On my Day Zero list is a challenge to complete a juice cleanse. I’m not sure why I put it on my list, seeing as how I’m not terribly excited by the idea, but I think it was to challenge myself to do something I didn’t want to do and didn’t think I could do successfully. So on Monday morning, I made a pit-stop at the local Whole Foods and picked up juices for a one day cleanse. I chose these, but there are lots of options and you can even make the juices yourself. Day one of the cleanse cost me $44.01 (tax included) from my local Whole Foods. This is cheaper than if I had ordered from the brand’s website, where it would have cost $54. The local store didn’t have the Fiji in stock, so I purchased the Master Cleanse instead and will just make that its substitution. It is worth noting that on my way out the door, my cashier Andrew wished me luck on the cleanse. Is that good or bad? I don’t know.

Suja Cleanse

Here is my juice cleanse diary:

Monday, May 13, 2013

8:30AM: I am drinking the first juice, called Glow, and it’s a vegetable and fruit juice blend with apple, cucumber, celery, collard greens, spinach, kale, and peppermint. All the ingredients are organic and the taste is bright and fresh and clean, with a barely-there sense of sweetness. I think it mostly tastes like celery. A lot of people would probably think this stuff is gross, but I kind of like it. I filled up my huge cup (32 oz.) of water, and will try to drink that before noon. Right now, I’m feeling good. I’m tired and I want coffee, but I’m not hungry, so that’s good.

9:40AM: I was going to wait until 10:00AM to start on the next juice, but I’m a little hungry and patience is not exactly my greatest asset. I grabbed the Fuel from the fridge and drank it during a work meeting. The flavor on this one rocks! It tastes like carrots, orange, and pineapple. So yummy.

11:00AM: I’m hungry and I want to eat a burrito or quesadilla. Of course, the fact that my job centers around food doesn’t help the cravings. Going through my blog roll and finding this, this, this, and this all made me hungry. I’m going to blame it on that and move on.

11:38AM: Nope, I’m actually hungry. Moving on to the next juice, Purify. Looks a gorgeous red color but tastes like carrots and celery. There is a lot of celery in this particular juice cleanse. I have gone from Mexican food cravings to cheeseburgers. I don’t know how people do this juice cleanse thing regularly. If I didn’t have this blog to hold me accountable, I’d probably be on my way to the first hot and cheesy carb I could find. Thanks, blog. (P.S. I finished my first 32 oz of water.)

12:50PM: I cheated and ate a few cashews. Shhhhh, don’t tell!

2:14PM: I should probably drink another juice, but my stomach feels so full (but I’m still hungry, weird!) so I don’t really want to eat or drink anything. I wonder if this is just what happens when you drink so much liquid. I’ve moved on past my burrito and cheeseburger cravings. Now I’m making deals with the gods: I’ll only eat salads forever, just so long as I can EAT or I promise to feature more vegetable dishes on my blog every week, just give me solid food! My coworker told me he has done a juice cleanse for 2 weeks. I am pretty sure that I do not possess that level of discipline.

2:30PM: Opened up the Master Cleanse juice which is really just water, lemon, cayenne, and maple syrup – aka “The Hollywood Diet” that stars used to drink for days in order to slim down before events. Nevertheless, it’s spicy and sweet and generally just a nice change of pace from the vegetable juices.

3:17PM: I’m not really hungry, I’m not experiencing afternoon tiredness, and I feel good. Maybe this juice cleanse thing is alright.

3:45PM: I’m in a meeting and they see my juice. Someone asks if I’m hungry. I say no. My stomach growls loudly. Ugh. I’m officially hungry.

5:15PM: I’m on my way  home from work and I start drinking the Green Supreme. I stop at the local market to pick up a couple of things for tomorrow’s meals and I’m looking for my keys so I can lock my car as I walk in. But wait – where are my keys? Oh my goodness, I must have left them in the car. But not only did I leave them in the car, I realize I had left the car ON! My brain is obviously not working. I turn off the car and walk in. I have a headache. I realize that maybe doing a juice fast is not for everyone and I get a hefty portion of baked chicken and steamed cabbage from the hot bar. I

In the end, do I think I could have pushed through and done it? Maybe. Was it the best idea? Probably not. The juice cleanse today reminded me of the time I tried the Adkins diet in college. I thought I could do it and be fine, but by 4:30PM, I got really dizzy and almost passed out on a table. The manager of my restaurant told me to go in the back and chug a bunch of orange juice and eat a few bites of pie and strongly suggested I not try something like that again. Well, Jenny, I’m sorry. I tried again, and you were right. This is not for me.

That said, I’d totally try it again. If I do, I’ll let you know how it goes. I think I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do, and if I do try again, maybe I’ll make juices at home and share some recipes!

Have you ever tried a juice cleanse? How did it go for you?