I've done 2 or 3 day eating cleanses before and most of them (no, all of them...this whole post will be brutally honest) were lacking. As in I thought I was going to die by half way through day 2. So when Beachbody announced the 3-Day Refresh, with 3 shakes, a fiber drink, and REAL food each day I was really excited. So was it everything I wished and hoped it could be?
Maybe a better question is will I do it again. And the answer is a qualified "yes." More on that later.
Reaching goals is always easier with an end in mind, so let's start with the results...
Weight: There is a 5-ish pound range that I like to be in and I started at the high side of that. But I wasn't looking to lose a lot of weight. In the end I lost 3.5 pounds (in 3 days) and I am VERY happy with that. I did not want to lose much more.
Inches: I really wanted to reduce some of my measurements. Certain areas haven't gone back to the same size they were before my daughter was born, even though I'm much healthier, weigh a LOT less, and am MUCH happier with my body and how I look. At the same time, I really want to reduce my waist and hip measurements if at all possible. For a week or so before the cleanse I had been feeling extremely bloated and heavy. I think it was mainly the hot, humid weather we had been having but I'll fully admit that I had not been as clean with my eating as I usually am for a few weeks. I lost 4" overall, measuring chest, waist, hips, butt, and theighs. An entire inch came off my waist!
Why did I want to do a cleanse, especially when I wasn't looking to lose a lot of weight? I do eat a relatively clean diet and I am aware of what I eat (even when I have an extra cheat or two.....I don't tend to eat mindlessly anymore). But I do eat a fair amount of dairy, I do eat all kinds of meats....at least a serving a day (poultry, beef, pork, lamb, bison), and I eat a decent amount of carbs (mostly healthy, whole-food, with the occasional cheat thrown in). I have mostly cut refined sugar out of my diet, but some is there for sure. So I really wanted to cleanse all of this out of my system.
I'm not going to go into a ton of detail about the cleanse, but a short review of the product itself, before we get to my experience doing it. The guide is extremely well-laid out and easy to use. It made me not quite so intimidated before starting because each day is laid out to a T, including spots for you to fill out each food option for each meal/snack for each day. I filled out the booklet and it was fast and simple to put together my grocery shopping list. Each day starts with a Shakeology shake (I chose vegan because I wanted to completely eliminate dairy) and a serving of fruit. This is followed by morning tea (all teas are optional) and then the fiber drink. I had heard HORRIBLE things about the fiber drink, and these had clearly shaped my expectations because I didn't think it was bad at all. It has a faint lemony flavor and is thicker like other fiber drinks. I certainly wouldn't sip on it, but I had no trouble getting the glass down. Lunch consists of the Vanilla Fresh protein drink, a fruit, a vegetable, and a healthy fat. Then a snack of a veggie and healthy fat and afternoon tea. Dinner is another protein shake and a dish off the dinner menu....all vegetables/salads prepared with a variety of seasonings and toppings....some raw, some cooked. There is a pretty good selection and I actually had trouble deciding which three to make. And all that I made are delicious! I actually made the veggie stir fry as a side dish for my dinner tonight because it was so tasty. One more tea is optional before bed.
Day 1: My morning meals were a little thrown off because my daughter woke up late and I was having lunch with my mom. I wanted to get to the lunch meal in the meal plan so I could eat something with her, so I ended up cramming my breakfast, fiber drink and lunch into the first 3 hours of my day (you are supposed to wait at least an hour between each time you eat or drink tea). I skipped my morning tea, but I was VERY proud of myself for also resisting my usual morning coffee. I got my workout in (PiYo Sweat) and felt great doing it and after. Condensing the morning food ended up being a bad idea because I was ready for my snack around 3:30 and I was a starving wreck by the time I got to dinner. I ended up adding extra veggies to the stir fry (although I kept the quantity of olive oil the same) and felt quite full. Lesson learned....spread out the meals and snacks as far as you possibly can take them!
Day 2: I woke up feeling pretty good and weighing a pound less. No complaints there! I did a PiYo workout again after my Shakeology and had plenty of energy and strength. Today I spread my meals out as far as I could and although I ended up pretty hungry before them, it was a much more balanced approach to the day. On day 1 I chose to blend my fruit at lunch into my shake, but today I decided to eat it separately and was so glad I did. I felt like I had so much food to eat! I also added a little extra spinach to my spinach salad at dinner, but kept all other amounts the same. As I got into the evening I was getting hungrier and hungrier. Even after my salad, which I felt like it took forever to eat it was so much food, I felt full for about an hour and then got hungry. I wanted a bagel with cream cheese more than anything in the entire world. Uh oh!
