I DID A 3 DAY JUICE CLEANSE AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED

Sometimes I have the self control of a fucking Victoria's Secret model and other times I do things in such a serious auto pilot mode that I don't even remember doing it. 

The first time I did a 3 day juice cleanse was about 3 years ago now. Over the course of a few months I went from eating turkey and chicken every day to cutting out meat, to eating plant based, to Raw and then I wanted to take it a step further and try a cleanse. 

I started with 1 day and loved it so much that I went to the store later that night and bought a separate THREE day cleanse. After day 4 I went and got 1 more day making my very first cleanse last for a total of 5 days. 

WTF. 

I think I was a robot. I loved the way I felt, I loved knowing that I was filling my body up with nutrients and I feel like I only stopped because I could barely pay rent so juicing for a day let alone almost a week wasn't really in the budget. 

Fast forward to THIS time around when I decided to dive into a 3 day cleanse and holllllyy hell the vibe is WAY different. 

I still don't eat meat but the day...or 7...before I started the juice cleanse, I wouldn't say I was eating HORRIBLY, but I definitely wasn't eating Raw. 

I was eating healthy food but I was eating more than I needed, and I had like 3 taco nights which really didn't help with the constant bloating I was experiencing. 

I was fed up and felt like I needed a RESET so I went from lots of food to nadddda but juice. 

SO

I got my juice cleanse from Pressed Juicery because their juices taste amazing and their prices are better than most. I think I paid 160 for my first 3 day cleanse and I paid 120 for this one PLUS it comes with more to drink throughout the day. 

I told the woman working that I wanted to do the ADVANCED cleanse meaning the one that has the LEAST amount of sugar and then I asked if I could swap out one of the juices for a juice that had a thicker consistency and more protein since I would be somewhat active during the cleanse. 

Basically this meant that I would have one protein drink in the morning, 4 juices throughout the day, another protein drink for dinner PLUS a chlorophyll drink throughout the day and an aloe vera drink before bed. 

The chlorophyll helps provide you with energy and fullness throughout the day and the aloe juice helps with digestion which I LOVE.

Day 1

Went SUPER well and I think it's always the best day of a cleanse. I was lit with motivation and determination and was stoked that I didn't have to try to plan out any meals for the day. I didn't feel unsatisfied at any point throughout the day at all, I actually had to force myself to finish one of the juices before bed because I forgot about it. Everything was great. THEN

Day 2

Was when I started day dreaming about sweet potato fries and a veggie burger. I was PISSED. I remember the first time I did the cleanse I felt amazing, high energy, no cravings, nada. This time I literally kept imagining myself eating a burger and wanted to munch on something sooo bad. 

This tends to be the subject of day two. Your body starts to crave things and you start to FEEL what it's like to detox.

Luckily what I can't imagine is wasting 120 dollars on a juice cleanse because I couldn't resist cravings for 10 minutes.  So I made it through day 2 and felt really good by the end of the day. I was up from 7:00 am until almost 1:00 am so I still managed to knock out a long day plus a yoga class and a 30 minute nap:)

 My stomach is flat again at this point. My digestion is on point. I'm sleeping like a baby and I'm not experiencing any headaches or tiredness. 

Day 3:

WOKE UP FEELING AMAZING. Had my smoothie drink and felt totally alert for 4 hours. Downed my second juice in a second and felt great again.

Mind you - I work at a cocktail lounge so there are food and drinks everywhere so the temptations are HIGH but every little thing that I want and decide to pass gives me a little bit more confidence in my self control. 

Then I realized that this is half the reason why I love juice cleanses. They get your mind back on track and build up your strength to say no to things because you know you are more interested in reaching your goals. 

Seriously though, how many times have you told yourself that you weren't going to have sweets for a week and by the end of day one your eating more sweets than you normally ever would have?

This happens to all of us. We start to a lose a sense of our self control and our goals. For me - spending this much money on juices makes me determined to do it right because other wise I feel like it would be a waste of money. 

