally made its way to me from everyone else. I wasn't going to give up and I just needed to get through the rest of the day and soon enough I will be eating my chicken and raw salad. The day seemed long and the fruit seemed small. I felt this cleanse was getting harder than I thought. Thankfully my friend was doing the cleanse with me so I would text her though out the day and we could commiserate together and I was having her over for dinner that night so we could wallow some more. The day ended and I made it.. One day left!!
Day 3
I woke up feeling worse than the day before with this head cold and both my clients had cancelled so I was very happy to sleep in a little more. I think between the lack of food mixed with the head cold I was struggling to peel myself out of bed and was a walking shell of myself. I had to make it through this last day. I made into work with my second bag of fruit in hand and proceeded with my day. I was really struggling with hunger and fatigue. I decided to get a decaf tea to have in between my fruit to help with my throat and maybe ward off some hunger pains.. didn't really help. I looked at my calender and noticed I was training two clients back to back after work and either I was going to have to wait till 9 for my protein and raw salad dinner or I would end the fruit early and have dinner before I trained and just not eat anything for the rest of the night which would be hard too. I ordered a plain salad with grilled chicken from the cafe across the street and ate at 6pm. That salad never tasted so good! By the time I got to the gym I had some color back to my face and my energy level shot up, which was great. I was able to motivate my clients more than a zombie! I wasn't even hungry for the rest of the night which was even better.
Day 4 OFF THE CLEANSE
So you think I would be ready to eat whatever came my way but after all that I felt so clean that I wanted to be very careful about what I put in my stomach. For the first time in my life I didn't want to snack on every little thing. I decided for a protein shake for breakfast and light soup and veggie salad for lunch and some more fruit.. You'd think I would be sick of fruit but I felt great after it. I never weighed myself through this cleanse so I can't tell you if I lost weight or not. I was not doing this for an immediate weight drop but more for a start to eating right again. I recommend this cleanse to people who are looking to start fresh with their eating habits and continue eating clean.
I have a feeling I will try this again without being sick so I can reap all the benefits.
Happy New Year and remember to check out my website for kickboxing classes and private training info...
xo,
Kick Ash Fitness