Day 3: When I woke up, I felt awful. I hit my snooze button 3 or 4 times (I never let myself hit it more than once). I finally dragged myself out of bed and felt like I had been hit with a sledge hammer. Even the scale reading another 1.2 pounds less didn't cheer me up. But you know what did? My Shakeology. After I drank it I felt like a million bucks. I banged out my PiYo workout, got myself to work.....
.... and I crashed. Big time. I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it through the day. I was lightheaded, spacey, I couldn't focus. I didn't want to give in since I only had a few more hours to go, but I knew my body needed food. So I made a deal with myself. I wouldn't eat the pretzels on my desk, or the goldfish I had brought for my daughter's snack. I wouldn't take a bite of her string cheese (by the way, resisting the temptation to pop a bit of her leftover food into my mouth was the hardest part of this whole cleanse, and it made me realize that is the one area that I do tend to eat a bite here or there without thinking). I was going to stick to my plan of no dairy, no meat, and no carbs. I started slowly eating the cherries I had brought for lunch and immediately I felt better. I was still a little spaced out but I knew I would make it through. I know part of the idea of a cleanse is to give your digestive system a rest, and I had for two days, but I couldn't do it today. As long as I kept eating a little here and a little there I was fine. My normal eating habit is to eat 6 smaller meals/snacks each day so my body is used to being constantly fed a steady stream of fuel. In the end I only ended up eating one more serving of a healthy fat (hummus) and an extra serving of veggies (carrots). I added extra carrots (and garlic) to my Moroccan carrot salad for dinner, which was delicious! And to be perfectly honest, from lunch on I felt better and better as the day progressed.
So after my morning on Day 3, why would I want to do this again? I do think it's important to give my body time to flush out all the stuff, especially from the dairy and meat I eat. Even with buying all-natural, hormone free, organic, I know there are downsides to eating these too much or too often. And not withstanding the morning of day 3, I felt good the whole time (even if I had spells of being hungry), and it's cliched to say but I feel cleaner and lighter afterwards.....refreshed!
I also have noticed a major shift/refocus in what I want to eat ..... what I am craving now. Despite all my cravings for bagels and ice cream and other bad things during the cleanse, when I woke up this morning all I wanted was my normal Shakeology (non-vegan with peanut butter, almond milk, and a WHOLE banana rather than only a half). When I looked in the fridge to pack lunch, all I really wanted was a salad with leftover grilled chicken, tomato, and basil. My portion sizes are also much smaller. I do think this will be a good addition to my fitness routine every month, or every quarter..... with some modifications.
I will do some things differently. I think I could stick to the cleanse exactly if I eliminated my workouts while I was doing it. But I rely on my workouts as a stress reliever and I also have a harder time mentally getting back into them when I stop for a few days. I have a few ideas of what to try in the future.....either not limit the amount of veggies at lunch, snack, and/or dinner; or add one more snack of veggies and healthy fat into the afternoon; or stick to the hour or more meal spacing for the first day and a half and then let myself graze on fruit and veggies throughout the day (limiting the quantity, just not the meal spacing to help keep my blood sugar more level).
I am my no means a rail, but I have worked on reducing my body fat percentage quite substantially over the last year and I think I just don't have the reserves to sustain a low calorie diet, even for three days, especially while exercising even moderately. I did the Refresh with a group of other ladies ... in general, those who are still in the weight-loss portion of their fitness journey felt fine the entire way through (not to say they didn't get hungry or have cravings), and those who are in the maintenance phase struggled. Most of those looking for weight loss lost at least 5 pounds, if not more, while those trying to maintain lost 0.5-3.5 pounds. And I will say that I was so thankful to have this group for support. When I was struggling it helped to know I wasn't alone and wasn't the only one struggling. Rather than caving and eating pretzels or goldfish, we all were able to encourage each other to stick with it, even if we needed to eat a little larger serving (or an extra serving) from what the meal plan said. Some didn't make it all the way through, and some did. But we all gave it our best effort and pushed ourselves past our comfort zone.
It is imperative when doing this or any cleanse or restrictive diet, that you listen to your body. It will tell you when it needs help....make sure you give it what it needs. Certainly push yourself...you are capable of much more than you think. The mind puts limitations on us that aren't really there, and you will learn so much if you push past these barriers. That is why I enjoy doing cleanses, challenges, and workouts in general....they remind me that I am in control of what I eat and what I do to shape my body, and you need to be uncomfortable to grow and change. But the goal of a cleanse is to come out the other side MORE healthy, not doing damage to your body and not starving your body of the nutrients it needs to function. Rather than starvation, set boundaries and expectations for yourself like I did so you can give you body what it needs, without giving up and going overboard. And only you know what feels right so most importantly, don't compare yourself with others. Just strive to be better than you were yesterday!