It also motivates me to meal prep healthy foods for the week ahead when my cleanse is OVER so that I don't just fall back into my old habits and waste my time doing the cleanse that way. 

ALSO - you wouldn't believe the amount of shit you get done when you're cleansing. For example, if I wasn't on a cleanse then I would probably be in my bed right now eating a huge bowl of popcorn, sippin' on a grapefruit seltzer and watching GIRLS. 

Or I would be bugging my boyfriend about going out to lunch or seeing who wants to go out to dinner tomorrow. 

Since all those options are off the table, I'm staying home, getting house work done, and creating new projects. 

You kind of have to stay busy on a cleanse or else I feel like you could go nuts so all around it's a win in my book. 

DAY AFTER:

Today is my first day after the cleanse and today feels 100% times better than yesterday. i could drink juice all day today no problem if I wanted to. Yesterday I was still cravings burgers and fries and today I'm not really craving anything. 

I had a juice for breakfast and I'm being cautious of what I eat today. I don't want to just have a big meal and shock my body again and I'm definitely doing my best to stay away from anything with preservatives or added sugars. 

I had a little bit of tuna with gluten free crackers for lunch and right now I'm making ceviche so just trying to have some light, healthy snacks and still drinking 1/2 a gallon of water throughout the day.

I've noticed that my face looks a bit thinner from not having any sugar and drinking SO much water. 

That's another thing. 

When you do a cleanse, you are supposed to drink 16 oz of water in between each juice this way you don't get bloated from all the fruits and veggies you are consuming. This actually also helps you feel SUPER full at times. 

Your skin will look brighter, your bloat will go away, your digestion will be on point, you're cravings will be reduced, and you'll be loaded with the vitamins and minerals you need to get through the day with energy. 

I totally suggest starting with a one day cleanse and if you like it then move on to a 3 day cleanse. 

I ALSO suggest knowing when you are going to start the cleanse so that you can start eating less and HEALTHIER for the few days leading up to the cleanse. TRUST ME, this will make your cleansing experience a lot better!

Let me know if you have any questions!

XX

MY DIET OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS

So I feel like I've been keeping you guys a lot more updated with my workout schedule and results via insta and snap BUUUT although I've told you I've been strict with my diet, I haven't really broken it down yet.

First of all, these pictures were taken only 1 month apart. The one on the right was taken right when I got home from NY so I had been eating everything, drinking everything, I was dehydrated and swollen form traveling. The one on the right was taken a few days ago after 3 weeks of following this eating schedule and sticking to my workouts. 

(YIKES).

First lets quickly go over what my diet was like before because it didn't really seem that bad.

I would wake up in the morning, have a cup of bullet proof coffee and maybe a piece of whole wheat toast with 3 egg whites + sriracha. 

Then I would go to the gym, come home and have a plant based protein smoothie which usually included greens, a banana, almond milk and almond butter, flax seeds, and other super food powders. 

For lunch I might have my Curry cauliflower rice or as of lately I was having a can of tuna with vegan mayo, bread and butter pickles and whole wheat crackers. 

So far not too bad yeah?

So then I would go to work, and this is where I'm realizing the downfall was. 

I would run around for 4 hours then be starving without time to take a break so I would go sneak a piece of pretzel bread with butter like a freaking animal and stuff my face then go back to work. Cool right?

Then I would snack on the jalepeno olives, and then 9:30 pm rolls around and I would finally have time for a break. And I'm one of those people who like, LOVES dinner.

I feel like my day ins't complete until I have dinner. For some people they feel like they can't wake up until they have breakfast so, I get it. 

So I would end up eating work food on my break. Not a lot, but enough that it was messing up my diet. Not to mention the food there is all covered in grease and oil so even if I'm having small portions, it adds up over the week. 

After eating and drinking my way through Thanksgiving I had one of those moments where I decided that i was going to really ACTUALLY get my ish together. 

