Juice Challenge: Day 3

I made it through day 3 of only juice!
I started running low on ingredients, so I only made 2 different juices today. I alternated between Shocking Green and Lean ‘N’ Green to keep from getting too bored.

I wanted to say thank you again to all of my readers. Each and every one of you keep me motived and so excited to blog everyday. Your emails and comments have been so inspiring and encouraging! I always try to email everyone back but I have actually had an overwhelming amount of emails in my inbox, so don’t think I am not responding! You guys know I can be quite chatty and I really like to take time to respond to my readers. I was so surprised the first time someone said that I inspired them because YOU guys inspire me!  I love hearing your stories, and opinions! Love you little bunnies!

Emotions: I did not sleep well at all last night. I couldn’t get comfy and then after I feel asleep I woke up a few times in the middle of the night with a full bladder. Is there such thing as too much water intake? I guess the 8 glasses of water, tea, and the addition of all of these h20 loaded veggie & fruit juices really adds up. I just keep thinking about all of the icky toxins flushing out of my body. This morning I stepped on the scale and was excited to see a 2lb loss which got me really excited for the day. I felt great throughout the day but later in the afternoon started having one of those sad moments again. I could not stop thinking about how I let myself overindulge and get to this not so comfy weight. I hate that these thoughts even cross my mind, when I am doing something proactive to change. I tried to distract myself and with my friend’s genius idea, started catching up on the past few episodes of New Girl that I had missed. I also made a trip to Barnes & Noble to find a new book to read during my down time.

I definitely feel less bloated, and am getting more motivated to stay on track with healthy eating once I am done cleansing. I am not sure how long I will juice, but a lot of people have raised concern that it is unhealthy for longer than 10 days. As usual, I started researching! Juice fasting is a controversial “crash diet” that is strongly recommended by some, and extremely discouraged by others. Both advocates and opponents of juice fasting agree that there are some significant pros and cons. A juice fast is a temporary diet that consists of only the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables. The idea is that by consuming nothing but juice, the body will cleanse itself of impurities, fat and toxins, resulting in weight loss. Juice fasting does not contain nearly enough protein or healthy fats to be considered a substantial diet, and I have to agree. So far I have felt more tired than usual, and there is no way that I could workout while continuing my cleanse. Although I agree that a long term juice fast is not ideal, I do like the idea of cleansing the body with pure micronutrients.

Hunger: I am really surprised that I haven’t felt actual hunger in-between juices. If I am “hungry” it’s my mind craving food, but not actual physical hunger. I am craving a bite of actual fruit, but am staying strong and sticking with juice! I have to say that my worst withdrawal and strongest craving is for coffee. I am really surprised that I haven’t gotten headaches from the caffeine withdrawal yet, but I’m not complaining! The last time I gave up coffee I was miserable!

Shocking Green
makes 3 servings

3 green apples
10 stalks celery
1 large cucumber
14 sprigs of Italian parsley
10 dinosaur kale leaves
2 inch knob of ginger

Lean ‘N’ Green
makes 3 servings

1 head romaine
8 dinosaur kale leaves
6 stalks celery
1 large cucumber
8 carrots
1 lemon

Juice Critique:
Shocking Green: I think I may have added a tad too much ginger to this one, because I was a bit… shocked after my first sip. The ginger was a nice change compared to the usual green juices. Plus ginger has great nutritional benefits, so I’ll take it! I may use a bit less next round though.

Lean ‘N’ Green:  Mmmm this one tasted nice and fresh. The lemon definitely helped to cut out the bitterness of the kale. I’m starting to really love the green juices, especially with carrots! I’m really like these more than beet juices! Plus I am actually starting to enjoy the taste of celery!