Weight: There is a 5-ish pound range that I like to be in and I started at the high side of that. But I wasn't looking to lose a lot of weight. In the end I lost 3.5 pounds (in 3 days) and I am VERY happy with that. I did not want to lose much more.
Inches: I really wanted to reduce some of my measurements. Certain areas haven't gone back to the same size they were before my daughter was born, even though I'm much healthier, weigh a LOT less, and am MUCH happier with my body and how I look. At the same time, I really want to reduce my waist and hip measurements if at all possible. For a week or so before the cleanse I had been feeling extremely bloated and heavy. I think it was mainly the hot, humid weather we had been having but I'll fully admit that I had not been as clean with my eating as I usually am for a few weeks. I lost 4" overall, measuring chest, waist, hips, butt, and theighs. An entire inch came off my waist!
Why did I want to do a cleanse, especially when I wasn't looking to lose a lot of weight? I do eat a relatively clean diet and I am aware of what I eat (even when I have an extra cheat or two.....I don't tend to eat mindlessly anymore). But I do eat a fair amount of dairy, I do eat all kinds of meats....at least a serving a day (poultry, beef, pork, lamb, bison), and I eat a decent amount of carbs (mostly healthy, whole-food, with the occasional cheat thrown in). I have mostly cut refined sugar out of my diet, but some is there for sure. So I really wanted to cleanse all of this out of my system.
I'm not going to go into a ton of detail about the cleanse, but a short review of the product itself, before we get to my experience doing it. The guide is extremely well-laid out and easy to use. It made me not quite so intimidated before starting because each day is laid out to a T, including spots for you to fill out each food option for each meal/snack for each day. I filled out the booklet and it was fast and simple to put together my grocery shopping list. Each day starts with a Shakeology shake (I chose vegan because I wanted to completely eliminate dairy) and a serving of fruit. This is followed by morning tea (all teas are optional) and then the fiber drink. I had heard HORRIBLE things about the fiber drink, and these had clearly shaped my expectations because I didn't think it was bad at all. It has a faint lemony flavor and is thicker like other fiber drinks. I certainly wouldn't sip on it, but I had no trouble getting the glass down. Lunch consists of the Vanilla Fresh protein drink, a fruit, a vegetable, and a healthy fat. Then a snack of a veggie and healthy fat and afternoon tea. Dinner is another protein shake and a dish off the dinner menu....all vegetables/salads prepared with a variety of seasonings and toppings....some raw, some cooked. There is a pretty good selection and I actually had trouble deciding which three to make. And all that I made are delicious! I actually made the veggie stir fry as a side dish for my dinner tonight because it was so tasty. One more tea is optional before bed.
Day 1: My morning meals were a little thrown off because my daughter woke up late and I was having lunch with my mom. I wanted to get to the lunch meal in the meal plan so I could eat something with her, so I ended up cramming my breakfast, fiber drink and lunch into the first 3 hours of my day (you are supposed to wait at least an hour between each time you eat or drink tea). I skipped my morning tea, but I was VERY proud of myself for also resisting my usual morning coffee. I got my workout in (PiYo Sweat) and felt great doing it and after. Condensing the morning food ended up being a bad idea because I was ready for my snack around 3:30 and I was a starving wreck by the time I got to dinner. I ended up adding extra veggies to the stir fry (although I kept the quantity of olive oil the same) and felt quite full. Lesson learned....spread out the meals and snacks as far as you possibly can take them!
Day 2: I woke up feeling pretty good and weighing a pound less. No complaints there! I did a PiYo workout again after my Shakeology and had plenty of energy and strength. Today I spread my meals out as far as I could and although I ended up pretty hungry before them, it was a much more balanced approach to the day. On day 1 I chose to blend my fruit at lunch into my shake, but today I decided to eat it separately and was so glad I did. I felt like I had so much food to eat! I also added a little extra spinach to my spinach salad at dinner, but kept all other amounts the same. As I got into the evening I was getting hungrier and hungrier. Even after my salad, which I felt like it took forever to eat it was so much food, I felt full for about an hour and then got hungry. I wanted a bagel with cream cheese more than anything in the entire world. Uh oh!
Day 3: When I woke up, I felt awful. I hit my snooze button 3 or 4 times (I never let myself hit it more than once). I finally dragged myself out of bed and felt like I had been hit with a sledge hammer. Even the scale reading another 1.2 pounds less didn't cheer me up. But you know what did? My Shakeology. After I drank it I felt like a million bucks. I banged out my PiYo workout, got myself to work.....