I think I have pretty decent self control but I clearly lost all control as soon as I went to work, WHICH HAS BEEN A LOT LATELY BECAUSE WE'RE UNDERSTAFFED AND I COULD KILL SOMEONE, but that's off topic. 

The first thing I did ...

the next day on my way to work was stop at Whole Foods and I bought a large bag of raw UNSALTED almonds. 

Who knew how much these little guys would help. I kept them in my car and I would snack on them on the way to work, then I would just bring them inside with me and have some when I felt like I needed a little something. 

I felt like I wasn't having cravings and I wasn't as hungry for food by the end of the night. According to this blog, those feelings are pretttty on point. 

Almonds are actually beneficial when it comes to losing weight, despite their higher calorie content. One study even found that almonds consumed as snacks reduce hunger and desire to eat later in the day, and when dieters eat almonds daily they reduce their overall calorie intake. 

The second thing

I made sure to do was really re focus on my water intake. You will be SO surprised how you're cravings diminish and you eat smaller meals when you're drinking enough water. 

Third...

VERY MINIMAL DRINKING. Ugh I know, trust me, I'm the first to crave a glass of red wine or a whisky sour when it's cold outside or just a beer at lunch...soothes my soul. Haha, BUT I told myself only 2 drinks max one day a week.

I started shrinking FAST. All my clothes started feeling like they were fitting the way they were supposed to, I've been more in control of my eating (no drunchies) and I've stayed more hydrated. 

Alrighty, so those were the main changes I made, the main NEW RULES if you will. 

Now here's what my diet's been looking like throughout the day.

8:00 am - Wake up, have a small almond or peanut butter Perfect Bar.

I do this because I always hit the gym in the morning and before I do that I have my 3 favorite products from MRM - L Carnitine, Pre Workout, and BCAA's. These three things combined help with optimal fat burn, weight loss, and muscle retention BUT if you have them on an empty stomach, you're going to hate yourself.

Also when I take my pre workout and L Carnitine I have it in 1 glass of water so I'm also hydrating as soon as I wake up.

10:00 am - Post Gym Plant Protein Smoothie

Lately I've been keeping it really simple and doing this:

- 1 1/2 cups almond milk

- 1 large table spoon of flax seed peanut butter from Trader Joe's

- 1 Scoop Vanilla Plant Based Protein from MRM ( Remember, you can always go to their site and use my code CHELSEY at check out to get 40% off any product!)

- 1 TSP Cinnamon

- 3 Ice Cubes

- 1 Scoop Collagen Vital Protein (to help with hair, skin and nails!)

Or if I have berries, I loveeeeee this berry smoothie. 

1:00 pm - For lunch lately I've been having an organic soup (Annie's Soup) with a piece of whole wheat toast OR the Kale and Edamame salad from Trader Joe's because it's big, amazing and cheap, OR a juice with almonds and or a perfect bar. So I keep it fairly light, never letting myself get to the point that I feel SUPER full.

4:30 pm - On the way to work I munch on almonds pretty much the whole way and take either a juice with me or a chilled green tea. I like to do a caffeinated green tea with a peppermint tea for energy and a better taste. 

7:00 pm - Lately I've been brining my spaghetti squash bake with me to work and having that for dinner! I'm so obsessed with it and it's just a bunch of veggies so I never get too full from eating it but I'm definitely satisfied. I also like it because it can be served hot or cold. 

10:00 pm - I've been going for a hot tea around this time made of chamomile, fresh ginger juice, lemon juice, and honey. It's soooo good, it relaxes me, warms me up and makes me feel like I'm having a little treat before calling it a night. 

Notice how I end up eating something light about every 3 hours. That helps speed up your metabolism because you're body knows that it's going to be getting food so it feels like it's safe enough to quickly digest your food and dispose of it.

This is why when we don't eat for a long time and then have a meal, our body hangs on to as much of it as possible which promotes WEIGHT GAIN.

Get it? 

So I hope that helps clarify what I've been doing! Ask any questions below!