I did a 3 day juice cleanse with Pressed Juicery and here is what happened

One of the strangest things about the wellness industry is how quickly new trends pop up. I find it so interesting to see how trends like jade rollers, detox tea and collagen powder became popular overnight. One day you’ve never heard of a jade roller and the next day every single wellness influencer has a tutorial online. Juice cleanses have been in the wellness scene for a long time and I decided that it’s finally time to try it out.

My friend, Toby, and I went to Pressed Juicery to learn all about the cleanse. Pressed Juicery claims that a 3-day cleanse will help with digestion, reduce cell damage, weight loss and improved overall well-being. Toby and I chose Cleanse #2, which they say is the most popular and tastiest.

1. Greens 2: Energizes the body.
2. Citrus 2: Great for digestion, full of antioxidants and aids in detoxification.
3. Greens 3: Leafy greens and ginger to aid in digestion.
4. Roots 3: The most antioxidants, wakes you up with *lots* of ginger. // drink this real slow if you don’t like ginger because it is hard to get through.
5. Citrus 1: Hydrating.
6. Strawberry Almond: We changed the Vanilla Almond for Strawberry because we liked the taste better. This juice is the thickest juice with the most sustenance. It tastes like strawberry milk. // drink this if you are really hungry.
7. Chlorophyll Water: Detoxifying. // drink throughout the day
8. Aloe Water: Hydrating. // drink before bed

Toby and I journaled our thoughts throughout the cleanse to track things like hunger, energy, mood and mental clarity. We hosted an IG live where we talked about our thoughts. I got soo many DMs and messages post-IG live with comments/questions so I wanted to move the conversation here.

Here are my thoughts throughout the juice cleanse:

DAY 1:

• 8AM: I just stated my first juice. I’m feeling super motivated and excited. Of course, I Instagram-ed my first juice.
• 12PM: Why is my Instagram all pictures of food?
• 130PM: I’m absolutely freezing and cannot regulate my temperature.
• 3PM: I need a nap.
• 5PM: I want to eat so bad (out of ritual, not hunger).
• 8PM: Urge to eat food is SO HIGH. Energy is great. Feeling super motivated and productive.
• 9PM: I can’t finish the last juice (aloe water)… too. many. fluids.

DAY 2:

• 8AM: I woke up and wasn’t hungry! (This is absolutely incredible because I usually wake up starving and live for breakfast.)
• 10AM: Cravings for food are at an all-time high. I’m still not hungry just craving pizza.
• 12PM: I need a nap.
• 2PM: Okay, I’m hungry now.
• 3PM: Went to Pressed Juicery for a thicker juice because I’m heading to Orange Theory tonight and I’m super nervous/want to eat everything out of habit. Pressed Juicery suggested veggies so I ate cucumber, kale and a little hummus.
• 8PM: Orange Theory was 100x harder without real food. I’m proud of myself for finishing the workout, even if I only got one splat point.

DAY 3: 

• 8AM: NO MORE JUICES PLEASE.
• 12PM: I’m hungry. I will settle for anything right now.
• 3PM: Energy is good. Feeling motivated.
• 5PM: Super upset I committed to three days.
• 8PM: I’m about to cry thinking about my avocado toast in the morning.

Overall Thoughts: 

I think juice cleanses have way too much hype that I just don’t understand. I didn’t lose weight or see any real benefits to say that this was helpful. My energy was all over the place because of the sugar in the juices. When I drank a juice, my blood sugar would rise and I would feel great but then it would drop and I would immediately need a nap. The amount of sugar in the juices definitely concerned me and was very noticeable day 1. I constantly felt like I needed to brush my teeth due to the sugar content.

Also, I was freezing throughout this entire process because I did not have enough calories to warm my body up. I’m usually a cold person but man this was incredibly worse than normal.

I would say that the biggest thing I learned from this process is how long it took me to get physically hungry. I constantly turn to food out of habit, the need to fit in while out with friends and just out of stress/boredom. I am definitely going to work on building a healthier relationship with food, a relationship where I don’t reach for the chip bag every 30 minutes. Hunger cues are real, I just need to listen to them.

Have you done a juice cleanse before? What are your thoughts?