Food Detective: Entry Four – FINAL

Over, done, kaput, the juice cleanse is done. I learned a lot. More than I expected. Some good, some bad, but overall I am glad I went through it. I know I complained off and on but it wasn’t a difficult as I expected it to be. Perhaps it is my previous experience being on an 800-1000 calorie diet for nearly two years helped with the required strength, determination, and hunger. Yes it was a doctor monitored diet after my gastric bypass. Logically, your calorie count goes dramatically down. Nevertheless, I was trained to do just this type of thing. However, it was still my first juice cleanse.

3-Day Juice Cleanse from Real Good Juice Co.
Facts:
Day 1 Weight Loss: Lost 0.6lbs
Day 2: Weight Loss: Lost 2.4lbs
Day 3: Weight Loss: Lost 0.6lbs
Total 3 Day Weight Loss: 3.6lbs

Day 1: No caffeine withdrawal symptoms (Still drinking tea at 25%)
Day 2: No caffeine withdrawal symptoms (Still drinking tea at 25%)
Day 3: No caffeine withdrawal symptoms (Still drinking tea at 25%)

Day 1 Workout: Light walking, typically a rest day, did accomplish squat goal. – No side effects
Day 2 Workout: 2 miles on treadmill, no weights (typical weight training day), did accomplish squat goal.– No side effects.
Day 3:Workout: 2 miles on treadmill, no weights, Squat Rest Day– No side effects.

Lessons:
1. Not hungry for nearly the entire time.
2. No caffeine or sugar withdrawal symptoms.
3. Eating was habitual for me. Like Pavlov’s Conditioning Theory, I was instantly alerted to the idea of food at certain times of the day regardless of how hungry I was or was not.

In conclusion, if you generally already eat healthy and not in excess you will likely not struggle with hunger. Weight-loss achieved is temporary which makes complete sense. I think it is a great way to get a jump start in making changes to your diet. However, I’m not sold on the idea that you can actually “detox” in just three days. In my own opinion, the best way to cleanse yourself of what you perceive as being toxic is to avoid foods and drinks known to do harm. Your body is built to detox but you do have to do your part in keeping healthy. Over time with healthy eating and regular activity you will likely feel much better. Over the course of three years and over one hundred pounds lost I know I feel better, younger, and more energetic. I feel less sluggish, weighed down, and have no more brain fog. A cleanse cannot do this for you. What it can do is get you started in making those long term healthy choices. Some of us need to throttle ourselves into overdrive to get into motion and then slowly taper back to a comfortable speed when it comes to lifestyle changes. For you I suggest a juice cleanse. It has the potential to help you determine which foods work best for your body type. I leaned after the fact sugar was giving me headaches. I already don’t use much sugar but I’m using even less now. I also learned caffeine, specifically that comes from tea has little to no impact on me. I feel great coming out being able to learn about myself in that way and make changes. Without the cleanse I may have not known how addicted my body became to sugar. However, that’s just me. You’re a different person all together.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m not a doctor. I suggest you speak with yours if you want to give this a try. After three days I felt great and learned enough to make changes. As for my GI issues I believe my doctor and I have officially come to the conclusion that I am suffering from sever abdominal adhesions or better known as scar tissue. Unless it starts to impact internal organs or anything else just as serious I see no point in surgical intervention. There is no guarantee it won’t come back. As a matter of fact, the more surgical intervention you have the more likely you’ll have scar tissue. I would like to stop now at lucky number seven.