Diets, juice cleanses, detoxes, gym memberships, quick fixes—these are terms that typically make my head spin. There are an overwhelming number of options out there for someone who is looking to detox their body and quickly shed a few pesky pounds like I was. Heading to a friend’s wedding in late January left me desperately seeking a way to (healthily) lose a few pounds, but more importantly feel better in my own skin than I had been feeling after making poor diet decisions through the early part of the winter (seriously, who can resist sweets and rich, comfort foods that come with colder weather).
Given the short timeline I had to accomplish my goal (ahem, only one week), I took the recommendation of a few friends and decided to try a juice cleanse. I hit up Groupon because let’s face it—I love a good deal—but was off-put by processed juice cleanses and wanted to try something more natural. Enter Freshii. Freshii is relatively new to the Mall (learn more here), and when I found out they offered a juice cleanse, I decided to give it a try.
The run down: each day you drink four fresh juices (Green Energy, Carrot Zinger, Mighty Detox + Red Power) and a GIANT, nutritious Metaboost salad. I opted for the Determined 3 Day Cleanse which cost $80. A fair price considering the juice cleanses on Groupon were around $90 – $100 even after the discount. Let’s get down to it.
DAY ONE:
I felt ready and determined to make it through the three-day cleanse with NO CHEATING. The hardest part? Thinking about how I wouldn’t get to start my mornings with coffee (confession: I have a serious Starbucks addiction and zero shame about it). I walked up to Freshii to pick up my day one loot and I got to watch them make my juices fresh from whole veggies! Delicious. If you’re used to sweetened juices, prepare your palate for something more earthy. Personally, I love the taste of juiced vegetables + fruits so I knew that taste would not be a problem for me. I planned to space out the juices throughout my work day, and eat the salad when I returned home each night.
The first morning flew by and I felt great—until the afternoon hit. I was feeling all the feels that my coffee would normally mask (tired, sluggish, irritable) and I was straight-up hungry. The rest of the day dragged on and on as I watched the clock slowly tick its way to 5:00. The temptation to cheat was real, but I was determined—and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me. I raced home that evening, walked in the door and sat down at the dinner table with my salad without as much as saying hello to my boyfriend. Usually we eat together but tonight, I HAD TO DEVOUR the salad as soon as possible or I was probably going to melt into the wicked witch of the west.
The salad was DELICIOUS. And it’s not just the hunger pangs talking! I loved it, and it filled me up to the point that I felt semi-normal again. Well, sort of—I plopped myself into bed at 7:30 p.m. because I was TIRED. Could be because it was a Monday, or could be because I was lacking my usual caloric-intake, but who is to say?! I went to bed chanting “two more days, two more days” over and over again in my head.
DAY TWO:
I woke up hungry. Ravenous, starving, hangry—all of the above. I couldn’t WAIT to get to Freshii! They don’t open at the Mall until 9, so I sat at my desk from 7:45 until 9 a.m. staring at my screen in a delirious state as my brain fought to send signals to the rest of my body. It simply wasn’t working. FINALLY, I got up to Freshii and welcomed my first juice of the day. I silently cursed everyone carrying around their Starbucks cups and tried to convince myself that I was doing the right thing. The day dragged on, but by the time the afternoon rolled around I wasn’t QUITE as tired as I was on Monday. And by the time I got home at night, I actually waited to eat my salad until 7 p.m. when my boyfriend was also ready to eat. I went to bed excited for day three (my last day) of the juice cleanse!
DAY THREE:
I didn’t wake up hungry on Wednesday, and I actually felt pretty good! I had a meeting at 9 a.m., so my trip to Freshii would have to wait until 10. Could I do it? I wasn’t sure, but somehow the minutes ticked away and I felt fine—after I drank my first juice I wasn’t tired or hungry at all. And when I got home that evening, I SPLIT the salad and only ate half because I just wasn’t that hungry (and the salad is quite large). I was feeling thinner, more energized and back to my normal self by the end of the day. I stayed up until a normal time at night, and woke up NOT HUNGRY again.
CONCLUSION:
I vowed to do this juice cleanse without stepping on a scale because I was more concerned with how I felt after-the-fact than weight-loss. Even though I have no idea if I was or not, I FELT skinnier and healthier after the cleanse. My pants even seemed to fit better. Ready to walk the aisle for my friend’s wedding and ready to commit to cleaner eating habits during the remaining winter months + spring. The Freshii Juice Cleanse gets an A-plus in my book and I would recommend it any time of the year.