.... and I crashed. Big time. I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it through the day. I was lightheaded, spacey, I couldn't focus. I didn't want to give in since I only had a few more hours to go, but I knew my body needed food. So I made a deal with myself. I wouldn't eat the pretzels on my desk, or the goldfish I had brought for my daughter's snack. I wouldn't take a bite of her string cheese (by the way, resisting the temptation to pop a bit of her leftover food into my mouth was the hardest part of this whole cleanse, and it made me realize that is the one area that I do tend to eat a bite here or there without thinking). I was going to stick to my plan of no dairy, no meat, and no carbs. I started slowly eating the cherries I had brought for lunch and immediately I felt better. I was still a little spaced out but I knew I would make it through. I know part of the idea of a cleanse is to give your digestive system a rest, and I had for two days, but I couldn't do it today. As long as I kept eating a little here and a little there I was fine. My normal eating habit is to eat 6 smaller meals/snacks each day so my body is used to being constantly fed a steady stream of fuel. In the end I only ended up eating one more serving of a healthy fat (hummus) and an extra serving of veggies (carrots). I added extra carrots (and garlic) to my Moroccan carrot salad for dinner, which was delicious! And to be perfectly honest, from lunch on I felt better and better as the day progressed.
So after my morning on Day 3, why would I want to do this again? I do think it's important to give my body time to flush out all the stuff, especially from the dairy and meat I eat. Even with buying all-natural, hormone free, organic, I know there are downsides to eating these too much or too often. And not withstanding the morning of day 3, I felt good the whole time (even if I had spells of being hungry), and it's cliched to say but I feel cleaner and lighter afterwards.....refreshed!
I also have noticed a major shift/refocus in what I want to eat ..... what I am craving now. Despite all my cravings for bagels and ice cream and other bad things during the cleanse, when I woke up this morning all I wanted was my normal Shakeology (non-vegan with peanut butter, almond milk, and a WHOLE banana rather than only a half). When I looked in the fridge to pack lunch, all I really wanted was a salad with leftover grilled chicken, tomato, and basil. My portion sizes are also much smaller. I do think this will be a good addition to my fitness routine every month, or every quarter..... with some modifications.
I will do some things differently. I think I could stick to the cleanse exactly if I eliminated my workouts while I was doing it. But I rely on my workouts as a stress reliever and I also have a harder time mentally getting back into them when I stop for a few days. I have a few ideas of what to try in the future.....either not limit the amount of veggies at lunch, snack, and/or dinner; or add one more snack of veggies and healthy fat into the afternoon; or stick to the hour or more meal spacing for the first day and a half and then let myself graze on fruit and veggies throughout the day (limiting the quantity, just not the meal spacing to help keep my blood sugar more level).
I am my no means a rail, but I have worked on reducing my body fat percentage quite substantially over the last year and I think I just don't have the reserves to sustain a low calorie diet, even for three days, especially while exercising even moderately. I did the Refresh with a group of other ladies ... in general, those who are still in the weight-loss portion of their fitness journey felt fine the entire way through (not to say they didn't get hungry or have cravings), and those who are in the maintenance phase struggled. Most of those looking for weight loss lost at least 5 pounds, if not more, while those trying to maintain lost 0.5-3.5 pounds. And I will say that I was so thankful to have this group for support. When I was struggling it helped to know I wasn't alone and wasn't the only one struggling. Rather than caving and eating pretzels or goldfish, we all were able to encourage each other to stick with it, even if we needed to eat a little larger serving (or an extra serving) from what the meal plan said. Some didn't make it all the way through, and some did. But we all gave it our best effort and pushed ourselves past our comfort zone.
It is imperative when doing this or any cleanse or restrictive diet, that you listen to your body. It will tell you when it needs help....make sure you give it what it needs. Certainly push yourself...you are capable of much more than you think. The mind puts limitations on us that aren't really there, and you will learn so much if you push past these barriers. That is why I enjoy doing cleanses, challenges, and workouts in general....they remind me that I am in control of what I eat and what I do to shape my body, and you need to be uncomfortable to grow and change. But the goal of a cleanse is to come out the other side MORE healthy, not doing damage to your body and not starving your body of the nutrients it needs to function. Rather than starvation, set boundaries and expectations for yourself like I did so you can give you body what it needs, without giving up and going overboard. And only you know what feels right so most importantly, don't compare yourself with others. Just strive to be better than you were yesterday!