To Cleanse or Not To Cleanse?

Detoxes and cleanses can be so tempting, but not all of them or healthy or necessarily right for you. For the past few months I've been feeling pretty icky and eating lots of crappy food. When I get home from school and work, the last thing I want to do is make food, so Jason and I have developed a Domino's problem, eek! My diet has been awful from what I've been eating to my consistency with meals. Dieting wasn't in my radar because I wasn't looking to lose weight, I needed something that was going to help me feel really healthy. My mom started the Advocare cleanse, and inspired me to try one as well. I stopped by Trader Joe's and tried the 14-day Complete Body Cleanse. When I was researching different types of cleanses, I found that people don't often post the details of their experiences, so I knew I wanted to share mine. It's kind of a long post because of everything I wanted to share with you, so bear with me!

Trader Joe's Complete Body Cleanse, $12.99

It was hard in the beginning for sure, after my first few days I was feeling drained, craving everything sweet, and struggling to drink as much water as I needed to stay hydrated, and the bathroom...not fun...(embarrassing, but honest!). I would say that the hardest parts for me were the pills (175 pills in two weeks!) and the restrictions. Here is a basic layout of the cleanse...

I found it most helpful to lay out my pill schedule on a note next to my bottles.

Pill Schedule:

Week 1 (AM): 4 fiber 

Week 1 (PM): 4 fiber, 3 digestive, 1 liver

Week 2 (AM): 4 fiber, 1 liver

Week 2 (PM): 4 fiber, 2 liver, 2 digestive

I also found it most helpful to stay away from everything that the cleanse suggested to reduce or avoid. My purpose in doing this was to completely eliminate my cravings for them. The cleanse suggests a reduction of intake of processed foods, simple carbs, beef, pork, dairy, wheat, and soy. It suggests that you avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugar, potatoes, saturated fats, trans fats, and artificial sweeteners. I allowed myself dairy twice during the two weeks, and that was just a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top of some noodles. I also allowed myself some white bread on Valentine's day along with a Shirley Temple (give me a break, I never get out!). I really suggest following the guidelines as closely as you can because it is the only way you'll see the results the cleanse can provide, and I've heard horror stories about people who have cheated with coffee and dairy, and ended up having to run to the restroom feeling sick.

There are a handful of things that I couldn't do without on this cleanse even if I tried. I would say my essentials would be almond milk, peanut butter, eggs, fruits and vegetables. The almond milk was a great substitute for dairy products. I put it in smoothies and drank it to replace my nightly glass of milk. Peanut butter is a great source of protein, I ate it plain and dipped apples and bananas in it (my favorite is Adam's natural crunchy PB). I also had an egg scramble every single morning for breakfast.

If you decide to do this cleanse, I would suggest your grocery list consist of the following...

-Produce: Apples, bananas, carrots, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, peppers, basil, oranges, lemons.

-Protein: Chicken, fish, eggs.

-Condiments/Dips/Oils: Hummus, pesto, olive oil.

-Complex carbs: Whole grain pasta/couscous, whole grain bread, rice.

What I did with the ingredients...

I used peanut butter with apple/banana. I paired hummus with the broccoli, cucumber, and carrots for a lunch snack. Pesto, whole grain bread, spinach, and avocado made a simple lunch. Every morning I made a 4 egg scramble that usually consisted of spinach or basil with tomato or peppers. Dinners usually consisted of either a chicken parm pasta with whole grain noodles, or rosemary lemon garlic chicken with some whole grain bread on the side. I lived on chocolate banana peanut butter protein smoothies for a midday snack (http://believecreatesharerepeat.blogspot.com/2015/01/post-workout-protein-smoothie.html). One of my favorite dinners was jasmine rice, steamed broccoli, and Trader Joe's spicy peanut salad dressing all mixed together!

Some guidelines for how to cleanse...

-Drink plenty of water! Take your body weight and divide by two, this is the amount of ounces you should have every day.

-Don't push yourself to go to the gym. While it might seem like it will help, your energy levels are going to be low and your body is already going through a tough time, and this is one area where you really don't want to overdo it, so be careful and do not push your body past it's limits. As long as you eat right and follow the guidelines, you will see results.

-No cheat days! The cleanse won't work unless you follow the guidelines every day.

-Be aware that the first few days the pills may be hard on your stomach, and it is different for every single person. The digestive pills at night made me very nauseous the first few days, but my body adjusted and I felt like they helped a ton to get all the bad stuff out.

-Get plenty of sleep. Your energy will be low and even with 8+ hours you'll feel like you're dragging a bit in the first week.

-Stick it out! It won't be worth it if you don't go through the whole thing. If I can do it you can definitely do it too! 

-Eat lots of small, healthy meals, and do lots of snacking. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and less protein, you'll be hungry more often. Raw almonds were my favorite snack!

One week through the cleanse I felt like there was absolutely no way that I'd be feeling good by the end, but I am glad I stayed on track. I was worried that on day 15 I would be craving candy and chocolate and everything I've been missing, but surprisingly, I'm not! I feel motivated to stay on track, and I even felt guilty eating a homemade energy bar because it had about 4 chocolate chips in it. Even though this isn't a weight loss cleanse, I took before and after pictures in a sports bra and spandex and noticed quite a bit of difference in what most women consider their 'problem' areas (thighs, lower back, hips). I also felt like my skin cleared up! I feel a million times healthier and can't wait to continue cutting out the bad stuff, stop popping pills, and get back to the gym! 

So, to cleanse or not to cleanse? This is the question I am still torn about. I do feel a million times better, but I feel like the diet regimen that the cleanse suggests would be good enough if you just want to feel healthy. But if you're looking to have a complete body cleanse, get all that crud out, and start fresh, I would definitely suggest this one. It was cheap, the ingredients of the pills are natural, which made me okay with the pill popping every day and night. Fiber is necessary for a full body cleanse because toxins hitch a ride out on fiber, so that part is definitely essentially if you want to detox. And make sure that if you do detox, you don't do it more than about 3-4 times a year!

I hope that you found this helpful! If you've ever done a cleanse I would absolutely love to hear about your experience or any suggestions you have for my future cleansing! xoxo