First, make sure you have a really good blender on hand. I love, love, love our Breville blender - it's cheaper than a Vitamix but just as powerful! I also got my epsom salts and vitamins online (Multi, Omega 3 & Probiotic) so that I didn't have to run to a million stores. Here is the overview of the cleanse:
What I liked:
- This cleanse was SUPER easy for me because I already do green smoothies from time to time, so I was familiar with them (and their taste!).
- I loved that the menu was pre-set, this made it easy for me to follow and shop for and no more "hmmmm what should I eat?" questions.
- The smoothies were REALLY good. The breakfast and dinner were my favorite!
- The green tea made the cleanse a lot more enjoyable because I barely had any caffeine withdrawl at all (one small headache on the second day! vs day long headaches with past cleanses)
- Everything you need for this cleanse you can find at the grocery store and everything is recognizable. No crazy ingredients or stops at expensive healthfood stores!
- I lost a few pounds and a lot of "pudge". I don't really weigh myself that often, I would guess I lost a pound or two but I lost a lot more "bloat" and "pudge" and that feeling of "yuck" that often accompanies the end of the holidays!
- I really enjoyed the baths. I took them on the first and second night and then on the fourth night (the day following the cleanse). I had heard great things about epsom baths for detox and bloating and now I am a believer!
- I was not "hungry" the whole time. I didn't even do the "snack" shake. I didn't feel the need to.
- My kids even liked the smoothies! They were trying to steal mine :)
- 3 days was the perfect amount of time. I was feeling like quitting mid-day on the second day, but I am glad I kept with it.
- I felt "good" the whole time... never sluggish or worn out. I did try to take it easy with activities since I wasn't getting a ton of protein. But mainly I felt great!
What I didn't like:
- The lunch smoothie! The celery was TOO much for me, so after the first day I emitted that after the first day and added a fruit instead.
- The smoothies were too big for me, after the first day I did about 2/3 of each ingredient listed.
- I had serious salt cravings, which I'm not even a big salt eater/shaker. So that was surprising. There is pretty much zero salt in this cleanse.
- I would have liked more guidelines on the amount of water to consume (I like rules!), but I just tried to drink when thirsty throughout.
- Guilty admission: I cheated with a few bites of "real" food on the second and third day. It's hard to make meals for the kiddos and not steal a bite! :)
Follow up:
- I have continued with the green tea each morning... that is almost a week straight with no coffee and I haven't even missed it! Wow! (I still have a Diet Coke around lunch time, I just can't quit that - but I abstained during the cleanse)
- I have tried to replace one meal a day with one of these smoothies going forward. This helps me feel less guilty about a hearty lunch or dinner, or since I am a huge snacker - I can keep snacking guilt free!
- The recipes are seriously so easy that I am encouraged to keep all these fresh items around the house from now on!
- Please note that I have done a cleanse before... if this is your first time cleansing you may experience more withdrawl symptoms from eliminating caffeine or gluten. If you experience these symptoms remember to rest and drink more water!
Let me know if you have any questions! I highly recommend this cleanse!
