I trialed a 3 day smoothie cleanse.

I know I am not alone when I say I enjoyed the extra carbohydrates and sweets this past week. This time of year brings lots of “temptations”. As we discussed in the No Excuse November challenge, social gatherings and holidays usually have food as a central point. Food is a love language. Food brings back memories and of course… good tasting food makes us “feel good” by increasing our endorphins.

I felt as though I ate too much (I’m only human). I wanted to try a smoothie cleanse to “Reset” my body. I’ve never done anything like this before.

I also didn’t work out last week either because I was off work and had my children home majority of the time. Between visiting with family and being home with them, I didn’t prioritize time for my health.

I researched a smoothie cleanse online and found a 3 day cleanse that I could prepare on my own. I found a plan on the “Simple Green Smoothies” website (I will link this below).

Fortunately, I had some of the ingredients at home. I used the shopping list that was provided (for free) to purchase mainly produce to make the smoothies. I have included the menu as well as the shopping list below.

I’m sure you want to know about my experience with the cleanse. I was scheduled to work twelve hours Wednesday and Thursday, so Tuesday evening I prepped for the next two days. This process took about two hours altogether from start to finish.

The site recommends making smoothies fresh, however this was not going to be possible for me. I placed the smoothies for day one in the fridge and the smoothies for day two in the freezer. My plan for Friday was to make the smoothies fresh because I would be home.

I start my day off with a latte (two espresso shots and oat milk). I have cut caffeine before and experience bad headaches from the withdrawal. I purchased Celsius to have in the mornings for the cleanse. The first day of smoothies was smooth. I did start my period that day which was not fun but I do feel the smoothies helped my bloating and cramps to decrease. I added protein powder to 4/5 of the smoothies to ensure adequate protein intake and help me to not feel hungry during the cleanse. The first day I actually was too full to finish the 5th smoothie. That evening after working all day, I needed to clean my house and catch up on laundry. I was tired, however I felt like I had an increase in energy to help me get through this.

Day two (yesterday), I drank the 5th smoothie for breakfast. Then I had a Celsius. I felt more hunger this day. I followed the smoothie plan throughout the day and around 2pm I started to experience a bad headache. I took Advil which helped with my headache but ill be honest .. for dinner.. I wanted something hot to eat. I decided to break the cleanse and I ate food for dinner.

On the evening of day one I did start to experience stomach cramping and had to go to the bathroom (sorry if TMI). So, the smoothie did help with “cleansing” my system.

I did feel like my stomach had flattened some which i’m sure was water weight and secondary to a decrease in sodium intake. I did lose a few pounds. I took some before and after pictures to document.

I chose to do this cleanse now so I could share my experience with you. If I would’ve pushed through to the end by maybe setting myself up for better success (not trying the cleanse while working or on my period), maybe I could tell you additional benefits. If this is something you would like to do, please complete your own personal research and if you have pre-existing medical conditions, discuss with your primary care provider before beginning.